英语听力：自然百科 秦兵马俑第三次考古挖掘

 Chinese archaeologists have started to excavate¹ more of the life-size terracotta warriors² at the famed ancient tomb of the country's first emperor. China state TV on Sunday showed archaeologists uncovering more of the elaborately carved soldiers, to add to the 1000 plus statues already excavated³.

 

From this site, we can see in one hole, two horses. We already knew that these two horses existed here. In the last two excavations⁴, we never came across these two horses. Of course, perhaps, there might be more unsolved mysteries.

 

The new dig which started on Saturday is the third undertaken since the tomb was first uncovered in 1974, and will focus on the 2100-square-foot patch within the tomb's main pit that holds the bulk of the warriors. Exhibited where they were found and protected inside a massive building, the tomb and its museum are among China's biggest tourist draws. An exhibition of 15 figures and dozens of artifacts from the tomb broke ticket sale records when it traveled to London and California. The exhibit is now at the Huston Museum of Natural Science and in November, moves to the National Geographic⁵ Museum in Washington D.C.

 

At between five feet eight inches and six and a half feet tall, the statues weigh between 300 and 400 pounds each. In all, the tomb's three pits are thought to hold 7,000 life-size figures. It is believed that they were created by Emperor Qin Shihuang to protect him in the afterlife. No two figures are alike and craftsmen⁶ are believed to have modeled them after a real army. A forth⁷ pit of tomb was apparently⁸ left empty by its builders while Qin's actual burial chamber⁹ has yet to be excavated.

1 excavate   

vt.挖掘，挖出

参考例句：

• They plan to excavate a large hole.他们计划挖个大洞。
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs.一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。

2 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

3 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 excavations   

n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹

参考例句：

• The excavations are open to the public. 发掘现场对公众开放。
• This year's excavations may reveal ancient artifacts. 今年的挖掘可能会发现史前古器物。 来自辞典例句

5 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。

7 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。