英“巨石阵”外围又发现“超级巨石”

 　　'Super' Stonehenge Discovered A Short Distance From The Original Monument

　　英“巨石阵”外围又发现“超级巨石”

　　Discovered 3-ft underground beneath the Durrington Walls, “Superhenge', that lies about two miles from the original Stonehenge, is the largest stone monument discovery in Europe. The scientist says that ground-penetrating radar¹ images indicate that there may have been of up to 90 stones, 30 of which are still well preserved.

　　位于英国巨石阵附近两公里处杜灵威环石墙下3英尺的地方，发现了超级石阵。据科学家们称，地下探测雷达的分辨图显示该石阵也许有多达90块巨石，其中的30块都保存良好。

　　“巨石阵”外围又发现“超级巨石”.jpg

　　According to the researchers, the massive stones that measure as high as 15-feet in height most likely date back to burial site's inception², about 5,000 years ago. They suspect that the preserved stones may have been knocked over and buried in the soil a century later, during the construction of the Durrington Walls. The ones that did not get buried adequately are either fragmented or have disintegrated³ completely, leaving behind empty pits where they once stood.

　　据调查者所说，这些高达15英尺的巨大石头很可能建造于地下遗址存在之初，大约5000年之前。他们猜测这些保存下来的石头应该是在一世纪之前，即都灵为环石墙建造的时候被撞倒，然后埋在地下的。而那些没被埋起来的石头有些碎成小块了，有些则完全被撞碎，只留下了空荡的石坑。

　　The discovery is the latest in a slew⁴ of new finds by the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, a partnership⁵ between the University of Birmingham and the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology⁶. It brings together experts from around the world to research Stonehenge and the surrounding areas. The aim of the four-year project that ends in 2017, is to create an extensive underground 3-D map of the area around Stonehenge to document what is already known and search for what still lies hidden.

　　这个最新发现是由伯明翰大学和奥地利与路德维希-玻尔兹曼学院考古勘测及虚拟考古研究所联合开展的巨石阵隐藏遗迹研究计划中一系列的发现之一，聚集了世界各地对这片区域的调查。该计划长达4年，将于2017年结束，主要目的是针对已发现和未知的遗址绘制一个大型地图。

　　Other notable discoveries made possible by the virtual excavation⁷ includes 17 new shrine-like structures and a 108-foot long burial mound⁸. These finds have helped researchers realize that Stonehenge was not a monument in isolation⁹, but part of a rich monumental landscape. While it has always been seen as a place of religious significance, these recent developments seem to suggest that the area could have been the birthplace of the idea of ceremonial procession, or a liturgy¹⁰.

　　其他通过虚拟挖掘的知名发现包括17个类似神龛的新雕塑和一个108英尺长的墓穴。这些发现帮助科学家们了解到巨石阵并不是一个单独的遗址，而是庞大遗址群的一部分。虽然这里一直被认为是宗教重地，最近的发现似乎还证实了这里还有可能是游行与礼拜的发源地。

　　So will this 'Superhenge' displace the original Stonehenge? Probably not, given that the archaeologists have no intention of unearthing¹¹ the bigger neighbor any time soon!

　　那么这片超级石阵有可能代替原有的石阵吗？应该不会，因为考古学家暂时没打算把这片石阵完全挖掘出来。

1 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

2 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

3 disintegrated   

v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The plane disintegrated as it fell into the sea. 飞机坠入大海时解体了。
• The box was so old;it just disintegrated when I picked it up. 那箱子太破旧了，我刚一提就散了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 archaeology   

n.考古学

参考例句：

• She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
• He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。

7 excavation   

n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地

参考例句：

• The bad weather has hung up the work of excavation.天气不好耽误了挖掘工作。
• The excavation exposed some ancient ruins.这次挖掘暴露出一些古遗迹。

8 mound   

n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
• The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

9 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

10 liturgy   

n.礼拜仪式

参考例句：

• A clergyman read the liturgy from the prayer-book.一名牧师照着祈祷书念祷文。
• The mass is the church a kind of liturgy.弥撒是教会的一种礼拜仪式。

11 unearthing   

发掘或挖出某物( unearth的现在分词 )； 搜寻到某事物，发现并披露

参考例句：

• And unearthing the past often means literally and studying the evidence. 通常，探寻往事在字面上即意味着——刨根究底。
• The unearthing of "Peking Man" was a remarkable discovery. “北京人”的出土是个非凡的发现。