VOA慢速英语2014 柬埔寨文物受到损坏

 

AS IT IS 2014-07-04 Cambodian Cultural Artifacts under Attack 柬埔寨文物受到损坏

Over the past 40 years, Cambodia’s cultural treasures have been under attack.  Many artifacts have disappeared from ancient religious centers and other historic¹ sites across Cambodia.  A large number of the objects were secretly removed from the country and sent to art museums and private collections around the world.

New research shows that much of this activity was the work of organized crime.  It also suggests that most pieces have disappeared from public view, probably forever. 

Cambodia’s 1,000-year-old temples and other historic areas first came under attack in 1970, at the start of the Cambodian civil war.  The looting and raids² continued until the fighting stopped about 30 years later.  One incident in the early 1970s involved government soldiers.  They used a military helicopter to airlift ancient artifacts from a 12th Century fort³ in the northwest.

At the same ruins in 1998, generals tore down and removed 30 tons of the structure.  Six military trucks loaded with artifacts were sent toward⁴ the border with Thailand.  Only one of the six trucks was stopped and its objects returned.  The rest disappeared.

For years, researchers believed that such well-organized attacks were rare, and that most of the raids involved local people.  But a new study shows just the opposite.  The University of Glasgow in Scotland⁵ organized the study. 

Tess Davis is a lawyer and an archeologist – someone who studies past human life and activities.  She was a member of the study team.

“The organized looting and trafficking of Cambodian antiquities⁶ was tied very loosely to the Cambodian civil war and to organized crime in the country.  It began with the war but it long outlived it, and was actually a very complicated⁷ operation, a very organized operation, that brought antiquities directly from looted sites here in the country to the very top collectors, museums and auction⁸ houses in the world.”

Tess Davis says the Cambodian and Thai militaries were often in involved in the attacks, as was organized crime.  And she says local people were often forced to work as laborers⁹.

Researchers say a dealer¹⁰ in Bangkok provided¹¹ the link between the criminals and the collectors and museums.

The University of Glasgow study is part of an international effort designed to improve understanding of how the market for stolen artifacts operates.  It is the first to show how works¹² of art travel the full distance from ancient sites to the hands of art collectors.

The destruction¹³ of Cambodia’s cultural treasures is sad, but there are some victories.  Last month, Cambodia welcomed back three 1,000-year-old statues.  The three were taken in the 1970s from a temple area.  Last year, New York’s Metropolitan¹⁴ Museum of Art returned two other statues in that group.

All five objects were taken to the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh.  Specialists are preparing them for public display later this year.

The head of the National Museum of Cambodia says Cambodian officials are taking steps to protect culturally important artifacts.  That includes documenting all objects kept in museums and those at unprotected areas.

Many of these artifacts are worth a lot of money.  They are often targets in war.  This is what has happened in recent years in places such as Iraq, Egypt, and Syria.

The money earned from artifact sales often is used to buy arms.  Tess Davis says that fact alone should wake up the world to the biggest picture: that the looting and sale of antiquities is often the work of organized crime and armed groups.

“And that link should be a red flag for the world today because we are seeing the same thing repeated today in Egypt and Syria and Iraq, and with very serious consequences – not just for those countries but also again for the world economy and for global security¹⁵.  The money that collectors in New York are spending on antiquities from around the world is going into the pockets of some very bad people.  And I think the art world needs to step up and recognize their role in what’s happening in these countries.”

In Cambodia, the worst of the looting has now stopped – in part, because there is little left to take.  But the coming years will see more cultural treasures discovered, and experts say it is likely that they also will be in danger.

1 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

2 raids   

突然袭击( raid的名词复数 )； 劫掠，劫夺； 突然查抄[搜捕]

参考例句：

• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。
• We can annoy the enemy by raids. 我们可以用空袭骚扰敌人。

3 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。

4 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

5 Scotland   

n.苏格兰

参考例句：

• He has been hiking round Scotland for a month.他围着苏格兰徒步旅行了一个月。
• Scotland is to the north of England.苏格兰在英格兰之北。

6 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

7 complicated   

adj.错综复杂的，麻烦的，结构复杂的

参考例句：

• The poem is so complicated that I cannot make out its meaning.这首诗太复杂，我理解不了它的意思。
• This is the most complicated case I have ever handled.这是我所处理过的最为复杂的案子。

8 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

9 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

10 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

11 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

12 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

13 destruction   

n.破坏，毁灭，消灭

参考例句：

• The enemy bombs caused widespread destruction.敌人的炸弹造成大面积的破坏。
• Overconfidence was his destruction.自负是他垮台的原因。

14 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

15 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。