VOA慢速英语2010年-EXPLORATIONS - 12 Cultural Sites in De

BOB DOUGHTY¹: I’m Bob Doughty.
FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. The Global Heritage² Fund organization recently released a list of cultural treasures in the developing world that are in danger of disappearing.
These “On the Verge” places face many threats. They include war and conflict, development pressures, poor supervision³, stealing and misuse⁴ by visitors.
The Global Heritage Fund says these places are important because they are records of our human civilization. And the group says countries can learn to use these treasures to help support responsible development in the future.
(MUSIC)BOB DOUGHTY: The Global Heritage Fund says globalization has created an international culture that is about sameness. But the endangered places it is trying to protect represent the rich differences of human culture throughout history.
The group says there are more than two hundred places around the developing world that are at serious risk. In a new report, the fund has chosen twelve places that are the most threatened.
FAITH LAPIDUS: One of these is Ani, a city in Turkey near the border with Armenia. This ancient city is now mostly in ruins. But it was once the capital of a large and powerful Armenian kingdom.
Women sell fruits and vegetables in front of a damaged house in Jacmel, Haiti, after the earthquake in January. The Global Heritage Fund says Jacmel is one of the world’s last historic⁵ cities of steel and iron architecture. Ani’s ruined buildings tell an important story about the Armenian culture that existed there during the tenth and eleventh centuries. The city contains many fine examples of religious and civil buildings.
But these buildings have long been damaged by robbers. Experts say the Turkish government has done little to protect the buildings and many are at risk of collapse⁶.
BOB DOUGHTY: The town of Lamu is one of the oldest and best-kept traditional Swahili settlements in East Africa. Lamu is on an island of the same name, off the coast of Kenya. Lamu’s buildings are made of coral stone and wood from mangrove⁷ forests.
Ancient settlements on this island date as far back as the eighth century.
Lamu was once a very important trading center in East Africa. It is also important for its special Islamic culture and celebrations. This ancient city became part of the United Nations World Heritage list in two thousand one. But it still faces the threats of modern development, such as the possible building of a modern port nearby.
Several old buildings in town are also in danger of collapsing⁸.
The ruins of a church in Ani, Turkey FAITH LAPIDUS: The town of Maluti in India is known for its many religious buildings which date back to the seventeen hundreds. Pala rulers built the Maluti Temples to honor their gods including Shiva, Durga and Kali.
Many of the temples have fallen apart, and rainwater has further weakened those that are still standing⁹. If repaired, these beautiful buildings could offer this small town an important source of income.
Other endangered places include the ancient city of Ninevah in northern Iraq, the Sans-Souci palace in Haiti, and the former capital of Ayutthaya in Thailand.
(MUSIC)BOB DOUGHTY: The Global Heritage Fund is a nonprofit organization based in California. Its goal is to protect places of cultural importance in developing countries.
The group says it pays attention to developing countries because they often have few resources to protect places of cultural importance. And, other major cultural organizations often pay more attention to protecting places in the developed world.
For example, the fund points out that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has forty-five World Heritage places in Italy. UNESCO has forty-two in Spain. But Peru, famous for its ancient Incan buildings, has only nine World Heritage Places. Guatemala has only three.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Many of the Global Heritage Fund’s efforts help communities learn how best to protect their cultural treasures. The fund says it also aims to show how countries can use these places to support economic growth.
The organization has developed a protection method using local communities, science and partnerships¹⁰ with other groups.
The Global Heritage Fund recently published a report called “Saving Our Vanishing Heritage.” The report has several goals. One is to raise public awareness¹¹ about the threats to historical places around the world.
The fund says the problem is an international crisis¹² that is equal to environmental destruction around the world. Another goal of the report is to identify inventive technologies to help solve the crisis. The report also aims to increase funding to these projects through partnerships between public and private groups.
BOB DOUGHTY: The Global Heritage Fund says its new report attempts to place a value on cultural places so that they can also be considered as economic resources. The group says thinking of the cultural places in economic terms can help to meet the United Nations Millennium¹³ Development Goals of ending poverty.
It also estimates that by two thousand twenty five, these places of cultural importance could produce one hundred billion dollar a year in income for developing countries.
Protecting a cultural place has a big effect on local economies by creating jobs and bringing new life to city areas. Once a place of cultural importance begins to attract visitors, property values increase and small businesses find new markets.
But the Global Heritage Fund says increasing the number of visitors to an area must be done responsibly. Controls and policies must be established to avoid overuse.
FAITH LAPIDUS: Both the Global Heritage Fund and UNESCO work toward protecting historical places. UNESCO’s World Heritage list includes over nine hundred natural or cultural places considered to have universal value.
However, UNESCO has very little money in its budget to pay for protecting historical places. UNESCO does provide professional help and training to help countries and communities create and maintain programs.
BOB DOUGHTY: Experts say that being selected for the UNESCO World Heritage List can bring needed aid as well as problems. Once a place of cultural importance makes the list, it can become so popular with visitors that the goal of protection fails.
UNESCO has said that business goals aimed at increasing visitors often end up shaping policies instead of protection goals. Other critics say there are so many places on UNESCO’s World Heritage list that the organization can no longer be very effective.
Still, UNESCO plays a very important role in bringing attention to culturally and historically important places around the world.
(MUSIC)FAITH LAPIDUS: One of the Global Heritage Fund’s current projects is in Guatemala’s Mirador Basin. This area in northern Guatemala contains several important examples of ancient Mayan settlements. These include the Mayan cities of El Mirador, Nakbe, Tintal and Wakna.
The many buildings are surrounded by forest. Centuries of tree growth have covered the pyramids and religious buildings. These buildings provide some of the finest examples of the early part of the Mayan civilization.
But this area is in danger from robbers and people cutting trees illegally. Also, over the past ten years, much of the natural environment in the Mirador area has been destroyed by fires. The Global Heritage Fund says over seventy percent of the environment in this area has been lost in the past ten years.
US archaeologist Richard Hansen shows a limestone¹⁴ frieze¹⁵ found at El Mirador archaeological site BOB DOUGHTY: The Global Heritage Fund has three main goals for its Mirador project. One is helping¹⁶ the Guatemalan government obtain UNESCO recognition¹⁷. Another is establishing permanent protection for the area. And the third is working to make the area a sustainable protected area within ten years.
To meet these goals, the Global Heritage Fund is working with the Guatemalan government to gain support for its protection plan. Money from The fund will go toward restoring the buildings of El Mirador and mapping and exploring newly discovered buildings.
The organization is also paying to train local guides on how to stop theft and illegal tree-cutting. Educational programs are helping to give people in the area the skills they need to have jobs that do not endanger this protected area.
The United States and Guatemalan governments, area nonprofit organizations and private donors¹⁸ have given money to help support the Mirador project.
FAITH LAPIDUS: The Global Heritage Fund says we have a duty to the people of the past, present and future to make sure we do not lose these examples of human history.
And it says every country, organization and individual can play a role in helping to protect this rich history.
BOB DOUGHTY: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Bob Doughty.
FAITH LAPIDUS: And I’m Faith Lapidus. Visit us online at voaspecialenglish.com or on Facebook or Twitter at VOA Learning English. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

3 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

4 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

5 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。

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 mangrove   

n.(植物)红树，红树林

参考例句：

• It is the world's largest tidal mangrove forest.它是世界上最大的红树林沼泽地。
• Many consider this the most beautiful mangrove forest in all Thailand.许多人认为这里是全泰国最美丽的红树林了。

8 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

11 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

12 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

13 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

14 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

15 frieze   

n.(墙上的)横饰带，雕带

参考例句：

• The Corinthian painter's primary ornamental device was the animal frieze.科林斯画家最初的装饰图案是动物形象的装饰带。
• A careful reconstruction of the frieze is a persuasive reason for visiting Liverpool. 这次能让游客走访利物浦展览会，其中一个具有说服力的原因则是壁画得到了精心的重建。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 recognition   

n.承认，认可，认出，认识

参考例句：

• The place has changed beyond recognition.这地方变得认不出来了。
• A sudden smile of recognition flashed across his face.他脸上掠过一丝笑意，表示认识对方。

18 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》