VOA标准英语2010年-Iranian Angered as British Museum Dela

A 2,500-year-old engraved¹ cylinder² from the ancient city of Babylon is at the heart of a diplomatic dispute between Iran and Britain. The Cyrus cylinder is believed to be the first written charter of human rights. It's been held in the British Museum since its discovery in 1879 and was supposed to be loaned to Tehran earlier this year. But the museum says recent discoveries have shed new light on the artifact - and it's not clear whether the piece will be lent to Iran at all. Henry Ridgwell went to the British Museum to take a look at the small cylinder that's causing a big fuss.

Behind a fortified³ glass case in the heart of the British Museum sits the Cyrus cylinder - an icon⁴ of ancient Iranian history.

The intricate script carved into the clay, known as Cuneiform, details the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC.

It was supposed to be loaned to Iran to go on display there but curators say significant new discoveries have postponed⁵ the loan. Over the past week scholars from across the world have attended a special conference to discuss the new findings, as museum curator Irving Finkel explains.

"The reason for it was that in the British Museum we've made a very interesting new discovery," he said. "Two little fragments which were previously⁶ unknown and unidentified turned out to be a duplicate of the famous Cyrus cylinder. But what is really wonderful is that despite their size they actually fill in gaps on our Cyrus cylinder because as you know it's got holes in it."

In addition fragments of fossilized bone have been identified thousands of miles away in China - also with Cuneiform inscriptions⁷. Irving Finkel again. "To our amazement⁸ these inscriptions were words and lines quoted from the text that we know on the cylinder behind me," he said.

When the delay was announced earlier this year the Iranian authorities claimed it was politically motivated, because of deteriorating⁹ relations between Tehran and London following the post-election violence in Iran.

The keeper of the Middle East collections at the Museum John Curtis denied the loan was delayed because of fears that Iran might not give the cylinder back. "The situation at the moment is that talks are ongoing¹⁰,"  he said. "We have a very good and ongoing relationship with the Iranian government and I don't see any reason to suppose that they would renege on any agreement."

The cylinder gets plenty of attention from tourists of Iranian descent. Some of them told VoA how they feel about Britain owning such an iconic artifact.

"I think the British Museum has done a great job looking after all these artifacts," said a tourist. "Being here, I don't see any problem with that. And if it's loaned to Iran, make sure it's a loan and will be returned in one piece."

"I'd rather it be in Iran, they know the value more, they know what it is, it's from Iran so it should go back there," said another one.

It may be small - but the unique window on Persian history shows it still has the power to ignite strong passions two and a half thousand years after it was made.

 

1 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 cylinder   

n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸

参考例句：

• What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？
• The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。

3 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

4 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

5 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 inscriptions   

（作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记

参考例句：

• Centuries of wind and rain had worn away the inscriptions on the gravestones. 几个世纪的风雨已磨损了墓碑上的碑文。
• The inscriptions on the stone tablet have become blurred with the passage of time. 年代久了，石碑上的字迹已经模糊了。

8 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

9 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。