VOA常速英语2023 美国归还被盗古埃及木棺

The U.S. has returned a looted ancient artifact.

美国归还了一件被掠夺的古代文物。

AP correspondent Rita Foley reports.

美联社记者丽塔·福利报道。

It's an ancient wooden coffin¹, a sarcophagus that dates back to the late dynastic period of ancient Egypt, an era that spanned from 664 B.C. until Alexander the Great's campaign in 332 B.C.

这是一口古老的木棺，可以追溯到古埃及王朝晚期。古埃及王朝从公元前664年开始，到公元前332年亚历山大大帝的一场战役结束。

It may have belonged to an ancient priest.

它可能属于一位古代祭司。

It had been on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science[s].

木棺曾在休斯顿自然科学博物馆展出。

But three months ago, the Manhattan DA's office determined² it had been looted from an area north of Cairo and smuggled³ into the U.S. in 2008, trafficked by a well-organized network that has done this with other antiquities⁴, says the DA.

但三个月前，曼哈顿地区检察官办公室认定，它在开罗北部的一个地区被偷，2008年走私到美国，并被一个组织严密的古董走私网络贩运。

I'm Rita Foley.

我是丽塔·福利。

Tram and bus workers in the Tunisian capital staged a strike over delays in salaries and the lack of an end-of-year bonus Monday, creating traffic jams across Tunis.

突尼斯首都的电车和公共汽车工人星期一举行了罢工，就拖欠工资和没有年终奖金进行抗议，造成突尼斯各地交通堵塞。

The strike is the latest in a string of similar actions as Tunisia grapples with an economic crisis that has led to frequent shortages of basic goods from petrol to cooking oil.

此次罢工是突尼斯众多罢工活动中的最新一起。目前，突尼斯正努力应对经济危机，这场危机导致汽油、食用油等基本商品频繁出现短缺。

The North African nation is struggling with debts of more than 100 percent of gross domestic product and is in negotiations⁵ with the International Monetary⁶ Fund for a nearly $2 billion bailout.

这个北非国家正因债务达到GDP100%而苦苦挣扎，并正与国际货币基金组织就近20亿美元的救助进行谈判。

Britain's medical bodies on Monday said patients were dying due to inadequate⁷ care and urged the government to act as Britain's health service grapples with a winter of the crisis of strikes and soaring demand.

英国医疗机构周一表示，照护不足正造成患者死亡，机构敦促政府采取行动，因为英国医疗机构目前面临罢工危机，且冬季医疗服务需求飙升。

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine on Sunday said between 300 and 500 patients would die each week in emergency care, notably⁹ due to long waiting times.

英国皇家急诊医学会周日表示，每周都有300至500名患者在急救护理中死亡，主要原因是等候治疗时间过长。

Its vice⁸ president stood by the prediction on Monday, rejecting suggestions that short-term factors had caused the crisis after some hospital officials challenged the claim.

一些医院主管对这一说法提出质疑，周一，皇家急诊医学学会的副会长坚持这一预测，并驳斥了短期因素导致危机的说法。

I'm Joe Ramsey.

我是乔·拉姆齐。

1 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

4 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

5 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

6 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

7 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。