【英语时差8,16】科学家试图揭开英国巨石阵之谜

 Archaeologists set out recently to unlock one of the secrets of Stonehenge, the majestic¹ monument in southern England－when were the first standing² stones placed at the ancient religious site?

The concentric stone circles that make up Stonehenge, 130 km southwest of London, consist of giant sandstone blocks and smaller bluestones－volcanic rock of a bluish tint³ with white flecks⁴.

In the first archaeological dig at the World Heritage site since 1964, Stonehenge experts Tim Darvill and Geoff Wainwright will use modern carbon dating techniques and analysis of soil pollen⁵ and seashells to work out when the stones were set up.

"If you want to find out why Stonehenge was built, you need to look 250 km away to the Presili Hills, where the first bluestones that built Stonehenge come from," Wainwright said.

The two archaeologists believe the bluestones were thought to have magical curative powers. Theories of the role of Stonehenge range from the supernatural－one says the legendary⁶ wizard Merlin built it－to sacrifices linked to sun worship.

Wainwright and Darvill hope their findings will support their theory that Stonehenge was the ancient equivalent of a health spa.

Some 80 bluestones, weighing between one and four tons each, were transported to the site between 4,500 and 5,000 years ago. Only about one-third of them remain, the rest having been stolen or broken up over the millennia⁷.

1 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

2 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。

3 tint   

n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色

参考例句：

• You can't get up that naturalness and artless rosy tint in after days.你今后不再会有这种自然和朴实无华的红润脸色。
• She gave me instructions on how to apply the tint.她告诉我如何使用染发剂。

4 flecks   

n.斑点，小点( fleck的名词复数 )；癍

参考例句：

• His hair was dark, with flecks of grey. 他的黑发间有缕缕银丝。
• I got a few flecks of paint on the window when I was painting the frames. 我在漆窗框时，在窗户上洒了几点油漆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

6 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

7 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。