英语听力—环球英语 1156 Seven Wonders of the World

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Joshua Leo.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I’m Rena Dam. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　How many can I name? The Pyramids³ of Giza, the Lighthouse of Alexandria. And the Colossus of Rhodes … um … the Hanging Gardens of Babylon …

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　You may have heard of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. But could you name them? Did you know that only one of the Seven Wonders is still standing⁴ today? Today’s Spotlight program is on those seven famous structures⁶ - the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The Seven Wonders of the World were structures in the lands around the east of the Mediterranean⁷ Sea. They were in the countries that are now Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Iraq. Ancient people had built them. The Seven Wonders of the World were important because of their size, their beauty, or because they had some other unusual quality.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The people of ancient Greece loved to make lists of the great structures in their world. When we think of the Seven Wonders of the World today, we think of one list. But there were several lists, written by different ancient Greek⁸ writers. The list of Seven Wonders that people use today is a collection of these old lists.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　At that time, the Greek people did not know about many places in the world. They only knew of the areas of their empire, that is, the area around today’s Middle East. The Ancient Greeks⁹ chose the seven most wonderful places that they knew about.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Sadly, only one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world is still standing today. That is the Great Pyramid² of Giza, in Egypt. The Pyramids of Giza are large stone buildings, pointed¹⁰ at the top. They were built over four thousand years ago. Ancient Egyptian kings built them as burial¹¹ places. There are three pyramids in Giza, but only the largest Pyramid is on the list of the Seven Wonders. For centuries it was the tallest building in the world! It is 145 metres tall! This Great Pyramid is a mystery to many people. Even today, experts are not sure how the pyramids were built.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The other six wonders of the world are gone. But we do have reports about what they looked like.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　One of them was also in Egypt, in the city of Alexandria. It was a large lighthouse. The lighthouse was 110 metres tall. It had a fire at the top. The lighthouse was important for sailing¹² ships. The light showed sailors the place of the land. It was built more than two thousand years ago. It was made of large beautiful white stones. Experts say that an earthquake destroyed the lighthouse nearly seven hundred years ago.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Another of the Seven Wonders of the World was on the Euphrates River. Today this area is in Iraq. King Nebuchadnezzar the Second built a large structure⁵. This structure was covered with gardens full of beautiful plants, flowers and trees. It was called the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Experts believe that the king built the gardens for his wife. They believe she may have desired to be back in her home in the mountains. Travellers¹³ were always surprised by the Hanging Garden’s beauty.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Now we travel to the modern country of Turkey. Two of the Seven Wonders used to be here. Both were built about 2300 years ago. The first was the large ‘Temple of Artemis’, in the ancient city of Ephesus. In this temple, there were great statues. The best artists of that time made these beautiful statues. People once said that this temple was the most beautiful structure on earth. It was made of marble¹⁴ - a beautiful rock for such a building.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The other Wonder in Turkey was the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - in modern Bodrum. Like the Pyramids in Egypt, this structure was a place where a king was buried. It was made out of alabaster¹⁵ - a valuable white rock. Life-size statues of animals and people covered the outside of the building. The Mausoleum survived for about 1500 years. But earthquakes finally destroyed it hundreds of years ago.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Two of the Seven Wonders stood in parts of modern day Greece. One was on an island of Rhodes. It was a huge statue, 32 metres high. It was called “The Colossus.” It was at the edge¹⁶ of the sea. Some ancient reports say that the statue’s left foot stood on one side of the city’s port and the right foot stood on the other side. It was said that the statue was so big, that ships could sail through its legs. But most experts today agree that the Colossus stood only on one side of the port, not across its opening. The Colossus only existed for 56 years. It fell down in an earthquake. But during the time that it was standing, it was one of the most amazing structures in the world. The ancient Greeks loved the statue so much, that they left its broken pieces lying on the ground for 900 years.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The last of the Seven Wonders of the World was at Olympia on mainland¹⁷ Greece. It was also a beautiful statue. The statue was of the Greek god Zeus. This statue sat in a large temple. Its head almost touched the top of the temple! It was covered with gold and it was 13 metres tall. Beautiful stones and rare¹⁸ wood decorated the statue. Kings from many countries came to visit the statue and place beautiful objects on and around it.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World were beautiful places in the ancient Greek empire. They were wonderful to people of the ancient world because of their beauty or size. Today, people continue to make lists of “wonders” in the world - wonderful places, both ancient and modern, natural and man-made¹⁹. What places would you add to the list? What are the wonders of your country?

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Several years ago, an international project attempted to make a new list of Seven Wonders. Listen for another program about that project. And share your ideas on the Spotlight website.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Joshua Leo. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United²⁰ States. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Seven Wonders of the World’.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at [email protected]. You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 pyramid   

n.金字塔

参考例句：

• The Great Pyramid is the biggest of all.大金字塔是其中最大的一座。
• Pyramid is one of the miracles in the world.金字塔是世界奇迹之一。

3 Pyramids   

n.金字塔( pyramid的名词复数 )；金字塔形的物体（或一堆东西）；金字塔式的组织（或系统）；棱锥（体）

参考例句：

• One of the seven wonders of the ancient world was the Pyramids. 金字塔是古代世界的七大奇迹之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Great Pyramids and the Sphinx are nearby. 雄伟的金字塔和狮身人面像就在附近。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 structure   

n.结构，构造，建筑物；v.构成；

参考例句：

• Doctors study the structure of the human body.医生研究人体构造。
• A flower has quite a complicated structure.一朵花的结构相当复杂。

6 structures   

n.结构( structure的名词复数 )；[生物学]构造；机构；构造物v.组织( structure的第三人称单数 )；安排；制定

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Flexibility of labour was obtained through the breakup of old trade union structures. 打破了旧的工会结构之后，雇用劳工可以灵活处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

8 Greek   

adj.希腊(人)的，希腊语的；n.希腊人；希腊语

参考例句：

• The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。
• Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.δ是希腊字母中的第四个字母。

9 Greeks   

希腊人( Greek的名词复数 )； 希腊语； 对我来说太难懂了； 像天书一样

参考例句：

• The ancient Greeks sacrificed lambs or calves before engaging in battle. 古希腊人在打仗前用羊和小牛作祭品。
• Troy was besieged by the Greeks for ten years. 特洛伊城被希腊人围攻了十年。

10 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

11 burial   

n.埋葬，埋藏，掩埋

参考例句：

• The priest prepared the body for burial.牧师给死者作安葬准备。
• The Premier's burial was a solemn occasion.总理的葬礼是个庄严的场面。

12 sailing   

n.航行，航海术，启航

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• The operation was plain sailing.手术进行得顺利。

13 travellers   

n.旅行者( traveller的名词复数 )；旅游者；旅客；游客

参考例句：

• The unusually heavy rainfall was an ill omen for the travellers. 异乎寻常的大雨是旅行者的不祥之兆。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The travellers looked weather-beaten, there was little spit and polish. 旅客们满面风尘，仪容不整。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 marble   

n.大理石，石弹，雕刻品；adj.大理石的，冷酷无情的，坚硬的

参考例句：

• Marble is a precious stone.大理石是一种珍贵的石料。
• The statue was carved out of marble.这尊像是大理石雕成的。

15 alabaster   

adj.雪白的；n.雪花石膏；条纹大理石

参考例句：

• The floor was marble tile,and the columns alabaster.地板是由大理石铺成的，柱子则是雪花石膏打造而成。
• Her skin was like alabaster.她的皮肤光洁雪白。

16 edge   

n.边(缘)；刃；优势；v.侧着移动，徐徐移动

参考例句：

• Sight along the edge to see if it's straight.顺着边目测，看看直不直。
• She lived on the extreme edge of the forest.她住在森林的最边缘。

17 mainland   

n.大陆，本土

参考例句：

• The new bridge will link the island to the mainland.新的桥梁将把该岛与大陆连接在一起。
• Hong Kong's prosperity relies heavily on mainland.香港的繁荣在很大程度上依赖于大陆。

18 rare   

adj.稀罕的，罕有的，珍贵的，稀薄的，半熟的，非常的；adv.非常

参考例句：

• It is rare to see a man over 160 years old.很少见到一个人能活到160岁。
• The zoo has a lot of rare animals in it.这个动物园有许多珍奇的动物。

19 man-made   

adj.人造的，合成的，人为的

参考例句：

• Nylon is a man-made fibre.尼龙是一种人造纤维。
• Many countries have sent up man-made satellites to circle the earth.许多国家已经发射人造卫星围绕地球运转。

20 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。