VOA慢速英语2018--利比亚古代文化区遭受重创

Libya’s Ancient Cultural Areas Suffer Damage

Cyrene is an ancient city in eastern Libya that was founded by the Greeks more than 2,600 years ago. The historic¹ site once appealed to tourists. But today, it suffers greatly from damage and lack of care.

Cyrene is one of Libya’s five UNESCO World Heritage² sites -- places that are considered to have special cultural or physical importance. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The sites also include the ruins of the Roman city of Leptis Magna and Sabratha, a site famous for its amphitheater. There are also prehistoric³ rock cuttings in the Akakous mountains in the southern Sahara Desert, near Libya’s border with Algeria.

But since the overthrow⁴ of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, insecurity and looting have harmed many of these areas.

Tourist once walked to Cyrene, a city founded by Greeks and later expanded by Romans. It is in the mountains around 200 kilometers east of Benghazi, within the small community of Shahat.

But today, foreign tourists no longer visit Cyrene. Only Libyan families come to its sites.

Some locals have taken the land for themselves. Others have written graffiti on the ancient city’s structures and walls.

Local officials are trying to stop the damage. Ahmad Hussein is an official in eastern Libya. He said, “In Cyrene, instead of speaking to one owner, now we speak to 50…”

He said owners have built houses on the ancient sites.

A 2013 law permitted people to reclaim⁵ land that was taken from them under Gaddafi’s rule. That ruling worsened the problem. Some people took the amount of land they felt they deserved⁶.

Hussein said he wants to hold those people responsible for their actions.

Two governments, few visitors

Protecting sites like Cyrene has become more difficult in part because Libya has two governments. One government, in Tripoli, is supported by the United Nations. Eastern Libya has another government.

There has been some success, however. Hussein said about 1,700 objects that were stolen from historic sites have been returned. The returned objects had been looted inside the country. Many other objects have been illegally taken out of the country.

Leptis Magna is an ancient site in northwestern Libya. It has mostly avoided damage because of local people who are fans of history. The site, which is near the city of Misrata, is also more secure⁷ than other places.

The site of Sabratha has been repeatedly⁸ hit by fighting between warring groups. Last year, UNESCO appealed for help in protecting the site. But the site received no help.

In Tripoli, the capital, one director is trying to save 18 Roman graves¹⁰. The graves are around 1,700 years old. They were found in 1958 in the western town of Janzour.

The director is al-Amari Ramadan Mabrouk. He said, “There is no support for this site.”

Sometimes, Libyan families come to the site. But mostly, the graves remain covered with spiders and dust.

Mabrouk said, “I cannot give a number for tourists who visit Libya…but I can say that, before 2011, tourism was popular in Libya.”

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

site – n. the place where something, such as a building, is, was or will be located

tourist – n. a person who travels to a place for pleasure

ruins – n. the remaining pieces of something that was destroyed

amphitheater – n. a large building with seats rising in curved¹¹ rows around an open space on which games and plays take place

loot – v. to steal things from a place during a war or after destruction¹² has been caused by fire, rioting¹³ or something else (gerund: looting)

graffiti – n. pictures or words painted or drawn¹⁴ on a wall or building

grave⁹ – n. a hole in the ground for burying a dead body

1 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。

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 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

4 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

5 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

6 deserved   

adj.应得的，当然的v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的过去式和过去分词 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• Some of you deserved to succeed and others only scraped through. 你们当中有些人成功是理所当然，而有些人只是勉强及格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Don't glare at me like that, you deserved the scolding. 不要那么瞪着我，你本该受到训斥的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 secure   

adj.无虑的，安心的，安全的；adj.牢靠的，稳妥的；vt.固定，获得，使...安全；vi.(海上工作人员)停止工；vi.(船)抛锚，停泊

参考例句：

• He found a secure foothold and pulled himself up.他找到了一个稳固的踏脚处并爬了上去。
• Extra men are needed to secure the camp against attack.需要增加兵力以保护军营免受攻击。

8 repeatedly   

adv.重复地，再三地

参考例句：

• The loudspeakers blared the speech repeatedly.扬声器里反复大声地播送那篇演讲。
• He repeatedly beat his foot upon the floor.他反复用脚敲着地板。

9 grave   

n.墓穴，坟墓，雕刻工，抑音；adj.庄重的，严肃的，重大的，低沉的；vt.雕刻

参考例句：

• Marriage is the grave of love.婚姻是爱情的坟墓。
• This is a very grave matter indeed.这问题的确非常严重。

10 graves   

n.（法国）格拉芙葡萄酒；坟墓( grave的名词复数 )；死亡；钝重音符；沉音符v.坟墓( grave的第三人称单数 )；死亡；钝重音符；沉音符

参考例句：

• He went to visit the graves of his forefathers. 他去拜谒他祖先的墓地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were eating themselves into their graves. 他们吃喝过度，在自找死路。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 curved   

a.弯曲的

参考例句：

• His lips curved in a barely perceptible smile. 他的嘴角弯了弯，露出一丝几乎察觉不到的笑容。
• The missile curved gracefully towards its target. 导弹呈优美的曲线状飞向目标。

12 destruction   

n.破坏，毁灭，消灭

参考例句：

• The enemy bombs caused widespread destruction.敌人的炸弹造成大面积的破坏。
• Overconfidence was his destruction.自负是他垮台的原因。

13 rioting   

暴乱，骚乱

参考例句：

• There were ugly scenes in the streets last night as rioting continued. 昨晚暴乱持续之际，街上险象环生。
• They are rioting in the streets. 他们在街上闹事。

14 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。