VOA慢速英语--罗马斗兽场的“心脏”向游客开放

"The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the Senate¹, it's the sand of the Colosseum," the Roman senator² Gracchus said in the 2000 Oscar-winning movie Gladiator.

The Colosseum is an ancient structure built more than 2000 years ago. The Romans used the huge, rounded building as a performance space. Thousands of people could be seated in the open-air theater to watch a show or public activity.

Performances included competitions by professional fighters, called gladiators, most of whom were enslaved. They often fought other gladiators but also could face prisoners or dangerous animals, like lions. Executions³ also took place there.

The Colosseum is the largest building that the Roman Empire produced. It is also Italy's most popular ancient structure. More than 7.6 million people visited the Colosseum in 2019.

But its own beating heart is the underground passages and rooms where prisoners, animals and gladiators waited to enter the field above their heads. Now, that underground area, known as the hypogeum, is open to the public after lengthy⁴ repairs.

More than 80 archaeologists, architects and engineers worked on the 15,000 square-meter area for two years.

Tod's, the Italian clothing company, supported the work. Its chairman, Diego Della Valle said the effort aimed to "bring back to the center of the attention a monument that the whole world loves."

The theater's balconies used to hold up to 70,000 people who would come to watch the gladiator fights, executions and animal hunts. Before the hypogeum was built, the space could also be filled with water to re-enact sea battles.

Now a new 160 meter walkway permits visitors to see the hypogeum.

It is the second part of a three-part process that started eight years ago, with Tod's promise of $30 million to pay for the project. Tod's is also supporting several similar projects in the country.

"It is...important for relevant⁵ companies to make themselves available to the country, understanding what they can do for the country," Della Valle said.

"This is about important pieces for Italy, monuments that are well-known all over the world," he added.

The first part of the project included cleaning the outside walls of the Colosseum. That was completed in 2016. The final part includes renewing⁶ the area where the public would watch the events. Workers are putting in a new lighting⁷ system and creating a new visitor center. The project is expected to be completed in about three years.

Separately, the Italian government has decided⁸ to provide the ancient Roman theater with high-technology flooring, which is expected to be in place by 2023.

Words in This Story

marble –n. a kind of stone that is often polished for use in buildings and statues

sand –n. very small pieces of rock found on beaches and in deserts

archaeologist –n. a scientists who studies past human life and activities by studying ancient bones, tools, buildings and other products of culture

architect –n. a professional who designs buildings

balcony –n. a raised surface that is connected to the side of a building and surrounded by a low wall or rail

relevant –adj. relating to a subject in an appropriate or useful way

1 senate   

n.参议院，上院

参考例句：

• They feel deeply the honour of belonging to the Senate.他们为作为参议院的成员而深感荣幸。
• His unsuccessful senate run was his last hurrah.这次失败的参议员竞选是他最后的尝试。

2 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

3 executions   

n.实行( execution的名词复数 )；（尤指遗嘱的）执行；演奏；依法处决

参考例句：

• Executions used to be held in public. 过去处决犯人都公开执行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

4 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

5 relevant   

adj.有关的，贴切的

参考例句：

• I don't think his remarks are relevant to our discussion.我认为他的话不切我们的议题。
• These materials are relevant to the case.这些材料与这案件有关。

6 renewing   

（使）复原， （使）更新，赋予新的生命和活力( renew的现在分词 )； 重新开始； 继续； 补充

参考例句：

• He feels his youth renewing. 他觉得越活越年轻了。
• A lot of the cost of maintenance went into renewing brakes. 很多的维修费用都花在了更换刹车方面。

7 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。