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2007年VOA标准英语-Art Exhibit Encompasses the World of Portuguese

时间:2007-09-30 05:48来源:互联网 提供网友:mummy   字体: [ ]
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By Carolyn Turner
Washington
25 September 2007
 

The Smithsonian Institution's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, in partnership1 with the National Museum of African Art, recently presented an exhibit of 300 objects produced by cultures touched by Portugal's early 16th century trade routes.  Many of the items are on loan from some of the world's finest museums.  VOA's Carolyn Turner reports.

The exhibit is titled, ''Encompassing2 the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries."

When you come into the first gallery you see a spectacular sequence of rare early maps.  It becomes clear that the worldview changed dramatically within a few decades after the Portuguese3 discoveries of distant lands.

This naval4 empire connected civilizations from all the known continents, transforming commerce and initiating5 unprecedented6 cultural exchange.

The guest curator for the exhibit is Jay Levenson, Director of the International Program at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. "This was the most up-to-date map in the early 15th century in Europe made in Florence, a manuscript" he explained about one item in the collection. "It was actually a second century A.D. map by the Greek cartographer and geographer7 Claudius Ptolemy. This is a map by the same cartographer but showing a modern view of the globe around 1490 and it shows the African coast.  And look at the way he had to cut into the bottom margin8 of the map to show that you could actually sail into the Indian Ocean.  Of course, it is 1490 and there is no America yet."

Jump ahead half a century and the planet is transformed.  A huge wave of exploration has brought the world into focus. Africa takes on a distinctive9 shape. Throughout the 15th century, the Portuguese ventured down the Atlantic coast of Africa where they acquired gold and slaves. 

Artisans in the kingdoms of Benin, Kongo [part of modern day Congo], and present day Sierra Leone traded exquisitely10 carved exotic ivory objects. 

Ivory tableware, hunting horns and saltcellars -- a type of ceremonial container to protect the precious commodity of table salt -- were all commissioned by the Portuguese.

Some of the fascinating objects are seething11 with tension.  A 16th century Nigerian saltcellar depicts12 a slave ship with Portuguese sailors supporting it.  The sailor's faces are carved like African masks and the ship's captain holds an African spear.  The effect is charming until you notice the small, wide-eyed face peering out from inside the ship.  It takes on a disturbing edge. 

A stool made from the bones of an elephant was presented as a gift in 1551 by King Joao III of Portugal to the Archduke Maximilian II of Austria.  It is engraved13 with the Maximilian II coat of arms.

African ostrich14 eggs are fashioned into cups with ornate gold mounts.

Other products of the animal world include the shell of the nautilus incorporated with gold and precious stones.

The Portuguese discovered a sea route to the spices of India.  Objects acquired along the way would be reworked at the next port.

A heart shaped tortoise shell flask15 from India brought to Spain and mounted with silver. A 16th century tortoise shell from India fashioned into a plate.

It is the same with other objects: An Indian craftsman16 turned one into a special shape.  And when it got back to Europe they gave it to a goldsmith to turn it into a more luxurious17 object.  You could see how fascinated people were with the materials -- new materials coming from the new world

A rhinoceros18 horn mounted in Lisbon with gold filigree19, pearls and rubies20.

Indian mother of pearl vessels21 that were given precious silver gilt22 mounts when they arrived in Europe in the 16th century.

An Ivory fan carved in Sri Lanka. Also from Sri Lanka, sculptures of the Child Christ made of rock crystal, gold sapphires23 and rubies.

For all that it changed in the world, Portugal's empire remains24 largely unknown in America where it was overshadowed by the Spanish. 


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 partnership NmfzPy     
n.合作关系,伙伴关系
参考例句:
  • The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
  • Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。
2 encompassing d3e1478f9dbf972fd2599732510b1379     
v.围绕( encompass的现在分词 );包围;包含;包括
参考例句:
  • Being too large and all-encompassing is a common defect among state-owned enterprises. 过分追求大而全,是国企的一大通病。 来自互联网
  • Our services are: all-encompassing, love justice and high quality. 我们的服务目标是:全方位、真情义、高质量。 来自互联网
3 Portuguese alRzLs     
n.葡萄牙人;葡萄牙语
参考例句:
  • They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
  • Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。
4 naval h1lyU     
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的
参考例句:
  • He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
  • The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。
5 initiating 88832d3915125bdffcc264e1cdb71d73     
v.开始( initiate的现在分词 );传授;发起;接纳新成员
参考例句:
  • He is good at initiating projects but rarely follows through with anything. 他善于创建项目,但难得坚持完成。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Only the perchlorate shows marked sensitiveness and possibly initiating properties. 只有高氯酸盐表现有显著的感度和可能具有起爆性能。 来自辞典例句
6 unprecedented 7gSyJ     
adj.无前例的,新奇的
参考例句:
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
7 geographer msGzMv     
n.地理学者
参考例句:
  • His grandfather is a geographer.他的祖父是一位地理学家。
  • Li Siguang is a famous geographer.李四光是一位著名的地理学家。
8 margin 67Mzp     
n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘
参考例句:
  • We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
  • The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
9 distinctive Es5xr     
adj.特别的,有特色的,与众不同的
参考例句:
  • She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
  • This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。
10 exquisitely Btwz1r     
adv.精致地;强烈地;剧烈地;异常地
参考例句:
  • He found her exquisitely beautiful. 他觉得她异常美丽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He wore an exquisitely tailored gray silk and accessories to match. 他穿的是做工非常考究的灰色绸缎衣服,还有各种配得很协调的装饰。 来自教父部分
11 seething e6f773e71251620fed3d8d4245606fcf     
沸腾的,火热的
参考例句:
  • The stadium was a seething cauldron of emotion. 体育场内群情沸腾。
  • The meeting hall was seething at once. 会场上顿时沸腾起来了。
12 depicts fd8ee09c0b2264bb6b44abf7282d37f6     
描绘,描画( depict的第三人称单数 ); 描述
参考例句:
  • The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
  • He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。
13 engraved be672d34fc347de7d97da3537d2c3c95     
v.在(硬物)上雕刻(字,画等)( engrave的过去式和过去分词 );将某事物深深印在(记忆或头脑中)
参考例句:
  • The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
  • It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美,背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 ostrich T4vzg     
n.鸵鸟
参考例句:
  • Ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.驼鸟是双腿跑得最快的动物。
  • The ostrich indeed inhabits continents.鸵鸟确实是生活在大陆上的。
15 flask Egxz8     
n.瓶,火药筒,砂箱
参考例句:
  • There is some deposit in the bottom of the flask.这只烧杯的底部有些沉淀物。
  • He took out a metal flask from a canvas bag.他从帆布包里拿出一个金属瓶子。
16 craftsman ozyxB     
n.技工,精于一门工艺的匠人
参考例句:
  • A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
  • The craftsman is working up the mass of clay into a toy figure.艺人把一团泥捏成玩具形状。
17 luxurious S2pyv     
adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的
参考例句:
  • This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
  • The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。
18 rhinoceros tXxxw     
n.犀牛
参考例句:
  • The rhinoceros has one horn on its nose.犀牛鼻子上有一个角。
  • The body of the rhinoceros likes a cattle and the head likes a triangle.犀牛的形体像牛,头呈三角形。
19 filigree 47SyK     
n.金银丝做的工艺品;v.用金银细丝饰品装饰;用华而不实的饰品装饰;adj.金银细丝工艺的
参考例句:
  • The frost made beautiful filigree on the window pane.寒霜在玻璃窗上形成了美丽的花纹。
  • The art filigree tapestry is elegant and magnificent.嵌金银丝艺术挂毯,绚丽雅典。
20 rubies 534be3a5d4dab7c1e30149143213b88f     
红宝石( ruby的名词复数 ); 红宝石色,深红色
参考例句:
  • a necklace of rubies intertwined with pearls 缠着珍珠的红宝石项链
  • The crown was set with precious jewels—diamonds, rubies and emeralds. 王冠上镶嵌着稀世珍宝—有钻石、红宝石、绿宝石。
21 vessels fc9307c2593b522954eadb3ee6c57480     
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
参考例句:
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
22 gilt p6UyB     
adj.镀金的;n.金边证券
参考例句:
  • The plates have a gilt edge.这些盘子的边是镀金的。
  • The rest of the money is invested in gilt.其余的钱投资于金边证券。
23 sapphires 1ef1ba0a30d3a449deb9835f6fd3c316     
n.蓝宝石,钢玉宝石( sapphire的名词复数 );蔚蓝色
参考例句:
  • Again there was that moment of splintered sapphires before the lids, dropping like scales, extinguished it. 她眼眶中又闪烁出蓝宝石的光彩,接着眼睑象鱼鳞般地垂落下来,双目又黯然失色了。 来自辞典例句
  • She also sported a somewhat gawdy gold watch set with diamonds and sapphires. 她还收到一块镶着钻石和蓝宝石的金表。 来自辞典例句
24 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
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TAG标签:   voa  标准英语  art  exhibit  world  voa  标准英语  art  exhibit  world
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