VOA常速英语2020--墨西哥的水下矿山

Researchers' diving into dark submerged caves under Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, found the remains¹ of an ancient mining operation. Prehistory still holds many mysteries for researchers. The mine is one of those discoveries that opens doors and windows to that remote past. It is extraordinary quite these CINDAQ explorers found within these flooded passages. Evidence of mining ten thousand years ago. Roberto Junico is a Deputy Director at Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology² and History. He applauds researchers from CINDAQ who discovered an ochre mining operation, that started 12,000 years ago. CINDAQ is the Spanish acronym³ of the Research Center for the aquifer⁴ system of Quintana Roo, the Mexican state that is home to Cancun.

研究人员们潜入墨西哥尤卡坦半岛下黑暗的水下洞穴，发现了一个古代采矿作业的遗迹。史前历史对于研究人员来说，仍存在许多未解之谜。这座矿场的发现能够帮助我们窥探遥远的过去。CINDAQ勘探者们在这些被淹没的通道中发现的东西非比寻常。这是一万年前人们进行矿物开采的证据。罗伯托·胡尼科是墨西哥斯国家人类学和历史研究所的副所长。他对这些CINDAQ的研究人员们表示赞许，因为他们发现了始于1.2万年前的赭石采矿作业的遗迹。CINDAQ是金塔纳罗奥州含水层系统研究中心的西班牙语缩写。金塔纳罗奥州是墨西哥的一个州，位于坎昆市。

It already allows us to begin to understand some of the dynamics⁵ of those early societies. What were they doing with this ochre. Ochre is a naturally-occurring, mustard-colored pigment⁶ made of sand or clay mixed with an iron oxide⁷. Its color and properties made it popular at the time. They used it to paint themselves as some African tribes do today. They used it for medicine because ochre fights bacteria. They used it for symbolism. I love to think that this ochre was the beginning of the first artistic⁸ manifestations⁹. Researchers found tools like hammerstones and piledrivers made of stalagmites. They explored seven kilometers and more than 100 dives to find this abandoned mine, likely submerged 8,000 years ago amid rising sea levels following the last ice age. Arash Arabasadi VOA news Washington

这次的发现已经让我们开始了解一些早期社会的动态。了解他们开采赭石是用来做什么。赭石是一种天然形成的芥末色的颜料，由沙子或粘土与氧化铁混合而成。赭石的颜色和特性使它在当时很受欢迎。当时的人们使用赭石在自己身上勾画，就像今天的一些非洲部落一样。他们使用赭石入药，因为它能抗菌。他们还把赭石当作象征。我喜欢把赭石看作是第一批艺术表现的开始。研究人员们发现了由石笋制成的石锤和打桩机等工具。他们勘探了7公里，进行了100多次潜水，来寻找这座废弃的矿井。很可能是在八千年前，在上一次冰河时代之后，由于海平面上升，才淹没了这座矿井。美国之音记者ArashArabasadi华盛顿报道

1 remains   

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。

2 anthropology   

n.人类学

参考例句：

• I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
• Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。

3 acronym   

n.首字母简略词，简称

参考例句：

• That's a mouthful of an acronym for a very simple technology.对于一项非常简单的技术来说，这是一个很绕口的缩写词。
• TSDF is an acronym for Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities.TSDF是处理，储存和处置设施的一个缩写。

4 aquifer   

n.含水土层

参考例句：

• An aquifer is a water-bearing rock stratum such as sandstone and chalk.地下蓄水层是一些有水的岩石层，如沙岩和白垩岩。
• The wine region's first water came from an ancient aquifer.用来灌溉这个地区葡萄园的第一批水来自古老的地下蓄水层。

5 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

6 pigment   

n.天然色素，干粉颜料

参考例句：

• The Romans used natural pigments on their fabrics and walls.古罗马人在织物和墙壁上使用天然颜料。
• Who thought he might know what the skin pigment phenomenon meant.他自认为可能知道皮肤色素出现这种现象到底是怎么回事。

7 oxide   

n.氧化物

参考例句：

• Oxide is usually seen in our daily life.在我们的日常生活中氧化物很常见。
• How can you get rid of this oxide coating?你们该怎样除去这些氧化皮？

8 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

9 manifestations   

n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式）

参考例句：

• These were manifestations of the darker side of his character. 这些是他性格阴暗面的表现。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• To be wordly-wise and play safe is one of the manifestations of liberalism. 明哲保身是自由主义的表现之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》