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Voice 1
Voice 2
And I’m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Imagine a large, beautiful, round building. This building stands at the centre of an ancient city.
Voice 2
Think of a high stone wall that is thousands of miles long. It stretches over mountains and sandy deserts.
Voice 1
Imagine a tall white statue. This statue rises high in the air above the sea.
Voice 2
What names come to you when you think of these things? If you said the Coliseum in Rome, the Great Wall of China, and the statue of Christ2 the Redeemer in Brazil then you are right! Each one of these structures4 is famous. Each one is loved by many people around the world. But they have something else in common too. Today’s Spotlight is on this common factor5: New World Wonders.
Voice 1
In an earlier Spotlight programme we talked about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only one of these original seven wonders still exists today – the great pyramid6 at Giza in Egypt. The people of ancient Greece made this list. They were very interested in things that had been built. Groups of writers there made lists of the most wonderful structures that they knew. They wrote about buildings that were very large. They took note of others that were very beautiful. Every one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was special in some way.
Voice 2
In 2001, a Swiss7 filmmaker named Bernard Webber was thinking about these ancient wonders. He was also thinking about the modern world and the many places in it. He told the B B C:
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“The famous list of world wonders is more than two thousand years old, it is time to make a new one!”
Voice 1
Bernard Webber wanted his list to be different from the ancient one. He decided8 that his list should not be made by only a few people. Webber wanted to ask the people of the world for their opinions. He wanted THEM to choose the seven structures that would be on the list.
Voice 2
Webber worked with organisers around the world. These groups began to ask people: ‘Which structures should be on the list?’ After several years, they had received a large number of suggestions – too many, in fact! To solve this problem, Webber employed a group of experts. Many of these experts were famous architects9 – they had all designed modern buildings. They reduced the number of possible Wonders to just 21.
Voice 1
Voting for the new world wonders began at the start of 2006. There were 21 candidates10. But only seven could be chosen. People voted on the Internet or by telephone. And many people did so. The organisers received thousands of votes. People from every country of the world made their choices. After more than 18 months, the voting finally stopped. On July 7, 2007, the ‘New’ Seven Wonders of the World were declared!
Voice 2
Do you know which structures were chosen? You can probably guess three of them! At the start of this programme we talked about the Coliseum in Rome, the Great Wall of China and the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. Each one was a winner in the competition.
Voice 1
Three of the other winners are ancient cities. They are Petra in Jordan, Machu Picchu in Peru11, and Chichen Itza, in Mexico. These beautiful cities all provide a window into the past. The ancient buildings in them are amazing to see. They are symbols of the great skill of the ancient people who made them. And they are important for the history and culture of the local people.
Voice 2
The final winner of the competition is a very famous building – the Taj Mahal, in Agra, India. It was built by a great king almost 400 years ago. He built it after his wife died. The beautiful white stone building is a symbol of his love for her. People have enjoyed the detailed12 stone structure3 and beautiful gardens of the Taj Mahal for hundreds of years.
Voice 1
Bernard Webber was very happy with his teams’ list of new world wonders. He hoped that by encouraging people to think about the beautiful places of the world he could achieve something else too. Webber hoped that people around the world would come together. He hoped that they would understand the value of different cultures.
Voice 2
But some people were not happy with this competition. Some groups criticised the way the event was organised. UNESCO would not give its support. They felt the project was a commercial13 one. They did not think that anyone should make money from it.
Voice 1
Other people were worried about the effects the competition could have. A group of archaeologists14 was concerned about what would happen to the winning15 structures. They felt that the competition could encourage too many people to visit these places. These new visitors may not be careful and respectful16. They may cause damage to important buildings and cities.
Voice 2
But, in the end, Bernard Webber felt that the competition had been a success. More than one hundred million [100,000,000] people had voted. And many had voted for structures far away from the countries where they lived. Tia Viering is one of the organisers. She talked about how the competition was the first ever global17 vote. She told the BBC18:
Voice 4
“It is so exciting. There are not many things that could bring the world together like global culture. This is something that every single person in the world can have an interest in.”
Voice 1
In recent years, Webber has expanded his project. He has added19 competitions to choose seven wonders of nature, and seven wonderful cities. People continue to vote and choose amazing places and things from around the world. On his website, Webber explains,
Voice 3
“If we want to save anything, we first need to truly understand and recognize it.”
Voice 2
What do you think about the Seven ‘New’ Wonders of the World? Do you think this kind of competition brings people around the world closer together? You can share your comments on our website at http://www.radioenglish.net
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Voice 1
The writer of this program was Nate Hobson. The producer was Rena Dam. The voices you heard were from the United20 States and the United Kingdom. All quotes21 were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘New World Wonders’.
Voice 2
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye
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收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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Christ
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| n.基督，救世主，耶稣 | |
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structure
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| n.结构，构造，建筑物；v.构成； | |
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structures
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| 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 | |
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factor
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| n.因素；要素；因子；因数；系数 | |
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pyramid
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| n.金字塔 | |
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Swiss
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| adj.瑞士的；瑞士人的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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architects
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| n.建筑师( architect的名词复数 )；设计师；缔造者；创造者 | |
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candidates
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| n.报考者( candidate的名词复数 )；申请求职者；攻读学位者；最后命运或结局如何已显然可见者 | |
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Peru
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| n.秘鲁(南美洲国家) | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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commercial
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| adj.商业的，商用的，商品化的；n.广告节目 | |
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archaeologists
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| n.考古学家( archaeologist的名词复数 ) | |
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winning
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| adj.获胜的，胜利的；吸引人的，有说服力的 | |
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respectful
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| adj.恭敬的，对...表示尊敬的 | |
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global
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| adj.全球的；球形的；世界的 | |
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BBC
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| abbr.（=British Broadcasting Corporation）英国广播公司 | |
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added
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| adj.更多的，附加的，额外的 | |
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united
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| adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的 | |
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quotes
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| v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价 | |
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