VOA文化艺术2022 世界最大黑钻亮相迪拜

People use the saying "out of this world," to praise something as exceptional.

人们用谚语“out of this world”来称赞某样东西是非凡的。

But, at auction¹ house Sotheby's Dubai, officials are using the term literally².

但是，在迪拜苏富比拍卖行，官员们使用的是这个词语的字面意思。

The company announced this week that it will sell a black diamond that they say is believed to have fallen to Earth from outer space.

该公司本周宣布，将拍卖一颗黑色钻石，据信这颗黑钻石是从外太空坠落到地球上的。

That would make it a literal "out of this world" jewel.

这使它真的成为“不属于这个世界”的宝石。

Sotheby's calls the large black diamond, "The Enigma³."

苏富比拍卖行称这颗巨大的黑色钻石为“谜”。

It weighs 555.55 carats.

它重达555.55克拉。

A carat is a term of measurement for valuable stones often used in jewelry⁴.

克拉是常用于珠宝中贵重宝石的度量术语。

One carat equals 200 milligrams.

一克拉等于200毫克。

The rare stone was shown to reporters at Sotheby's on Monday.

周一，这颗罕见的宝石在苏富比拍卖行向记者展示。

In February, it will be put up for sale at Sotheby's in London.

2月，它将在伦敦苏富比拍卖行拍卖。

Sotheby's expects the purchase price will reach at least $6.8 million.

苏富比预计，成交价将至少达到680万美元。

Experts at the National Space Foundation in the United States call black diamonds "carbonado diamonds."

美国国家太空基金会的专家称黑钻石为“carbonado diamonds”。

On its website, the science organization writes that carbonado diamonds form during supernova explosions.

该科学组织在其网站上写道，黑钻石是在超新星爆炸期间形成的。

"Black diamonds," the website says, "were once the size of asteroids⁵ a kilometer or more" across when they first began to hit Earth.

该网站称，“黑钻石”刚开始撞击地球时，“直径有一千米或更大的小行星那么大”。

Carbonado diamonds are extremely rare and are found naturally only in Brazil and Central Africa.

黑钻石极其稀有，只在巴西和中非容易发现。

Experts say study of the stone's chemical structure leads them to believe they come from space.

专家表示，对这块石头的化学结构的研究让他们相信它们来自太空。

Sophie Stevens, a jewelry specialist at Sotheby's Dubai, told The Associated Press that the number five has a great importance to The Enigma.

迪拜苏富比拍卖行的珠宝专家索菲·史蒂文斯告诉美联社，数字5对“谜”来说非常重要。

Along with its carat weight, the diamond also has 55 facets⁶.

除了它的克拉重量，这颗钻石还有55个刻面。

Facets are the flat surfaces of a cut gem⁷.

刻面指的是被切割的宝石的平面。

Stevens explained that the shape of this black diamond is based on the Khamsa, an important symbol in the Middle East and northern Africa.

史蒂文斯解释说，这颗黑钻石的形状是以中东和北非的重要符号——哈姆萨为基础的。

"It stands for strength and it stands for protection."

“它象征着力量和保护。”

1 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

2 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

3 enigma   

n.谜，谜一样的人或事

参考例句：

• I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年，他仍然难以捉摸。
• Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。

4 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

5 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

6 facets   

n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面

参考例句：

• The question had many facets. 这个问题是多方面的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fully cut brilliant diamond has 68 facets. 经过充分切刻的光彩夺目的钻石有68个小平面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。