美文网首页阅读外刊学英语
外刊阅读:A city lost in thick forest

外刊阅读:A city lost in thick forest

作者: 爱英语爱阅读 | 来源:发表于2020-09-04 11:45 被阅读0次

在历史的长河中,有些城市盛极一时,后来却走向衰败,甚至逐渐消失,只给后人留下一段神秘的传说。历史学家对这样的城市特别感兴趣。最近在柬埔寨就发现了一座这样的城市。

A city lost in thick forest

by Jessie Yeung

Researchers have identified the elusive ancient "lost city" of Cambodia for the first time, according to a report published last week.

researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者(由research加上表示人的后缀-er)
identify /aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/ v. 识别、辨认出
elusive /ɪˈluːsɪv/ adj. 难以找到的
ancient /ˈeɪnʃ(ə)nt/ adj. 古代的
Cambodia /kæmˈbəʊdiə/ n. 柬埔寨(东南亚国家)
publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/ v. 发表

In a project that has spanned years, an international group of scientists used aerial(从空中的) laser scans and ground-based surveying to map Mahendraparvata, or the Mountain of Indra, King of the Gods.★

project /ˈprɒdʒekt/ n. 项目、研究项目
span /spæn/ v. 跨越
laser /ˈleɪzə(r)/ n. 激光
scan /skæn/ n./v. 扫描
-based 后缀,意思是“基于”
survey /səˈveɪ/ v. 勘测
map /mæp/ v. 绘制地图
or /ɔː(r)/ conj. 也就是
这句话最后的King of the Gods是Indra的同位语,用来说明Indra是“众神之王”

Mahendraparvata was one of the first capitals in the Khmer Empire, which lasted from the 9th to 15th centuries AD, but much of what we know come from inscriptions(铭文) recovered from other sites. Scientists theorized that the city was located on the Phnom Kulen plateau(高原), about 48 kilometers north of Siem Reap, but it was difficult to find evidence. The plateau was remote, inaccessible, covered with vegetation, and potentially home to landmines(地雷) installed by the Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.

Khmer Empire 高棉帝国(柬埔寨古称高棉)
AD 公元
recover /rɪˈkʌvə(r)/ v. 恢复、找回
theorize /ˈθɪəraɪz/ v. 理论化、提出理论(由theory加后缀-ize变成动词)
evidence /ˈevɪd(ə)ns/ n. 证据
remote /rɪˈməʊt/ adj. 偏僻的
inaccessible /ˌɪnəkˈsesəb(ə)l/ adj. 难以到达的(由accessible加上表示否定的前缀in-)
vegetation /ˌvedʒɪˈteɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 植被
potentially /pəˈtenʃ(ə)li/ adv. 潜在地、可能地(由potential加后缀-ly变成副词)
Khmer Rouge 红色高棉
regime /reɪˈʒiːm/ n. 政权、当局

Shrouded(遮蔽) in mystery for decades, Mahendraparvata has been dubbed the "lost city." Now, scientists say they have identified it for certain. "Here, we confirm the hypothesis, based on this accumulated body of evidence, that Mahendraparvata – the eighth- to ninth-century AD capital of the Khmer Empire – was located on the Phnom Kulen plateau," said the report, which was published in the journal Antiquity.

decade /ˈdekeɪd/ n. 十年
dub /dʌb/ v. 起绰号
confirm /kənˈfɜːm/ v. 证实
hypothesis /haɪˈpɒθəsɪs/ n. 假说
based on 基于
accumulate /əˈkjuːmjuleɪt/ v. 积累、累积
body /ˈbɒdi/ n. 大量
journal /ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l/ n. 期刊

The researchers used airborne(在空中的) laser scanning that had a "unique ability to 'see through' vegetation and provide high-resolution models of the forest floor," the report said. They had to map the area in two separate operations – first in 2012, covering about 37 square kilometers, and again in 2015, covering the entire mountain range, an area of 975 square kilometers.

unique /juːˈniːk/ adj. 独特的
see through 看穿、透过…看
resolution /ˌrezəˈluːʃ(ə)n/ n. 分辨率
separate /ˈsep(ə)rət/ adj. 分开的
operation /ˌɒpəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 活动、行动
square kilometer 平方公里
entire /ɪnˈtaɪə(r)/ adj. 整个的
range /reɪndʒ/ n. 山脉

The results of the aerial mapping, along with information collected by field investigations, were then used to create a map that shows the newly discovered main paths and coordinate axes. The map shows that the city used urban planning, a "sophisticated hydraulic(水压驱动的) system," and other innovations, the report said.

along with 伴随、加上
field /fiːld/ adj. 实地的、野外的
investigation /ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 调查研究(由investigate加后缀-ion变成名词)
newly /ˈnjuːli/ adv. 新近、最近
discover /dɪˈskʌvə(r)/ v. 发现
coordinate /kəʊˈɔːdɪnət/ axis /ˈæksɪs/ 坐标轴(axes /ˈæksiːz/ 是axis的复数)
urban /ˈɜːb(ə)n/ adj. 城市的
sophisticated /səˈfɪstɪkeɪtɪd/ adj. 复杂巧妙的
innovation /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 创新

One striking discovery was that the city was built on linear axes that roughly correspond with the cardinal directions, the report said – like an early version of the modern city grid system. Prior to that period of time, human settlements in the area had no formal grid, no clear boundaries, and seem to have developed organically without planning – meaning Mahendraparvata is the first known large grid city in the Khmer world.

striking /ˈstraɪkɪŋ/ adj. 引人注目的
discovery /dɪˈskʌv(ə)ri/ n. 发现
linear /ˈlɪnɪə(r)/ adj. 直线的
roughly /ˈrʌfli/ adv. 近似地、大体上
correspond /ˌkɒrɪˈspɒnd/ v. 对应
cardinal /ˈkɑːdɪn(ə)l/ adj. 最重要的、基本的(cardinal directions指东西南北四个方向)
version /ˈvɜːʃ(ə)n/ n. 版本
grid /ɡrɪd/ n. 网格
prior /praɪə(r)/ to 在…之前
settlement /ˈset(ə)lmənt/ n. 定居点、居民点(由settle加后缀-ment变成名词)
formal /ˈfɔːməl/ adj. 整齐的、规划好的
boundary /ˈbaʊnd(ə)ri/ n. 边界、界限
organically /ɔːˈɡænɪk(ə)li/ adv. 自然发展地

These discoveries open the door to learning more about the Khmer Empire and the Angkor region. Angkor was the better-known capital of the Khmer Empire, which once governed much of modern-day Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos as well as parts of southern China and Myanmar, and, of course, Cambodia itself.

govern /ˈɡʌv(ə)n/ v. 统治
modern-day 当今的
Thailand /ˈtaɪlænd/ n. 泰国
Vietnam /ˌvjetˈnæm/ n. 越南
Laos /laʊs/ n. 老挝(东南亚国家)
as well as = and also
Myanmar /ˈmjænmɑː(r)/ n. 缅甸

原文格式更丰富,点此查看

(如果您发现某些行的最后一个单词被分成两半了,请把您使用的浏览器升级到最新版本就能正常显示了。)

相关文章

网友评论

    本文标题:外刊阅读:A city lost in thick forest

    本文链接:https://www.haomeiwen.com/subject/zedzsktx.html