Builders in Vatican City were hard at work on a parking garage when they made a strange discovery: a well-preserved necropolis that is thousands of years old. As of last week, it is on display as a museum that gives people a window into society and religion in Rome during the time of the emperors. Walkways overlooking the dig allow visitors to view the city of the dead.
Archeologists took three years to uncover about 250 tombs of different shapes and sizes. The tombs range in age from a few years before the life of Jesus Christ to the early fourth century, under the emperors Augustus through Constantine.
The archeologists tried to leave much of the site alone, so that the necropolis can be seen almost exactly how it was found. There are tombs with urns that still hold ashes, and skeletons still lying in the places carved out for them.
PHOTO: AP
Coffins belonging to wealthy families lie alongside humble, giving clues to social classes, daily life and the religious upheaval that was rocking Rome at the beginning of Christianity.
Among tombs covered with scenes of hunting lies the simpler tomb of a young horseman who died at age 17. On it are pictures of a philosopher, a woman at prayer under a tree and a bird. Archeologists believe this suggests that the youth and his family belonged to the first generation of Christians.
The site may be visited by appointment on Friday and Saturday mornings.
(AFP)
梵蒂岡城的建築工人在停車場施工時有重大的發現︰保存良好的千年古墓群。上週此遺址以博物館的形式公開展示，提供民眾一扇窺視羅馬帝國時期社會及宗教的窗口，民眾在博物館走道上可俯瞰整個考古遺址。
考古學家花了三年，挖掘出約兩百五十具各式大小棺木，年份自耶穌基督出生前幾年至西元四世紀初，縱貫奧古斯丁到康士坦丁大帝的統治時期。
考古學家試圖保留遺址中多半的文物，儘量維持古墓群出土時的原貌。墓群中的骨灰罈仍存放著骨灰，骨骸也仍置於原位。
富裕家庭和清寒貧戶的靈柩並列，可看出基督教早期的社會階級、日常生活和撼動羅馬帝國的宗教動亂。
覆蓋著狩獵圖的石棺中，有一具風格較簡單的靈柩，是十七歲的青年馬伕之墓，其上畫著一名哲學家和一名婦女在樹和鳥下禱告的景象，考古學家相信這顯示這名青年和家人為第一代的基督徒。
民眾可在星期五及星期六早上預約參觀。
（法新社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀）
1. preserve v.i. /v.t.
保存 (bao3 cun2)
例: Egyptians made mummies to preserve dead bodies.
(埃及人製作木乃伊保存屍體。)
2. tomb n.
墓 (mu4)
例: The Taj Mahal was built to be the tomb of the king's wife.
(泰姬瑪哈陵是為王妃打造的陵墓。)
3. humble adj.
謙遜的 (qian1 xun4 de5) 、卑微的 (bei1 wei2 de5)
例: He may be powerful and famous now, but that movie star had humble beginnings.
(那名電影明星現在也許聲名和大權雙全，但他出身清寒。)
4. upheaval n.
劇變 (ju4 bian4)
例: When parents divorce, it can be a huge upheaval for a child.
(父母離婚會對孩子產生巨大的衝擊。)
Where do you want to go for the summer vacation? (1/3) 放暑假你想去哪裡玩？（一） A: What are you searching for on the Internet? B: The summer vacation has begun, so I’m searching for travel destinations. A: Google recently published a list of the most searched places in Taiwan, perhaps you could use it as a reference. B: Let me see. . . How come the top spot is a 7-Eleven? A: 你在網路上搜尋什麼？ B: 開始放暑假了，我在搜尋旅遊的景點。 A: 前陣子Google公布了台灣的年度熱搜地點，或許你可以參考一下。 B: 我看看……榜首怎麼是一家7-Eleven便利商店？ （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Former member of boy band TOP1 Sean Tseng has since gone solo, not only releasing his own records, but also becoming a fitness expert and opening his own fitness studio. He recently took part in the second Genghis Khan Cup National Bodybuilding Cup contest organized by celebrity gym owner Holger Chen, and despite not winning any titles, he says it was still a “bromantic experience.” Sean prepared for the contest by putting himself through three months of rigorous dietary restrictions and intense exercise that made his body as fit and lean as a character from the Ultimate Muscle game series, with
A: According to Google, the most searched place in Taiwan is the Dongchi branch of 7-Eleven in Changhua County’s Lugang Township. B: I would have thought it would be Taipei 101. A: Taipei 101 is the 17th most searched destination. Other locations in the top 10 include Taitung County’s Dawu Township, Baishatun Gong Tian Temple in Miaoli County and Nantou County’s Wuling mountain range. B: That’s great. I’ve been meaning to travel to Taitung for ages. A: 根據Google，台灣熱搜地點第一名，是位於彰化縣鹿港鎮的7-Eleven 東崎門市。 B: 我還以為會是台北101。 A: 台北101排在第十七名，其它像台東縣大武鄉、苗栗縣白沙屯拱天宮、南投縣武嶺都是前十名的景點。 B: 太棒了，我一直很想去台東玩。 （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
電價費率審議會登場，全台連續四年凍漲的電費，在全球燃料價格攀升和烏俄戰爭等因素影響下，將調整電價方案。然而剛進入炎熱的夏季，又是用電的高峰時期，要如何節能省電呢？本次就讓我們來看既環保又省荷包的小撇步，還能學會超實用英文喔！ 1. 在夜晚使用家電 Run appliances that produce heat at night — when it’s cooler. We’re talking appliances like your clothes drier, dishwasher, and oven. (Fox29) （在晚上氣溫較涼爽的時候，使用會產生熱氣的家電用品，例如烘衣機、洗碗機和烤箱。） appliance (n)「電器」是多益測驗的高頻字彙，通常出現在採購、製造、房地產等情境，描述microwave oven「微波爐」、dishwasher「洗碗機」等household appliances 或是 home appliances「家電」，經常搭配動詞install「安裝」。廚房的家電中，較為省電電器應該就是微波爐，或許減少使用瓦斯爐、烤箱對省電將有相當的助益。 According to the advertisement, the apartment is equipped with state-of-the-art appliances.（根據廣告，這間公寓備有最先進的家電。） 2. 拉起窗簾降溫 Simply closing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation can reduce heat in your home.（拉起窗簾和百葉窗做為絕緣體，可降低家中的熱氣。） insulate (v)「阻隔；隔離」通常用來描述隔絕噪音或氣溫，例如冬天時適當的insulate「隔絕」冷空氣，可以避免家中溫度太低。許多冬天穿的厚外套經常會有insulation「防風層」可以阻擋冷空氣，達到保暖的效果。 You can bring down the energy use and cost if you properly insulate your home. （房子適當的隔熱可以降低能源使用和費用。） 3. 自動調溫器 Programmable thermostats can be set, so that your air conditioner run less when you’re sleeping or when you’re at work. （設定自動調溫器，讓你在睡覺或工作時使用少一點的冷氣。） programmable「可編程的」來自program一詞，當動詞時解釋為「設定；編寫程式」，當名詞時則有許多不同的意思，例如「程式」、「節目、節目單」或「計畫、方案」，因此程式編寫可以用programming，「程式設計師」就是programmer，但是要注意的是programmer 發音時的重音是在第一音節，不要念錯。 The information regarding the newly launched recycling program is
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