Over 1,100 years ago, an international crew of men set sail on a perilous journey. They are returning home from Tang Dynasty China with rare ceramics and gold, created by ninth-century Chinese craftsmen, desired by the rest of the world. For centuries, China has traded with the West over land, via the Silk Road. They traveled safely from the Middle East, all the way to China. But on their return voyage, they made a fateful decision. Here, off the coast of Indonesia, the reef-filled waters are so deadly that ancient sailors called the area the Treacherous Bay.
一千一百多年前，一支國際船隊展開一趟驚險奇航，他們帶著罕見的瓷器和黃金從唐朝的中國返鄉，這些器物出自公元九世紀中國工匠之手，全球人士皆垂涎不已。中國和西方數百年來一直經由絲路從事陸上貿易。他們從中東出發一路安抵中國，但回程時卻做了個致命的決定。就在印尼外海這裡，布滿暗礁的水域隨時可能要命，古代的水手稱之為背叛灣。
Tilman Walterfang was lured here in the late 1990s, in search of undersea treasure. An engineer by trade in his native Germany, Walterfang maintains a lifelong passion for ancient art. He comes to Indonesia on a quest for big discoveries. Local fishermen find a mound of ceramics on the seabed. Based on the designs, they appear to have been created between 600 and 900AD, in Tang China. Walterfang hires Mike Flecker, an Australian maritime archaeologist, to manage the excavation. The whole vessel was buried. It had 1,100 years of sediment accumulated on top of that.
一九九０年代末期，提爾曼•華特方來到這兒尋找海底寶藏，他在老家德國的職業是工程師，但華特方畢生熱愛古代藝術，他到印尼來追求偉大發現。當地漁夫發現海床上有一堆瓷器，照設計圖案看來，應該是出自公元六００到九００年間的唐代中國。華特方請來澳洲海洋考古學家麥克•佛列克負責主持開挖工作。整艘船都埋在海裡，累積了一千一百年的沉積物。
Underneath the coral covering are countless jars stacked to the brim with bowls, plates, vases and jewelry. The team recovers some 60,000 pieces, mostly ceramics, but also precious items of gold, silver and bronze. There’s nothing written, there aren’t any archaeological reports. Ancient records tell of Arab and Persian fleets that traversed Asian seas, but no such boat from the time has ever been found.
覆滿珊瑚的表面底下，是無數塞滿了碗盤、花瓶和珠寶的大甕，打撈人員起出六萬件左右的器物，其中大多數是瓷器，但也有金、銀和銅等貴重器物。沒有任何文字記載，也沒有考古報告。古代史料記載阿拉伯和波斯船隊往來於亞洲水域，但從未發現當時有這樣一艘船。
This one was covered by a layer of sand that prevented worms from attacking the wood. Every element of the wreck is potential evidence that the Maritime Silk Route existed. A bronze mirror bears a compelling clue, with the inscription: “Smelted one hundred times in the city of Yangzhou on the Yangtze river in December 758.” Without a doubt, the treasure is from Tang Dynasty China. Radiocarbon analysis dates fragments of the wooden hull to between 700 and 900 AD. During that era, only Arab and Indian craftsmen were building ocean-going ships of this type. The wooden fragments provide crucial evidence of the boat’s origins. Afzilia Africana is a hardwood once prized by the ancient Arab boat builders. The wood is found across Africa, from Senegal to Uganda. If it’s a timber coming from Africa, it’s far more likely that it was just transported the short distance up to Yemen or Oman and the vessel was built there.
這艘船有一層砂石掩蓋，阻止蟲子侵蝕木頭，沉船的每個組件都是證明海上絲路存在的可能證據，一面銅鏡出現強而有力的線索，上面刻著：「唐乾元元年十二揚州揚子江心百鍊製造」，這批寶藏無疑是出自唐代中國。船體木材碎片經過碳定年分析，證實出自公元七００到九００年。那段期間只有阿拉伯和印度工匠建造這種遠洋船隻，木材碎片提供了船隻來源的關鍵證據。緬茄木是一種硬木，曾備受古代阿拉伯造船者青睞，這種木材的產地在非洲塞內加爾到烏干達一帶，如果木材來自非洲，很可能是經由短途航程運送到葉門或阿曼，然後在當地建造船隻。
Multiverse-themed films cause a sensation 「多重宇宙」主題電影熱賣 英文用這字！ 最近兩部備受討論的電影《媽的多重宇宙》與《奇異博士2：失控多重宇宙》都以multiverse「多重宇宙」的概念為主軸。尤其由楊紫瓊主演的《媽的多重宇宙》更是受到極高評價，電影中主角Evelyn雙眉之間的玩具眼睛、熱狗手指都成為經典一幕。本次就讓我們從國外娛樂新聞網站Screen Rant對這部電影的介紹，來認識多益相關的重要字彙吧！ multiverse 多重宇宙 Everything Everywhere All at Once follows the story of Evelyn Wang, a laundromat owner who is in the midst of getting audited by the IRS. When she discovers that she has the ability to access parallel universes, she must connect with her multiverse selves in order to save them all from destruction. (screenrant.com) （《媽的多重宇宙》的故事是關於一位洗衣店老闆Evelyn被國稅局稽查稅務期間，發現她有能力遊走平行宇宙，而她必須連結多重宇宙中的分身來拯救他們免於崩壞毀滅。） multiverse 代表「多重宇宙」，字首「multi-」有many、much的意思，多益測驗中常見的單字有 multiple「多的，多種的」、multitask「多工」、multivitamin「綜合維他命」、multimedia「多媒體」。 According to a recent study, multitasking doesn’t lead to better work efficiency as we previously thought. （根據最近的研究，同時做多項事務並不如我們原先認為的那樣提高工作效率。） There are multiple solutions to the problem we are facing. （我們面臨的問題其實有多種解決方案。） 名詞verse通常指稱「詩、歌詞或聖經中的一節」。 I can’t really sing the song since I only remember the first verse of the song. （我真的無法唱這首歌，因為我只記得這首歌的第一節。） 字根「vers-」有 turning「轉」的意思，例如anniversary「周年」就是時間上又轉了一年，
If you take the Taipei Metro, you will know that instrumental music is broadcast at stations on different lines, with each line featuring a unique theme. However, passengers taking the Bannan Line (Blue Line) and the Songshan–Xindian Line (Green Line) last Tuesday would have heard the new jingle for Haolai toothpaste as trains neared the platform. Haolai, formerly known as “Heiren” — meaning “black person” in Chinese — is the most famous toothpaste brand in Taiwan. Its English name was originally “Darkie” but the owners dropped the racially-charged name and replaced it with “Darlie” in 1989. The skin tone of the
In the early hours of Monday morning last week, the First Tank Company of the Second Combined Arms Battalion of the army’s 584 Armor Brigade set out from its barracks for a combat readiness patrol. As the unit was passing along the Bade Road section of Provincial Highway 1 in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township, a CM11 tank accidentally knocked over a set of traffic lights at an intersection and drove up onto the median divider island. Fortunately the accident did not cause any harm to personnel or equipment. The unit immediately contacted the relevant department of Hsinchu County Government to
21% of reptile species may be at risk of extinction (1/5) 21%爬蟲動物面臨絕種（一） A: Is this your new pet? B: Yep. This is my pet turtle “A-fu.” A: I’ve heard that turtles live for a really long time, with some species living for several decades. B: Although, new research indicates that one fifth of the world’s reptile species are at risk of extinction. A: 這是你的新寵物嗎？ B: 對啊，是我的寵物龜「阿富」。 A: 聽說龜類壽命很長，有的物種可以活到好幾十年。 B: 不過最近有研究指出，全球五分之一爬蟲動物都有滅絕危險。 （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
RSS