60秒科学:eBay Lessens Antiquities Looting

When eBay first came onto the scene more than a decade ago, archaeologists were petrified¹: easily buying and selling antiquities² online might increase the looting and trafficking of archaeological treasures. Now they’re letting out a sigh of relief. Charles Stanish of U.C.L.A. writes in Archaeology³ magazine that eBay has paradoxically driven down looting.

Stanish is an authority on Andean archaeology. He’s been tracking antiquities on eBay for nine years. He’s also worked with the U.S. customs authority and visited workshops recreating antiquities. Instead of creating an incentive⁴ for people to go out and steal artifacts, eBay created a market for fakes, carefully produced by artisans in China, Peru, Mexico and elsewhere. The forgeries⁵ can be sold at absurdly low prices.

The flood of fakes has depressed⁶ the market, lowering the incentive to loot. And collectors are ever more wary⁷ of buying on-line. Stanish estimates that half of the Andean artifacts on eBay 10 years ago were fake. Five years later, 95 percent were phony. Bad news for the people who think they’re buying stolen treasures. Good news for archaeologists and the sites they study.

—Cynthia Graber

1 petrified   

adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
• The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 antiquities   

n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯

参考例句：

• There is rest and healing in the contemplation of antiquities. 欣赏古物有休息和疗养之功。 来自辞典例句
• Bertha developed a fine enthusiasm for the antiquities of London. 伯沙对伦敦的古迹产生了很大的热情。 来自辞典例句

3 archaeology   

n.考古学

参考例句：

• She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
• He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。

4 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

5 forgeries   

伪造( forgery的名词复数 )； 伪造的文件、签名等

参考例句：

• The whole sky was filled with forgeries of the brain. 整个天空充满了头脑里臆造出来的膺品。
• On inspection, the notes proved to be forgeries. 经过检查，那些钞票证明是伪造的。

6 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

7 wary   

adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的

参考例句：

• He is wary of telling secrets to others.他谨防向他人泄露秘密。
• Paula frowned,suddenly wary.宝拉皱了皱眉头，突然警惕起来。