英语听力：自然百科 玻利维亚金字塔

 Transcript by myconsent

One thousand years before Columbus, there were pyramid builders, warriors¹ -- the architects of an empire in South America. The Tiwanaku(蒂瓦纳科人) lived in a valley of Lake Titicaca（的的喀喀湖） for 1,500 hundred years. And then their civilization vanished,leaving behind only stone ruins and the enduring mystery of their passing.

 

The centerpiece of Tiwanaku's spiritual power was the Akapana Pyramid. Surrounding the pyramid, cities and temples, was a vast maze² of channels and ridges³.

 

Though they look like irrigation ditches, they were far too complex.

 

The mystery of their purpose is one that archaeologist Alan Kolata had been struggling to solve. Kolata had a hunch(预感), and to prove it he asked the local farmer to plant crops along the channel banks. Then the archaeologist and the farmers let in the water. Crops sprouted⁴ and began to grow. But then a tremendous frost hit the Altiplano.It devastated⁵ other fields, but the crops planted along the canals were not affected⁶.

 

“The key to the sophistication of these, uh, of these raised fields system are really these canals that you see here all around me. What's important about the them is they function like gigantic solar collectors. If you flap this water you'll see that it's warm enough to bathe in,and it's truly remarkable⁷ and here we are up at 14,000 feet. And that's really the key to the system. It really prevents frost from damaging the crops that would be growing up on these field platform surfaces here.”

 

The mystery was solved.The Tiwanaku had found a way to control the environment of the valley itself. Their canals stored heat during the day then radiated it over the fields at night. This remarkable system provided the wealth to build an empire, and to keep it for over a millennium⁸. But then amid growing political turmoil⁹, the empire began to decline. For the Tiwanaku, it was the end, but for the local farmers, it is a new beginning. Secured from the frost, the raised fields proved to be seven times more productive, providing hope for a better harvest, and pride for their ancestors’ wisdom that is returned from the past.

1 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

2 maze   

n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑

参考例句：

• He found his way through the complex maze of corridors.他穿过了迷宮一样的走廊。
• She was lost in the maze for several hours.一连几小时，她的头脑处于一片糊涂状态。

3 ridges   

n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊

参考例句：

• The path winds along mountain ridges. 峰回路转。
• Perhaps that was the deepest truth in Ridges's nature. 在里奇斯的思想上，这大概可以算是天经地义第一条了。

4 sprouted   

v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• We can't use these potatoes; they've all sprouted. 这些土豆儿不能吃了，都出芽了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The rice seeds have sprouted. 稻种已经出芽了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

8 millennium   

n.一千年，千禧年；太平盛世

参考例句：

• The whole world was counting down to the new millennium.全世界都在倒计时迎接新千年的到来。
• We waited as the clock ticked away the last few seconds of the old millennium.我们静候着时钟滴答走过千年的最后几秒钟。

9 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。