VOA常速英语2014--美国向泰国归还数百件被掠夺文物（在线收听）

US Returns Looted Ancient Artifacts to Thailand 美国向泰国归还数百件被掠夺文物

BANGKOK— 

The U.S. government on Wednesday returned to Thailand hundreds of ancient artifacts that federal authorities say were looted from an important archaeological site decades ago.

In a ceremony at Thailand's National Museum, the kingdom's culture minister, accepted from the highest ranking American diplomat in the country,hundreds of artifacts.

在泰国国家博物馆的一次仪式上,泰国文化部长从美国最高外交官手中接过数百件工艺品。

The majority of the pottery, bronze items, stone tools, beads and sandstone molds were taken from the Ban Chiang UNESCO World Heritage site in northeast Thailand.

这些工艺品大多数是陶器、青铜器,石器,珠子及砂岩模具，它们都是从泰国东北部班清联合国教科文组织世界遗产地中被带走。

The Neolithic settlement and burial ground was badly looted in the early 1970s.

这个曾经新石器时代的定居地及公墓在20世纪70年代早期遭到严重洗劫。

“Of the artifacts returned to Thailand, we can say that the 554 pieces, most of them are priceless because they are dated to a pre-historic period."

“随着这些工艺品重返泰国,我们可以宣布这554件中大部分都是无价之宝,因它们可以追溯到史前时期。”

The collection was found during a raid on a Southern California museum in 2008 after a five year, undercover federal investigation.

在2008年南加州博物馆遭突击检查，联邦秘密调查历时5年后这些艺术品才被找回。

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We've been working for a number of years to give this a focus,give this special priority,and today we've succeed in returning some 7 thousand cultural artifacts to over 30 countries.

我们多年来一直致力于将寻回文物作为工作重心,视为我们的头等要务,现如今我们已经成功将7000件工艺品归还给超过30多个国家。

Most recently here in the region, I would say Cambodia as the case,we were able to return very important cultural artifacts in Mongolia.

最近我们也归还给柬埔寨一些,而且我们还将非常重要的文化艺术品还给蒙古。

These are among the first items to be returned to their homeland after raids on a total of four California art museums and two antiquities dealerships.

在突击检查总共4间加州艺术博物馆，2家古董经销商后，这是重返家园的第一批物品。

Authorities worry that many pieces of pottery and other artifacts from Ban Chiang-considered by many one of Southeast Asia's most important prehistoric settlements-will never be recovered.

而当局担心出自东南亚最重要史前定居点的许多陶器和其他工艺品碎片将永远无法恢复。