VOA标准英语2015--加州科学中心展出死海古卷手稿

California Science Center Tells Story of Ancient Scrolls² 加州科学中心展出死海古卷手稿

LOS ANGELES—

The manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls were uncovered in the mid-20th century, and they are still yielding clues about life and religious beliefs in ancient Israel.  An exhibit in Los Angeles shows how modern science is bringing the history of these ancient documents to life.

The largest exhibit of its kind ever shown outside Israel can be seen at the California Science Center.  Visitors learn the story of the scrolls, ancient manuscripts that were hidden in caves in the modern-day West Bank during the first century, to safeguard them from advancing Roman troops during a Jewish rebellion.

The scrolls were written over hundreds of years and illustrate³ the diversity of ancient Israel, which was home to various Jewish sects⁴, as well as early Christians⁵.  Israel's Consul⁶ General in Los Angeles, David Siegel, whose office helped bring the exhibit to the city, says the documents include sectarian writings and Biblical texts that are important to three faiths.

“When that shepherd in 1947 entered that cave and found these parchments, what he discovered were the earliest known manuscripts of the Bible.  So they're significant obviously to Jews, but they're also significant to Christians and they're significant to Muslims," said Siegel.

The California Science Center's Diane Perlov says scientists have studied the manuscripts using modern techniques - piecing together thousands of parchment and papyrus⁷ fragments into hundreds of documents.  She says they used different kinds of light to decipher hidden texts, and tested the material for dating.  

“Scientists used multi-spectral imaging, carbon 14 dating, DNA⁸ analysis and other tools to match up all these individual pieces to the same scroll¹, to read them," said Perlov.

Exhibit co-curator Risa Levitt Kohn says the dry climate of the region helped preserve the writings, leading to one of the most important archeological discoveries of recent times.

“The humidity, the temperature, the fact that these documents were hidden in caves," said Kohn.

Together with 20 Dead Sea Scrolls, on display in the exhibit, visitors can see royal and ritual objects and items from daily life that span 1,200 years.  They include a small figure thought to be Asherah, the mother goddess once worshipped throughout the ancient Near East, as well as coins, pottery⁹, and a three-ton stone from the Western Wall, the only remains¹⁰ of the second Jewish temple that was destroyed by invading Romans in the year 70.  The objects show the diversity of cultures - Jewish, Greek and Roman - that sometimes led to tensions.

The ongoing¹¹ analysis is the work of many experts, says exhibit co-curator Debora Ben-Ami of the Israeli Antiquities¹² Authority.

“We are showing a complete story, coming from the present, going back to the past, to a different time, to a different place, and then understanding all the context and all the importance of this history," said Ben-Ami.

Ben-Ami says many questions are still unsettled, including the identity of the people who hid the scrolls.  But scientists and scholars are still working to shed light on these ancient documents. 

1 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

2 scrolls   

n.（常用于录写正式文件的）纸卷( scroll的名词复数 )；卷轴；涡卷形（装饰）；卷形花纹v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕

参考例句：

• Either turn it off or only pick up selected stuff like wands, rings and scrolls. 把他关掉然后只捡你需要的物品，像是魔杖(wand)，戒指(rings)和滚动条(scrolls)。 来自互联网
• Ancient scrolls were found in caves by the Dead Sea. 死海旁边的山洞里发现了古代的卷轴。 来自辞典例句

3 illustrate   

v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图

参考例句：

• The company's bank statements illustrate its success.这家公司的银行报表说明了它的成功。
• This diagram will illustrate what I mean.这个图表可说明我的意思。

4 sects   

n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Members of these sects are ruthlessly persecuted and suppressed. 这些教派的成员遭到了残酷的迫害和镇压。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had subdued the religious sects, cleaned up Saigon. 他压服了宗教派别，刷新了西贡的面貌。 来自辞典例句

5 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

6 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

7 papyrus   

n.古以纸草制成之纸

参考例句：

• The Egyptians wrote on papyrus.埃及人书写用薄草纸。
• Since papyrus dries up and crumble,very few documents of ancient Egypt have survived.因草片会干裂成粉末所以古埃及的文件很少保存下来。

8 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

9 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

12 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