VOA标准英语2012--US Government, Sotheby's Battle over Ancient Khmer Warrior Statue
时间:2019-01-13 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2012年(四月)
英语课
US Government, Sotheby's Battle over Ancient Khmer Warrior 1 Statue
U.S. prosecutors 2 and the Cambodian government say the 1,000-year-old sandstone statue, depicting 3 a warrior in the Hindu saga 4 The Mahabharata, was looted from the temple of Prasat Chen in the 1960s or 1970s and should be repatriated 5. The feet of the statue remain at the temple at Koh Ker, which was briefly 6 the capital of ancient Cambodia.
In a civil complaint, federal prosecutors said that Sotheby's knew the statue had been stolen when it offered it for auction 7 last year on behalf of a Belgian client who had bought it in 1975, the first time it was sold publicly. The U.S. filing reads like a magazine story, quoting at length from email exchanged between a Cambodian art expert and Sotheby's.
"According to the forfeiture 8 complaint, Sotheby's was told by the very expert they hired to authenticate 9 and appraise 10 the piece, that it was, quote, 'definitely stolen,'" said Tess Davis, an antiquities 11 lawyer who is advising the Cambodian government. "And the same scholar actually urged them to consider donating it back to the national Museum of Phnom Penh to, quote, 'save everyone some embarrassment 12.'"
In a later email, however, the scholar wrote Sotheby's that it did not appear that Cambodia was requesting the return of all looted artifacts owned by foreign individuals and museums, saying "[I] think that legally and ethically 13 you can happily sell the piece." Sotheby's subsequently featured the statue on its catalog cover. It was expected to sell for up to $3 million.
Peter Neiman, an attorney representing Sotheby's, said the statue was purchased legally by the Belgian collector. "We vigorously dispute the government's allegations," he said after the hearing. "Sotheby's acted in good faith and compliance 14 with the law at all times here, and we expect the evidence is going to show that this is not stolen property, that it belonged to the consignor 15, and Sotheby's acted perfectly 16 appropriately in consigning 17 it for sale."
In a statement, Sotheby's added that the statue might have been missing from its site for as long as 1,000 years. It said that "condemning 18 a public sale process inevitably 19 drives those owners of antiquities toward private transactions, an outcome deeply disadvantageous to any and all who claim to be on the side of sensitive and careful handling of this material."
Davis, however, said that much of Cambodia's ancient art was looted during the upheaval 20 surrounding Cambodia's civil war, and sold to foreign collectors and museums. "I doubt that anyone who has been working in the field of cultural heritage preservation 21 is very surprised by this court proceeding," she said.
The statue, known as the Duryodhana, stood facing another warrior figure, the Bhima, whose feet also remain at the Koh Ker temple site. Davis said challenges to the ownership of that figure, now in the collection of the Norton-Simon Museum in California, might also be raised.
n.勇士,武士,斗士
- The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
- A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。
检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 ); 告发人; 起诉人; 公诉人
- In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方,检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
- You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。
描绘,描画( depict的现在分词 ); 描述
- a painting depicting the Virgin and Child 一幅描绘童贞马利亚和圣子耶稣的画
- The movie depicting the battles and bloodshed is bound to strike home. 这部描写战斗和流血牺牲的影片一定会取得预期效果。
n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事,英雄传奇
- The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
- The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。
v.把(某人)遣送回国,遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )
- The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
- Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adv.简单地,简短地
- I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
- He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖
- They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
- They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。
n.(名誉等)丧失
- Both face maximum forfeitures of about $1.2 million.双方都面临最高120万美元左右的罚金。
- If he should break his day,what should I gain by the exaction of the forfeiture?如果他到期不还我从这罚金中又能得到什么好处?
vt.证明…为真,鉴定
- We would have to authenticate your relationship with the boy.我们必须证实一下您和那个孩子的关系。
- An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting from his imitation.这幅画是凡·高的真迹还是赝品,需由专家来鉴定。
v.估价,评价,鉴定
- An expert came to appraise the value of my antiques.一位专家来对我的古玩作了估价。
- It is very high that people appraise to his thesis.人们对他的论文评价很高。
n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 );古迹;古人们;古代的风俗习惯
- 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
n.尴尬;使人为难的人(事物);障碍;窘迫
- She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
- Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。
adv.在伦理上,道德上
- Ethically , we have nothing to be ashamed about . 从伦理上说,我们没有什么好羞愧的。
- Describe the appropriate action to take in an ethically ambiguous situation. 描述适当行为采取在一个道德地模棱两可的情况。
n.顺从;服从;附和;屈从
- I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
- She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。
n.委托者;发货人;寄件人;交付人
- A dead body of a male adult, a dead consignor, a target. 一具男人的尸体,一位死去的委托者,一个目标。 来自互联网
- Frozen plant of company many invest in, attract consignor thick as hail. 公司大量投资于冷冻设备,吸引货主纷至沓来。 来自互联网
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
- The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
- Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
v.把…置于(令人不快的境地)( consign的现在分词 );把…托付给;把…托人代售;丟弃
- By consigning childhood illiteracy to history we will help make poverty history too. 而且,通过将儿童文盲归于历史,我们也将改变贫穷的历史。 来自互联网
v.(通常因道义上的原因而)谴责( condemn的现在分词 );宣判;宣布…不能使用;迫使…陷于不幸的境地
- The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
- I concur with the speaker in condemning what has been done. 我同意发言者对所做的事加以谴责。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地
- In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去,毫无疑问是会散伙的。
- Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。
n.胀起,(地壳)的隆起;剧变,动乱
- It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
- The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。
n.保护,维护,保存,保留,保持
- The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
- The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。