Chinese warriors in London

BBC Learning EnglishPeople and PlacesChinese warriors 1 in LondonAmber: Hello, I’m Amber 2 and you’re listening tobbclearningenglish.comIn People and Places today, the Director of the BritishMuseum, Neil Macgregor, introduces us to some extraordinary(and incredibly old and valuable) people who have justarrived in London from China, for the first time!
　　That’s right; there’s just been an invasion of London bythe famous Terracotta Warriors. These life-size modelsoldiers - made of terracotta (a reddish-brown potteryclay) - are over 2,000 years old! They were made for China’s First Emperor who wanted to rule forever, and soordered the recreation of his entire court – soldiers,generals, entertainers and animals – in life-sizeterracotta statues. They were to accompany the Emperor intothe afterlife and guard his tomb – his grave, his burialchamber – at the ancient city of Xian.
　　Let’s go now to the British Museum where Neil is preparingfor an exciting exhibition of a number of these statues, orthree-dimensional ‘figures’. He says the exhibition won’
　　t give a sense of the ‘massive scale’ – the huge size –of the figures standing 4 in the tomb in Xian, although therewill be images of the tomb projected onto the walls of themuseum.
　　As you listen, try to catch what Neil says it will bepossible to do at the exhibition, that it’s ‘hard to doin Xian’.
　　Neil MacgregorWe’re not going to be able to give you the sense of themassive scale, although we’ll be ableto show that by projections 5 on the screens around theReading Room. What you will be able to do in the BritishMuseum is look these figures in the eye. You’re going tobe able to see.
　　how they were made, what extraordinary works of art, whatworks of sculpture they are, and examine them one by one,and engage with them as separate objects, and that’ssomething that’s very hard to do in Xian, but with asmaller number in the British Museum, you’ll be able to doit here.
　　Amber: Did you catch it? Neil says in the British Museumyou can ‘look these figuresin the eye’. The expression ‘to look someone in the eye’
　　means to connect with them, to make a real attempt to getto know them or understand them.
　　Listen again and notice the different ways the statues aredescribed – ‘figures’,‘works of art’, ‘works of sculpture’, ‘objects’.
　　Neil MacgregorWe’re not going to be able to give you the sense of themassive scale, although we’ll be ableto show that by projections on the screens around theReading Room. What you will be able to do in the BritishMuseum is look these figures in the eye. You’re going tobe able to see how they were made, what extraordinary worksof art, what works of sculpture they are, and examine themone by one, and engage with them as separate objects, andthat’s something that’s very hard to do in Xian, but witha smaller number in the British Museum, you’ll be able todo it here.
　　Amber: The story of the Chinese terracotta army amazed theworld when the figures were first discovered in 1974, andthere are more figures still being unearthed 6. So thewarriors are ‘archaeological treasure’! Archaeology 7 isthe study of ancient cultures through the examination oftheir material remains 8.
　　Here’s Neil describing the significance of the figures’
　　arrival in London.
　　Neil MacgregorThat is what is so exciting is that there’s a real chanceto see new archaeology, the newdiscoveries, that are being allowed out of China for thefirst time. And we’re just about to open them!
　　Amber: Now let’s join Neil and BBC presenter 9 John Wilsonin the Reading Room ofthe British Museum as the treasure is being unwrapped!
　　‘This is Christmas!’
　　– Neil exclaims!
　　Neil also explains why the exhibition space has worked outso well – try to catch what shape the Reading Room is, andwhy Neil thinks it’s a good place to exhibit the ancientwarriors.
　　Neil MacgregorThat’s what’s worked out very pleasingly because the onlyspace big enough to show thisexhibition was the Reading Room so we built a platform overthe desks and the tables and what you have left is thiswonderful cylinder 10 and dome 11. And it does feel rather asthough you are in a tomb.
　　(So Neil, this is the moment! The first of the treasures…)This is Christmas! This is Christmas! As you can see, theboxes are on the table and they’re all wrapped up and we’
　　re slowly unwrapping the presents!
　　Amber: So the Reading Room feels rather like you’re in atomb! This is because it’s a‘wonderful cylinder and dome’ – a cylinder is a shapewith straight sides and circular ends, a dome is a grandbuilding with a high curved roof.
　　Now here’s a recap of the language in the programme.
　　warriors – soldiersa tomb – a grave, a burial chamber 3 or cave‘to look someone in the eye’ – to connect with someone,to make a real attempt to get to know them or understandthemarchaeology – the study of ancient cultures through theexamination of their material remains.