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1、Module 9 Unit 2 Witnessing timeReading The Acropolis nowby Valia KatsisNo one has had a greater influence on Western civilization than the ancient Greeks. They made many advances in philosophy, science, mathematics, art, architecture, theater, politics, and sport. The Roman alphabet is a Greek inven
2、tion, as is the marathon, a long distance race created in honor of a Greek soldier who ran from Marathon to Athens to report the victory at the Battle of the Marathon in 490 BC. For a period of about 300 years (from 650 to 323 BC), the Greek civilization made advances in various fields that have inf
3、luenced the world for more than 2500 years and will continue to do so.In particular, we associate ancient Greek civilization with the capital city of Athens, the greatest symbol of which is the Acropolis. The Acropolis is a large, flat rock in the center of Athens, rising up high above the city. In
4、the 5th century BC, the greatest architects and artists of the time began building temples and monuments on this Scared Rock. On top of the Acropolis, there are three main temples to Athena, the goddess of the city: the Parthenon, the Erechtheum and the Temple of Athena Nike. The Temple of Athena Ni
5、ke is the smallest among the three. It used to house a 13-metre-high gold-covered status of Athena as the Goddness of Victory. The Parthenon, the largest of all three, was built between 447 and 432 BC and contained a gold statue of Athena. The Erechtheum is famous for the six female statues which su
6、pport part of its roof.The buildings of the Acropolis were made of marble, a very smooth, strong stone. However, throughout history, few ancient monuments have avoided damage altogether. The Acropolis is no different. It has been damaged partly by natural forces like earthquakes, but the greatest da
7、mage of all has been caused by man. In 1458, the Turks defeated the Greeks and seized control of Athens. Later, they used Parthenon as a warehouse and packed it with gunpowder. In 1687, an attack from Italy caused the gunpowder to explode and a large part of the building was destroyed. For centuries
8、, people also stole from the ruins and used the stones for other buildings. The last major damage of this kind occurred with the theft of many of the best sculptures in 1801, when an Englishman, Lord Elgin, cut them off the face of the Parthenon, and took them to London. He later sold them to the Br
9、itish government. In 1816, these sculptures were turned over to the British Museum. They are still shown there under the title of “Elgin Marbles”. This has caused some friction between Greece and Britain, as the Greek government has never given up asking for the return of these marble statues.In 183
10、0, Greece was recognized as an autonomous country and five years later, in 1835, the new government began a serious effort to repair the monuments and buildings on the Acropolis. Unfortunately, some of the construction that was carried out over the following 100 years was not very successful. In fac
11、t, repairs were so clumsy that they made some of the buildings less secure than they had been before. The buildings have also been damaged by the millions of travellers who visit them each year. Some damage has been caused by the traffic of so many people simply walking around the buildings, and som
12、e has been caused deliberately. There is also the problem of smog. Athens has some of the most polluted air of any city in the world, and acid rain is causing gradual damage to the marble on the Acropolis.In a gesture to help preserve history, the Greek government appointed a committee in 1975 to un
13、dertake a complete repair of the Acropolis. In 1987, it was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. After that, much progress was made in repairing the Acropolis, with a large amount of work done in preparation for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.The committee is continuing its work and hopes to br
14、ing the Acropolis back to its former glory. Poor repair work has to be mended, especially on some sections which are lying around loose, or which might fall down. A steady cleaning programme must follow in order to protect the marble from smog and acid rain, as well as natural things such plant root
15、s. As a part of this process, statues have been removed from the open air and stored in a protected museum.The committee is also undertaking important work to educate the public, based on the assessment that the best way to protect the Acropolis is to prevent damage. Therefore, the committee is teac
16、hing people how to avoid damaging important historic buildings like those on the Acropolis. By learning how not to damage the monuments, people will be able to enjoy this historic site for generations to come.Project Imperial TombsThe Ming and Qing Imperial Tombs are among the most extraordinary cultural remains to be found anywhere. These world-famous sites are equal to the pyramids in Egypt. Any visitor to China should try to include the Ming and Q
