核心词汇 (Target Vocabulary)

学习 9A 3D激光数字化保护文化遗址核心词汇，点击语音按钮听美音发音，掌握核心释义与真题例句。

assemble [əˈsembl] v.
To fit together the separate component parts of a machine or other object.
组装；装配；集合
"Engineers carefully assemble digital 3D models from millions of laser scanning points."
bounce back [baʊns bæk] phr. v.
To recover quickly from a setback, or reflect back off an obstacle or surface.
反弹；反射；迅速恢复
"Laser beams bounce back from ancient stone carvings, recording precise spatial coordinates."
carving [ˈkɑːvɪŋ] n.
An object or pattern made by cutting a shape or design into a piece of wood or stone.
雕刻品；雕饰
"Intricate stone carvings of Hindu deities line the subterranean gallery of the stepwell."
column [ˈkɒləm] n.
An upright pillar, typically cylindrical and made of stone or concrete, supporting an entablature or roof.
圆柱；石柱；支柱
"Row upon row of carved stone columns support the multi-tiered pavilions of Rani ki Vav."
firsthand [ˌfɜːstˈhænd] adv. / adj.
From the original source or personal experience; directly.
第一手地；亲身体验地
"Few modern tourists have experienced firsthand the breathtaking silence of the lower well chamber."
garment [ˈɡɑːmənt] n.
An item of clothing.
衣服；服装
"Carved stone apsaras are depicted wearing finely woven traditional Indian garments."
gaze [ɡeɪz] v. / n.
To look steadily and intently, especially in admiration, surprise, or thought.
凝视；注视
"Visitors gaze in astonishment at the submerged architectural majesty preserved underground."
memorial [məˈmɔːriəl] n.
A structure or object established to remind people of a person or event.
纪念物；纪念馆；纪念碑
"Queen Udayamati commissioned the grand stepwell as a lasting memorial to her late husband."
stunned [stʌnd] adj.
Astonished or shocked; deeply amazed.
震惊的；目瞪口呆的
"Archeologists were stunned when silt clearing revealed thousands of pristine subterranean statues."
virtual [ˈvɜːtʃuəl] adj.
Generated or simulated by computer software, appearing real without physical form.
虚拟的；模拟的
"High-fidelity virtual reality replicas allow students worldwide to explore endangered monuments."
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Virtually Immortal

苏格兰数字团队走进印度“王后阶梯井”：用千亿激光点云铸就永恒数字丰碑

Paragraph A
After the long dusty drive from the city, the first surprises that visitors encounter are the shade trees and the beautiful green lawn. Then, they notice the birds and monkeys swooping in and out of the trees. After passing through the entrance gate, a long stone pathway leads to a place where the ground begins to open up. There, on the far side of the grass, is what seems to be a magnificent temple built in a huge hole in the ground. However, it is not a temple, but a well. This is Rani Kivav, the Queen's stepwell. The weather is dry most of the year in northwest and India. Then, during the summer, rain arrives suddenly and seeps down through the sandy soil. Centuries ago, people dug holes to get at the water, and then built stone stairways down, where the water collected. These stepwells were simple at first, but some later became architectural works of art.
Paragraph B
Rani Kivav is among the most magnificent. Located near the Saraswati River in Gujarat, Rani Kivav was built in the late 11th century by Queen Odayamati, as a memorial to her dead king. It was rarely used, and by 1300 seasonal floods had filled it with sand. Not until the 1960s did Indian archaeologists begin digging it out. Witnesses were stunned by what was hidden beneath all that sand. Preserving the past. We've seen photographs, but nothing compares with seeing it firsthand. Says Lynn Wilson, an archaeological scientist from Glasgow. With the latest in digital scanning technology, she and her colleagues from the centre for digital documentation and visualization, aim to reduce the chances that Rani Kivav, or at least the data, describing it will ever be lost again. Of all the projects they have undertaken, from the standing stones of Stanis, to Mount Rushmore, this is among the most difficult.
Paragraph C
By 1230 PM, their equipment arrives. As team members open the boxes, they meet their first challenge. Two buses full of Indian school boys on a class trip. The crowd around Wilson, as though she's a Bollywood star. A guard gently directs them to move back with a long stick. For the next two weeks, the team will have to fight the heat and cope with curious crowds while they aim laser beams at every surface of the step well in order to record the entire structure digitally. Should Rani Kivav be lost again through floods, war, earthquakes, or just the passage of time, there will be a precise 3D copy available on the internet. Inside the valve. A tour of the well reveals some of the extremely complex carvings the team must record. On a lower level, seven sculptures of the four armed guard Vishnu decorate the walls.
Paragraph D
Lord Kalki sits tall on a horse, one foot about a crushing enemy's head. Then there's Varaha, a guard with a head of a bore, a tiny goddess standing on his shoulder lovingly robs his nose. It reminds me of the wonderful Hollywood movie King Kong, remarks Casey Naryal, an Indian archaeologist working at the site. Also immortalized in stone are the Hindu gods Brahma and Shiva. Scattered among the gods, slither snakes and creatures called Nagakania, that are half snake, half woman. There are also Absaris, female spirits of the clouds and water, putting on lipstick or earrings, gazing at mirrors or drying their hair. One of them playfully strikes a monkey as it pulls down her garment. Another pulls on the beard of an admiring beggar. The spice of life, Naryal calls them.
Paragraph E
But one wrong blow with a hammer and their beauty would be destroyed forever. A stairway leads to the lowest levels and a dark passage into the well itself. Near the bottom of the well are two statues of the god Vishnu. One is sleeping on the back of a large snake and the other is sitting straight up. There was a belief that if there were two statues of Lord Vishnu in this form, the water would never dry up, but it did. Agricultural development and a warmer climate are two likely causes. And like the water, the sculptures may one day disappear. Surviving perhaps only as a virtual model online. A digital copy.
Paragraph F
Inside attend to the edge of the stepwell archaeologist Justin Barton, assembles the first pieces of the 3D digital image of Rani Kivav. Weirdly colored columns and linkles appear on the screen. The colours greenish in the brightest areas, grading to oranges and yellows, indicate reflectivity or how readily the laser comes bouncing back. Barton grabs the images with the cursor, swinging them around like a child's building blocks, fitting each into the larger model of Rani Kivav. Back in Glasgow, the digital copy will be completed. Ultimately joining more than 100 others already in a computer database. But that's barely the beginning. So much heritage is being lost on a daily basis, says Barton. Through war and human aggression, environmental changes and the wear and tear of time.
Paragraph G
Barton and his colleagues are in a race to digitally preserve for future generations as many of the worlds threatened archaeological treasures as they can before they disappear forever. The Scottish 10. The expedition to Rani Kivav is part of the Scottish 10. A digital preservation project initiated by the government in Scotland, which aims to produce 3D digital copies of 10 cultural sites. The Scottish 10 includes the following UNESCO World Heritage sites. Rani Kivav, India, Mount Rushmore, USA, Eastern Qingtumes, China. Sydney Opera House, Australia. Nagasaki Giant Cantilever Crane, Japan. New Lanark, Neolithic Orkney, St. Kilda, Edinburgh, and Antonyne Wall, all in Scotland.

课文配套练习 (Reading Exercises)

严格对应教材 Page 152–157 官方练习：Before You Read、Reading Comprehension 及学术阅读技巧“识别省略(Ellipsis)”。

1.
Predicting (p.152) What type of structure is Rani ki Vav?
2.
Discussion (p.152) How can modern 3D laser technology preserve ancient heritage?
3.
Detail (p.156) Which of these does NOT describe Rani ki Vav?
4.
Detail (Para C, p.156) What happened to Rani ki Vav?
5.
Purpose (Paras G–I, p.156) The purpose of paragraphs G–I is to ______.
6.
Inference (Para K, p.156) Which statement would Justin Barton probably agree with the most?
7.
Detail (p.156) What is the Scottish Ten?
8.
Scanning (p.156) Reasons why we are losing our cultural heritage appear in:
9.
Scanning (p.156) A comparison to an American movie appears in:
10.
Scanning (p.156) A description of what the lowest part of the well looks like appears in:
11.
Scanning (p.156) A definition of apsaras appears in:
12.
Scanning (p.156) Two examples of other projects the Scottish team has worked on appear in:
13.
Recognizing Ellipsis (Para A, p.157) Ellipsis recovery: 'However, it is not a temple, but a well.'
14.
Recognizing Ellipsis (Para B, p.157) Ellipsis recovery: 'Then, during the summer, rain arrives suddenly and seeps down through the sandy soil.'
15.
Recognizing Ellipsis (Para B, p.157) Ellipsis recovery: 'Rani ki Vav is among the most magnificent.'
16.
Recognizing Ellipsis (Para H, p.157) Ellipsis recovery: 'There are also apsaras... putting on lipstick or earrings...'
17.
Recognizing Ellipsis (Para I, p.157) Ellipsis recovery: 'A stairway leads to the lowest levels, and a dark passage into the well itself.'

Critical Thinking · Cultural Heritage in 3D
Which world heritage sites (e.g., Taj Mahal, Colosseum, Mogao Caves) are most urgent for 3D laser digitisation? What natural or human factors threaten their physical existence?