约旦首都安曼发现古罗马浴场

A government committee in Jordan is facing a difficult question. How can it save the country's ancient past while planning for its future?

约旦一家政府委员会正面临一个难题。在规划未来时，要如何保存该国的古老历史？

The committee, set up two weeks ago, is considering the issue after the discovery of ancient Roman baths. The ruins were found during a dig for a building project, an underground canal that will help control flood water that comes into Amman, Jordan's capital.
两周前成立的这家委员会在发现古罗马浴场后正在考虑这个问题。该遗址是在挖掘一个建筑项目的过程中发现的，该项目是一条将有助于控制流入约旦首都安曼的洪水的地下运河。

The ruins have the remains of furnaces, a sign of a complex heating system. Experts believe that the discovery is the first of its kind among the remains of the ancient city of Philadelphia on which Amman now stands.
该遗址上有炉渣，这是复杂加热系统的标志。专家们认为这是安曼目前所处的费城古城遗址的第一个此类发现。

Yazid Elayan is head of Jordan's Department of Antiquities. "We will balance the needs of the city - to protect it from flooding - to preserving antiquities under the streets," he said.
耶齐德·伊莱恩是约旦文物部门的负责人。他说：“我们将会在保护城市免受洪水侵袭和保留城市街道下文物的需求之间取得平衡。”

"Amman was one of the biggest Roman cities and it has one of the largest baths...Wherever one excavates in Amman, antiquities can be found," he told Reuters.
他对路透社表示：“安曼是最大的古罗马城市之一，并且拥有最大的浴场之一。只要在安曼挖掘，就能发现文物。”

Excavate is a term that means to dig out and remove soil.
挖掘是挖土并清运土壤的一个术语。

The work on the canal system has been suspended while the government committee makes its decision.
在这家政府委员会做决定时，运河系统的工程已经暂时停工。

Amman is an old city where ancient Roman structures can still be seen. It has an Amphitheatre that seated around 6,000 people. It has the Nymphaeum fountains and the Temple of Hercules, too.
安曼是一座古老的城市，这里仍然可以看到古老的罗马建筑。它有一个可容纳6千人的露天剧场。它还有睡莲喷泉和大力神神庙。

Building problems and irregular urban design have been important issues in the large city of four million people.
在这座400万人口的大城市中，建筑问题和不规则的城市设计一直是重要的问题。

It is built on many levels of history, from the Ammonites, Moabites, Romans and Greeks to the Islamic period.
这座城市建立在多重历史之上，从亚摩力人、摩押人、罗马人、希腊人一直到伊斯兰时期。

City officials have already expressed concern that delaying the canal project could raise water levels in central Amman. They say it could flood again during the winter.
城市官员已经表达了对推迟运河工程可能会提高安曼中心水位的担心。他们表示洪水可能会在冬天再次泛滥。

The formerly quiet city now has one of the Middle East's largest city centers.
这座曾经安静的城市现在拥有中东最大的城市中心之一。

I'm John Russell.
我是约翰·罗素。

Words in This Story

canal – n. a waterway for draining or irrigating land

furnace – n. an enclosed container in which heat is produced

preserve – v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

antiquities – n. plural objects from ancient times

fountain – n. a structure or device that provides water which, in some cases, sends a stream of water into the air