History
The “New 7 Wonders of the World” campaign was begun in 1999 by Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber. His Switzerland-based foundation, New7Wonders, received some 200 nominations from around the world and then narrowed the list to 21 candidates for the public to vote on2. Weber’s foundation aims to promote cultural diversity by supporting, preserving and restoring monuments.
Winners
Egypt believed its pyramids should not need to be voted on since they have always been listed as a world wonder. The New Seven Wonders group gave the pyramids an honorary position on the list. So there are actually now eight wonders of the world. Here are descriptions of them.
The Great Wall of China: The 4,160-mile barricade running from east to west is the world’s longest man-made structure. The fortification3 was built to protect various dynasties from invasion by many nomadic4 tribes.
Chichen Itza, Mexico: At the heart of Chichen Itza is a step pyramid at which the Mayans5 worshipped their gods. Shadows at the fall and spring equinoxes6 are said to look like a snake crawling down the steps, similar to the carved serpent at the top.
Christ Redeemer7, Brazil: The 125-foot statue of Christ the Redeemer with outstretched arms overlooks Rio de Janeiro from atop Mount Corcovado. The statue was built in pieces in France starting in 1926, and shipped to Brazil.
Machu Picchu, Peru: Built by the Incan8 Empire in the 15th century, Machu Picchu’s walls, palaces, temples and dwellings9 are perched in the clouds at 8,000 feet above sea level in the Andes overlooking a valley 310 miles from Lima10.
Petra, Jordan: This ancient city was the capital of the Arab kingdom of the Nabateans, a trade center. The city is famous for water tunnels and stone structures carved in the rock, including Ad-Dayr, “the Monastery11,” an uncompleted tomb facade12 that served as a church during Byzantine times.
The Roman Colosseum, Italy: The 50,000-seat arena13 was completed in A.D. 80. Thousands of gladiators14 dueled15 to the death here, and Christians were fed to the lions. The arena has influenced the design of modern stadiums.
The Taj Mahal, India: The white marble-domed mausoleum16 in Agra was built by a 17th century Mogul emperor for his favorite wife. The architecture combines Indian, Persian, and Islamic styles. The complex houses the graves of the emperor, his wife, and other royalty.
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt: The only surviving structures of the original seven wonders, the three pyramids were built as tombs for pharaohs17 4,500 years ago. Nearby is the Great Sphinx statue, with a man’s face and a lion’s body.
Reaction
UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
“The list of the 7 New Wonders of the World will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to18 the internet and not the entire world.”
Brazil
Newsweek reports the campaign was so pervasive19 that: One morning in June, Rio de Janeiro residents awoke to a beeping text message on their cell phones: “Press 4916 and vote for Christ. It’s free!”
Cambodia
Some Cambodians were crestfallen20 after their fabled Angkor Wat was not selected by the vote.
Chile
The Chilean representative for the Easter Island Moais, Alberto Hotus, said that Bernard Weber gave him a letter saying that the Moais had finished eighth and that they were “morally” one of the New Seven Wonders. Hotus said he was the only participant to receive such apology.
Jordan
Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan joined the campaign to back Petra, Jordan's national treasure. The campaign was so successful, despite Jordan only having a population of under 7 million people, over 14 million votes were made from the country.
活动背景
“新世界七大奇迹”选举活动始于1999年，由瑞士探险家伯纳德·韦伯发起。他设在瑞士、名为“new7wonders”的基金会，先后收到200个来自世界各地的提名，然后再把候选名单缩减到21个，供公众投票选举。韦伯的基金会旨在通过支持、保护和修复古迹，从而促进文化的多样性。
胜出者
埃及认为金字塔根本没必要列入待选名单中，因为它一直处于世界奇迹之列。为此，“新世界七大奇迹”小组授予金字塔“名誉奇观”之称。所以“新世界七大奇迹”实际上是“八大奇迹”。以下为这些奇迹的简介。
中国长城:这条从东到西绵延4,160英里的屏障是世界最长的人工建筑。修建这道要塞是为了保护各个朝代免受北方游牧部落的入侵。
墨西哥奇琴伊察遗址: 奇琴伊察遗址中心的阶梯型金字塔，是玛雅人祭拜所信奉神祇的地方。据说每年春分、秋分时，金字塔的影子就会像蛇一样缓缓爬下台阶，与雕刻在金字塔顶端的蛇一样！
巴西基督像：这尊高达125英尺的基督像矗立在里约热内卢科科瓦多山顶，像中的耶稣张开双臂俯瞰着里约热内卢。塑像于1926年在法国分片建造，然后用船运到巴西组装。
秘鲁马丘比丘遗址：15世纪由印加帝国修建，马丘比丘城的城墙、宫殿、庙宇以及居所均建造在安第斯山脉海拔8,000英尺高的云间，俯瞰着距利马310英里的一条河谷。
约旦佩特拉古城：这座古城是当时阿拉伯纳巴泰王国的首都，商业贸易中心。该城以水渠和雕刻在石头上的建筑而闻名于世。其中包括“代尔修道院”，这座陵墓的正面外观尚未完工，在拜占庭时期曾当作教堂使用。
意大利罗马斗兽场: 可容纳50,000人的竞技场建成于公元80年。成千上万的角斗士曾在此决斗身亡，基督教徒在此被送入狮口。竞技场对现代体育场的设计产生了深远影响。
印度泰姬陵:这座位于阿格拉的白色大理石圆顶陵墓建于17世纪。由莫卧尔皇帝为他的爱妻修建。该建筑融印度、波斯与伊斯兰风格于一体。整个陵墓中包含了皇帝、皇妃以及其他皇室成员的墓穴。
埃及吉萨金字塔：原世界七大奇迹中惟一保存下来的建筑物。三座金字塔是4,500年前为法老们修建的陵墓。金字塔附近是狮身人面的斯芬克斯神像。
各方反应
联合国教科文组织
“新世界七大奇迹名单纯属私人机构运作的结果，只反映能接触网络的那部分人的意见，并不代表整个世界的观点。”
巴西
《新闻周刊》报道说，新奇迹的选举活动简直无孔不入:6月的某天早上，里约热内卢居民醒来，发现手机响起短信声音“请按4916给基督像投一票！投票免费！”
柬埔寨
具有传奇色彩的吴哥窟竟然落选，有些柬埔寨人感到很沮丧。
智利
复活节岛石像群虽然未能当选，但是，智利代表艾伯特·霍图斯说，他已经收到了伯纳德·韦伯的信——信中说复活节岛石像群位列第八，从“道义”上讲也属于新世界七大奇观之一。霍图斯说，他是惟一收到这类道歉的参赛代表。
约旦
约旦王后拉尼娅·阿尔—阿卜杜拉也参与了这场运动，力挺约旦国宝佩特拉古城。活动异常成功——尽管约旦人口不足700万，可从该国投出的票数超过了1，400万张！
1. nomination n. 提名
2. vote on 表决
3. fortification n. 防御工事；要塞
4. nomadic adj. 游牧的
5. Mayan n. 玛雅人
6. equinox n. 昼夜平分点
7. redeemer n. 救世主
8. Incan adj. 印加的
9. dwelling n. 住处
10. Lima n. 利马（秘鲁首都）
11. monastery n. 修道院
12. facade n. 正面
13. arena n. 竞技场
14. gladiator n. 决斗士
15. duel v. 决斗
16. mausoleum n. 陵墓
17. pharaoh n. 法老（古埃及君王称号）
18. with access to 有办法或机会接近、使用
19. pervasive adj. 普遍深入的
20. crestfallen adj. 垂头丧气的