The world is full of wonders which since the dawn1 of civilization man has created through his skill and talent. Early in history travelers began to list and describe the marvel they saw. Ancient2 writers limited their lists of wonders to seven, possibly because the number seven was thought to have a special meaning.
1． Great Pyramid
The only surviving wonder of the ancient world is the Great Pyramid. It was built nearly 5,000 years ago as the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh3 Khufu, who ruled about 2,700 B.C. Covering an area of 13 acres at its base, the pyramid contains nearly 2,500,000 well-cut stone blocks. Each block weighs about 2.5 tons, although some weigh many tons more. At its peak4 the pyramid originally5 rose to a height of 481 feet. The area it occupies could contain four of the largest European churches. Yet the men who built it did not have even animals for labor, let alone machinery. Even the wheel was unknown to them, and the huge stone blocks were then pulled by an enormous number of laborers. The only mechanical aids they had were levers6, and primitive7 cutting tools. Yet in spite of these difficulties, the Great Pyramid is so accurately constructed that a thin piece of glass can hardly be inserted8 between the close-fitting stones.
2． Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The next oldest wonder was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The 5th century Greek historian Herodotus has left us a full description of the gardens in all their glory. They were created over 2,500 years ago by King Nebuchadnezzar Ⅱ(605—562B.C.). Some say he had them made to delight his young bride9, who came from mountainous Persia10. Babylonia lay in the flat land of Mesopotamia11 and had no mountains. On the banks of the Euphrates River, which flowed through his royal city, the King's workmen raised an artificial12 hill 350 feet high. It was made up of a series of platforms with trees, lawns13, and flowers. Water from the river was pumped14 to the top of the hill and allowed to flow down through canals and small waterfalls. A heaven of coolness and beauty was created in that hot, thirsty land. Little remains of Babylon today except piles15 of broken mud brick.
3． Statue16 of Zeus
The huge figure of Zeus, King of the Gods, stood in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia in Greece. It was completed about 456 B.C. The statue rose to a height of 40 feet and almost touched the temple ceiling17. It was made of thin plates of gold and ivory18, covering a wooden form. The eyes were made of two large jewels. The statue was moved to Constantinople in the 5th century A.D. and was destroyed by fire about 475. Today visitors to Olympia, where the first Olympic Games were held, see only the foundations19 of the building in which it stood. But the workshop where the parts of the statue were prepared has been discovered nearby. Here some of the tools and even the molds20 from which the gold plates were made can still be seen.
4． Temple of Diana
Diana was the Roman name for Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon, protecting unmarried girls and animals. She was worshipped21 in many places, but her most important temple was at Ephesus, near the coast22 of present-day Turkey. The temple, built in the 4th century B.C., was of white marble23, enriched with gold and silver. Precious24 jewels were stored below the temple. It was so lovely that it put all the other wonders in the shade.
5． Mausoleum
Also in Asia Minor(modern Turkey) was the Mausoleum. It was a marble tomb built for King Mausolus(?—353B.C.) by his wife, Artemisia(?—350?B.C). So beautiful was this monument that the word mausoleum has passed into our language and now means “burial place”. Unlike the pyramid and the Temple of Diana, the Mausoleum was not large. It was a bright jewel of a building, made of shining white marble. Rising to a height of 140 feet on a mound25 overlooking the little port of Halicarnassus, it was visible to ships entering the harbor. Its courtyard was surrounded26 by a wall. In the center of the court stood a high platform that was approached by splendid marble steps. Lions carved27 in marble guarded the approach. On a second wall surrounding the platform were more statues. At each corner were statues of proud warriors28 on horses. Other carved horses drew the chariot29 on the top of the building. In the chariot stood figures. Only a few fragments30 of this splendid mausoleum remain. Some are now in the British Museum in London. From these, scholars31 have been able to reconstruct the building in model form.
6． Colossus of Rhodes
This statue of the sun god Helios towered above the harbor of Rhodes, an island in the Aegean Sea. It stood over 100 feet high on a stone base that was itself higher than most statues. The Colossus was built in 280 B.C. It was made of metal32 that had been melted33 down from the arms used by Demetrius (337?-283 B.C.) when he attacked Rhodes in 305 B.C. After bravely resisting and defeating this invader34, the Rhodians built the statue as thanks offering to their god. The Colossus shaded35 its eyes and gazed out to sea. Twenty times the height of a man, it stood at the harbor entrance for only 56 years. In 224 B.C. it was thrown to the ground by an earthquake36. The large metal plates lay there for centuries until, in the 7th century A.D, they were carried away and sold by tradesmen.
7． Pharos
The pharos was the forerunner37 of all lighthouses. It was built on the island of Pharos near Alexandria, the gateway to Egypt, between 285 and 247 B.C. It stood about 400 feet high and was built in levels. The top supported a pan38 in which a fire burned day and night. A huge mirror, possibly made of metal, reflected the light so brightly that it could be seen far out at sea. Inside the building were 300 rooms. Horse-drawn carts carried fuel up to the ever-burning light. The Pharos was destroyed by an earthquake in the 14th century A.D. Some people believe that on calm days its fragments still can be seen below the waters of the harbor.
In every generation, man creates new marvels that can be added to the list of wonders of the world.
自文明诞生以来，人类就运用自己的技巧和才能创造了许多奇迹。早期的旅行家们根据亲眼所见开始描述世界奇观并加以排序。古代作家们列出了七大奇观。之所以只排出七位，大约因为“七”有特殊的含义吧。
一、 埃及大金字塔
古代惟一幸存下来的奇观就是大金字塔。它建于约5,000年前，是埃及法老胡夫（约公元前2700年在位）的陵墓。大金字塔基座占地13公顷（约5300米2 ），由大约250万块切割均匀的石块砌成。每块重约2.5吨,有的要重得多。塔顶原先高481英尺（约144米）。金字塔占地面积之大，足可容下欧洲四大教堂，而修建者连搬运的牲畜都没有，更甭提什么机械了。他们不知车轮为何物，庞大笨重的石块是由许多奴隶拽动的。他们惟一的机械便是撬棒和原始的切割工具。尽管困难如此巨大，大金字塔仍然修造得非常精密：外面的石头夹缝如此密实，以致薄薄的玻璃片也无法插进去。
二、 巴比伦空中花园
第二古老的要数巴比伦空中花园。生活在公元5世纪的希腊史学家罗多德完整描述了花园鼎盛时期的盛况。花园是由国王尼布加尼撒二世（公元前605—562年在位）修建的，距今2,500多年。据说国王修此花园是为了让他年轻的新娘高兴——她来自多山的波斯。而巴比伦位于平坦的美索不达米亚平原，根本没有山。于是在流经皇城的幼发拉底河河岸上，国王令人堆起了一座高达350英尺（约105米）的人造山丘。山丘筑成阶形，围出许多花坛，坛上遍种花草树木。河水被提升到山顶，再经渠道和小型瀑布流下。在这炎热、干燥的土地上人们创造了一片清凉、美丽的圣土。而今天，除了一堆堆残破的土砖外，古巴比伦花园几乎不见踪影。
三、 希腊奥林匹亚宙斯神像
宙斯乃众神之王，他巨大无比的雕像耸立在希腊奥林匹亚的宙斯神殿里。雕像完成于公元前456年，高40英尺（约12米），几乎触到殿顶。雕像以薄薄的金片和象牙包裹木质柱身构成，眼睛则由两颗巨大的宝石镶嵌而成。雕像于公元5世纪迁至土耳其的君士坦丁堡，大约在公元475年毁于大火。今天，在第一届奥林匹克运动会举办地奥林匹亚，游客只能看到宙斯神殿的地基。人们后来在其附近发现了制作雕像部件的作坊。人们今天仍能看到当年制作金片所用的工具和模子。
四、 土耳其阿苔密斯神殿
“阿苔密斯”是希腊神话中的月亮女神，罗马名字叫“戴安娜”，她负责保护未婚姑娘和百兽。她在各地受到人们的崇拜，但她最重要的庙宇建在以弗所， 今之土耳其的海边。神殿建于公元前4世纪，由白色大理石镶以金银构成。神殿下藏有奇珍异宝。该殿如此壮美，令其他奇观相形见拙。
五、 摩索拉斯陵墓
此陵墓也在小亚细亚（今天的土耳其）。它是摩索拉斯国王的王后阿尔特弥斯亚（？—350？BC）为她夫君（？—353？BC）修建的大理石陵墓。陵墓如此之美，以致“摩索拉斯”一词进入我们的日常用语，成为“墓地”的代名词。与大金字塔和阿苔密斯神殿不同的是，陵墓并不庞大。陵墓由闪闪发亮的白色大理石构成，如一颗耀眼的珍珠。陵墓位于一座山丘上，高140英尺（约42米），俯视着小小的海港哈利卡那所。凡进港的船只都能看见这座陵墓。陵墓庭院有围墙护围。庭院中心有一高台，壮观的大理石台阶直通其上，旁有大理石雕刻的狮子守护。环绕高台的第二道围墙里雕塑更多。每一拐角都有自负不凡的骑马武士塑像。陵墓之顶更有战马拉车的雕塑，战车上还站着武士。这座宏伟的建筑今天只剩断檐残壁，有几片躺在大英博物馆里。学者们从中得以用模型再现了这座建筑的宏伟气势。
六、 罗得岛上的阿波罗巨像
希腊神话中的太阳神名叫“赫利俄斯”，他的塑像曾经高高耸立在爱琴海的一个小岛罗得岛海港之上。塑像的石座就比大多数雕像高出许多，而这座巨像本身就高100多英尺（约30米）。巨像建于公元前280年，由金属制成。金属是用公元前305年德梅特留斯（337？—283B.C.）进攻罗得岛后士兵所持之刀剑融化而成。罗得岛人在英勇还击并击溃了侵略者之后，修建了阿波罗巨像祭献给他们的神。巨像遮住双眼，眺望着大海。巨像有20个人那么高，在港口只伫立了56年。公元前224年，巨像被地震震倒在地。巨大的金属块在那里安睡了几百年，直到公元7世纪被商人运走、卖掉。
七、 亚历山大灯塔
这是现代灯塔的鼻祖，位于埃及门户亚历山大附近的一座小岛法罗岛上。灯塔建于公元前285—247年之间，高约400英尺（约135米），逐层垒起。塔顶有一巨锅，锅内烈火日夜燃烧。一面巨大的镜子——大概是金属做的——把这强烈的火光反射出去，在遥远的海上也能看见。塔内有300间屋子。每天都有马拉车载着燃料点燃永不熄灭的灯。灯塔在公元14世纪毁于地震。有人说在风平浪静的日子里还可以看见它水下的残迹。
每一代人都会创造奇迹从而载入世界奇观史册。
1． dawn n．黎明
2． ancient adj．远古的
3． pharaoh n．法老
4． peak n． 顶点
5． originally adv．最初，原先
6． lever n．杠杆
7． primitive adj．原始的
8． insert v．插入
9． bride [braid] n．新娘
10． Persia n．波斯（现伊朗）
11． Mesopotamia n．美索不达米亚（西南亚）
12． artificial adj．人造的
13． lawn n．草地
14． pump v．（用泵）抽
15． pile [pail] n．（大）堆
16． statue n．雕像
17． ceiling n．天花板
18． ivory n．象牙
19． foundation n．基础（座）
20． mold n．模子
21． worship v．崇拜
22． coast n．海岸
23． marble n．大理石
24． precious adj．贵重的
25． mound [maund] n．土墩
26． surround v．围绕
27． carve v． 雕刻
28． warrior n．战士
29． chariot n．战车
30． fragment n．碎片
31． scholar n．学者
32． metal n．金属
33． melt [melt] v．熔化
34． invader n．侵略者
35． shade v．遮蔽
36． earthquake n．地震
37． forerunner n．先驱
38． pan n．平底锅