On September 23, a handover ceremony was held at the Chinese Embassy in London. Twelve cultural relics and artworks lost from China were returned by Britain. The event was small, but for the people who had waited years for this moment, each object meant a great deal.
The twelve objects were seized by the London Metropolitan Police during an investigation into the illegal trade of cultural property. Both China and Britain are parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which bans the illegal import, export and transfer of cultural objects. Under the framework of the convention, China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration worked closely with the British side through the Chinese embassy and finally brought the relics home.
China’s ambassador said at the ceremony that relics carry civilization and stand for national spirit, and that returning them to their countries of origin is a just cause. The British side called the return a positive result of practical cooperation between the two countries and a sign of their determination to fight the illegal trafficking of cultural relics.
The London event is not an isolated case. Earlier in September, Chinese officials received two batches of cultural relics and ancient fossils in Washington and New York. Those objects, 64 in total, had also been seized by American law enforcement during their work.
Every return is a long journey. It requires evidence, law, patience and trust between countries. When a stolen object finally goes home, what comes back is more than an artwork: it is a piece of memory that once belonged to a whole nation. Twelve more pieces of memory flew home this week, and the effort to bring the others back continues.
Words to know:
- relic (文物，遗物)
- handover (交接，移交)
- ceremony (仪式，典礼)
- seize (查获，扣押)
- trafficking (非法贩运)
- convention (公约)
- batch (一批，一批次)
长难句拆解 · what 主语从句 + 冒号解释
原句：When a stolen object finally goes home, what comes back is more than an artwork: it is a piece of memory that once belonged to a whole nation.
主干：what comes back is more than an artwork. 结构：When a stolen object finally goes home 是时间状语从句；what comes back 是主语从句，what 在从句中作主语；冒号后的 it is a piece of memory that… 是对前半句的解释，that once belonged to a whole nation 是定语从句修饰 memory。 语法点：「A: B」的冒号结构等于 which is to say，用来把抽象结论落到具体意象上，是议论文收束段的利器。 直译：当一件被盗的文物最终回家，回来的不只是一件艺术品，更是一段曾经属于整个民族的记忆。
再看一句：Both China and Britain are parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which bans the illegal import, export and transfer of cultural objects. 主干：Both China and Britain are parties to the 1970 UNESCO Convention. 结构：party to 是固定搭配，表示「是……的缔约方」，party 在此不是「聚会」而是「缔约方、当事方」。which 引导非限制性定语从句，说明公约的内容；import, export and transfer 三个名词并列作 bans 的宾语。 语法点：both…and… 作主语时谓语用复数；专有公约名后接 which 从句是说明国际规则的常用句式。 直译：中英两国都是1970年联合国教科文组织公约的缔约国，该公约禁止非法进出口和转让文化财产。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
题目往往不会照抄原文的词，而是换一种说法，认出替换就能快速定位答案。
- a handover ceremony was held → a handover ceremony took place（举行交接仪式）
- seized by the London Metropolitan Police → taken by the London Metropolitan Police（被伦敦大都会警察厅查获）
- countries of origin → home countries（原属国）
- a just cause → a fair and right cause（正义事业）
- not an isolated case → not a one-off event（并非孤立个案）
- two batches of cultural relics → two groups of cultural relics（两批文物）
- American law enforcement → the American police（美国执法部门）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- 判断题：根据第二段，这12件文物是伦敦大都会警察厅在办案过程中查获的。请判断 True / False / Not Given。
- 简答题：Earlier in September, how many objects in total did China receive in the United States?
- 选词填空（从 relic、handover、convention、trafficking 中选）：The ____ ceremony was held at the embassy; the objects were seized during an investigation into illegal ____, and both countries are parties to the UNESCO ____.
参考答案与解析
- True。第二段 The twelve objects were seized by the London Metropolitan Police during an investigation 与题干对应。干扰项套路是「偷换主体」：文中查获方是大都会警察厅，交接地是中国驻英使馆，若说「英国警方在大使馆查获文物」，就把地点和主体揉在一起了。
- 64。第四段 Those objects, 64 in total 给出答案。注意 12 是伦敦这批的数量、1970 是公约年份，与美方移交数量无关，属于「数字扎堆」型干扰。
- handover；trafficking；convention。第一空对应第一段 a handover ceremony；第二空对应第二段 the illegal trade of cultural property 及第四段的 trafficking 语境，文中 the illegal trafficking of cultural relics 提供了直接对应；第三空对应第二段 the 1970 UNESCO Convention。relic 是全文高频词，但这三个位置都不是它。
中文译文
9月23日，一场交接仪式在中国驻英国大使馆举行。12件流失中国的文物艺术品由英国返还。仪式规模不大，但对为此等待了多年的人们来说，每一件器物都意义重大。
这12件文物是伦敦大都会警察厅在办理一起文物非法交易案件过程中查获的。中英两国都是1970年联合国教科文组织公约的缔约国，该公约禁止非法进出口和转让文化财产。在公约框架下，中国国家文物局通过中国驻英使馆与英方密切协作，最终让这些文物回到了祖国。
中国大使在仪式上说，文物承载文明、象征民族精神，把它们返还给原属国是一项正义事业。英方则称此次返还是两国务实合作的积极成果，也体现了双方打击文物非法贩运的坚定决心。
伦敦的这次交接并非孤立个案。9月早些时候，中方官员在华盛顿和纽约接收了两批文物艺术品和古生物化石。那批文物共64件（套），同样是美国执法部门在工作中查获的。
每一次返还都是一段长路。它需要证据、法律、耐心，也需要国家之间的信任。当一件被盗的文物最终回家，回来的不只是一件艺术品，更是一段曾经属于整个民族的记忆。本周，又有12段记忆飞回了家，而让其余文物回家的努力仍在继续。