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Prologue
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THE FIND

WEARING A BROWN TWEED SUIT and his customary dark tortoiseshell sunglasses, Dr. Alberto Mazzini pushed through the crowd of loud and agitated1 reporters blocking the steps of the Muse2 d'Histoire in Bore.

Can you tell us about the artifact? Is it real? Is that why you're here? a woman pressed, shoving a microphone marked CNN in his face. Have tests been performed on the DNA3?

Dr. Mazzini was already annoyed. How had the press jackals been alerted? Nothing had even been confirmed about the find. He waved off the reporters and camera operators. This way, Docteur, one of the museum aides instructed. Please, come inside.

A tiny dark-haired woman in a black pantsuit was waiting for Mazzini inside. She looked to be in her mid-forties and appeared to almost curtsy in the presence of this prestigious4 guest.

Thank you for coming. I am Ren Lacaze, the director of the museum. I tried to control the press, but... she shrugged5. They smell a big story. It is as if we've found an atom bomb.

If the artifact you've found turns out to be authentic6, Mazzini replied flatly, you will have found something far greater than a bomb.

As the national director of the Vatican Museum, Alberto Mazzini had lent the weight of his authority to every important find of religious significance that had been unearthed7 over the past thirty years. The etched tablets presumed to be from the disciple8 John dug up in western Syria. The first Vericotte Bible. Both now rested among the Vatican treasures. He had also been involved in the investigation9 of every hoax10, hundreds of them.

Ren俥 Lacaze led Mazzini along the narrow fifteenth-century hall inlaid with heraldic tile.

You say the relic11 was unearthed in a grave? Mazzini asked.

A shopping mall...Lacaze smiled. Even in downtown Bor俥, the construction goes night and day. The bulldozers dug up what must have once been a crypt. We would have completely missed it had not a couple of the sarcophagi split open.

Ms.Lacaze escorted her important guest into a small elevator and then up to the third floor. The grave belonged to some long-forgotten duke who died in 1098. We did acid and photo-luminescence tests immediately. Its age looks right. At first we wondered, why would a precious relic from a thousand years earlier,and half the world away , be buried in an eleventh-century grave?

And what did you find? Mazzini asked.

It seems our duke actually went to fight in the Crusades. We know he sought after relics12 from the time of Christ. They finally arrived at her office. I advise you to take a breath. You are about to behold13 something truly extraordinary.

The artifact lay on a plain white sheet on an examiner's table, as humble14 as such a precious thing could be.

Mazzini finally removed his sunglasses. He didn't have to hold his breath. It was completely taken away. MyGod , this is an atom bomb!

Look closely. There is an inscription15 on it.

The Vatican director bent16 over it.Yes ,it could be. It had all the right markings. There was an inscription. In Latin. He squinted17 close to read.Acre ,Galilee... He examined the artifact from end to end. The age fit. The markings. It also corresponded to descriptions in the Bible. Yet how did it come to be buried here? All this, it does not really prove anything.

That's true, of course. Ren俥 Lacaze shrugged. But Docteur... I am from here. My father is from the valley, my father's father, and his. There have been stories here for hundreds of years, long before this grave tumbled open. Stories every schoolchild in Bor俥 was raised on. That this holy relic was here,in Bor俥 , nine hundred years ago.

Mazzini had seen a hundred purported18 relics like this, but the tremendous power of this one gripped and unnerved him. A reverent19 force gave him the urge to kneel on the stone floor.

Finally, that's what he did-as if he were in the presence of Jesus Christ.

I waited until your arrival to place a call to Cardinal20 Perrault in Paris, said Lacaze.

Forget Perrault. Mazzini looked up, moistening his dry lips. We are going to call the Pope.

Alberto Mazzini couldn't take his eyes off the incredible artifact on the plain white sheet. This was more than just the crowning moment of his career. It was a miracle.

There's just one more thing, said Ms. Lacaze.

What? Mazzini mumbled21. What one more thing?

The local lore22, it always said a precious relic was here. Just never that it belonged to a duke. But to a man of far more humble origins.

What sort of lowborn man would come into such a prize? A priest? Perhaps a thief?

No. Ren俥 Lacaze's brown eyes widened. Actually, a jester.

Part One

THE ORIGINS OF COMEDY


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 agitated dzgzc2     
adj.被鼓动的,不安的
参考例句:
  • His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定,回答全乱了。
  • She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时,她十分焦虑。
2 muse v6CzM     
n.缪斯(希腊神话中的女神),创作灵感
参考例句:
  • His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感,不能再写作了。
  • Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。
3 DNA 4u3z1l     
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
参考例句:
  • DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
  • Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。
4 prestigious nQ2xn     
adj.有威望的,有声望的,受尊敬的
参考例句:
  • The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
  • You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。
5 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 authentic ZuZzs     
a.真的,真正的;可靠的,可信的,有根据的
参考例句:
  • This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
  • Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。
7 unearthed e4d49b43cc52eefcadbac6d2e94bb832     
出土的(考古)
参考例句:
  • Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
  • Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。
8 disciple LPvzm     
n.信徒,门徒,追随者
参考例句:
  • Your disciple failed to welcome you.你的徒弟没能迎接你。
  • He was an ardent disciple of Gandhi.他是甘地的忠实信徒。
9 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
10 hoax pcAxs     
v.欺骗,哄骗,愚弄;n.愚弄人,恶作剧
参考例句:
  • They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。
  • They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。
11 relic 4V2xd     
n.神圣的遗物,遗迹,纪念物
参考例句:
  • This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
  • He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。
12 relics UkMzSr     
[pl.]n.遗物,遗迹,遗产;遗体,尸骸
参考例句:
  • The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
  • Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。
13 behold jQKy9     
v.看,注视,看到
参考例句:
  • The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
  • The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。
14 humble ddjzU     
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低
参考例句:
  • In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见,他将在选举中获胜。
  • Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。
15 inscription l4ZyO     
n.(尤指石块上的)刻印文字,铭文,碑文
参考例句:
  • The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损,无法辨认了。
  • He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。
16 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
17 squinted aaf7c56a51bf19a5f429b7a9ddca2e9b     
斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 ); 眯着眼睛; 瞟; 从小孔或缝隙里看
参考例句:
  • Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩,眯起眼睛瞄准。
  • I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。
18 purported 31d1b921ac500fde8e1c5f9c5ed88fe1     
adj.传说的,谣传的v.声称是…,(装得)像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
  • The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 reverent IWNxP     
adj.恭敬的,虔诚的
参考例句:
  • He gave reverent attention to the teacher.他恭敬地听老师讲课。
  • She said the word artist with a gentle,understanding,reverent smile.她说作家一词时面带高雅,理解和虔诚的微笑。
20 cardinal Xcgy5     
n.(天主教的)红衣主教;adj.首要的,基本的
参考例句:
  • This is a matter of cardinal significance.这是非常重要的事。
  • The Cardinal coloured with vexation. 红衣主教感到恼火,脸涨得通红。
21 mumbled 3855fd60b1f055fa928ebec8bcf3f539     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
  • George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
22 lore Y0YxW     
n.传说;学问,经验,知识
参考例句:
  • I will seek and question him of his lore.我倒要找上他,向他讨教他的渊博的学问。
  • Early peoples passed on plant and animal lore through legend.早期人类通过传说传递有关植物和动物的知识。


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