09年春季高级口译阅读训练《掠夺的艺术》.docVIP

09年春季高级口译阅读训练(12)《掠夺的艺术》 Art of the Steal　　Loot is an ugly word. Derived from Hindi and Sanskrit, it emerged in British India, where it no doubt proved useful in describing some of the more sordid transactions of empire. In the 20th century, it was applied to Jewish art collections systematically plundered by Hitler and, later, to electronics pilfered from shop windows during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Most recently — and perhaps most provocatively — it has been wielded against well-to-do American museums whose pristine specimens of ancient civilizations have with shocking frequency turned o