馬丘比丘又譯麻丘比丘，約有1500年的歷史，是祕魯一個著名的前哥倫布時期時印加帝國的遺蹟。由於獨特的位置、地理特點和發現時間較晚，馬丘比丘成了印加帝國最爲人所熟悉的標誌。對於它，也許很多人都不熟悉，但是下面這篇英語聽力原文會讓我們對馬丘比丘有所瞭解。
Machu Picchu, the "Lost City of the Incas", as it was dubbed by the man who rediscovered it in the last century, is among the greatest tourist attractions in South America today and ranks among the most outstanding symbols in the Andean cultures.
馬丘比丘在上個世紀被再度發掘出來，發掘者稱之爲“印加失落之城”，它是當今南美頂級旅遊勝地之一，是安第斯多種文明中最爲耀眼的象徵之一。
The legendary Inca settlement of Machu Picchu has become one of the world's iconic areas. Its haunting aura is enhanced by the mystery surrounding its use and abandonment. Machu Picchu is a manmade masterpiece blends into nature in the Andes.
傳說中的馬丘比丘印加沉降已成爲世界的標誌性地區之一。它的使用和廢棄加深了它神祕的光環。它被稱爲與安第斯的大自然融爲一體的人工傑作。
The ancient city of Machu Picchu attracts visitors from all over the world. Historians believe the Inca began building Machu Picchu around the 1450s, but because they left no written records behind, no one knows exactly what their purpose was.
馬丘比丘古城吸引了來自世界各地的遊客。歷史學家認爲，印加人在1450年代開始建立馬丘比丘，但是因爲他們沒有留下任何文字記載，所以沒有人確切地知道他們的'目的是什麼。
Machu Picchu was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its primary buildings are the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows.
馬丘比丘的建築具有印加傳統風格——拋光幹石牆。其主要建築有拴日石、太陽廟，以及三窗戶的房間。
Johan Reinhard (Archaeologist): The Inca royal family would go there for different kinds of ceremonies, and we do know that the Incas had a very strong ritual element there.
約翰萊因哈德(考古學家)認爲：印加王室成員將前往那裏進行各種不同的儀式，因爲我們知道，在古代的印加，有一個非常強烈的宗教元素的存在。
Reinhard: Machu Picchu was probably abandoned or began to be abandoned already before the Spanish came, and that's becuase around 1525 there was a civil war. After the Spanish arrived seven years later, in 1532, the Inca deliberately burned the forest around Machu Picchu. They burned it because the foliage re-grows and completely covers it and made it virtually impassable.
萊因哈德：在西班牙人來之前，馬丘比丘就可能已經被遺棄或即將被放棄，這是因爲1525年左右有一個內戰。西班牙人到達後七年後的1532年，印加人故意燒了馬丘比丘周圍的森林。他們焚燒樹葉，因爲它重新增長和完全覆蓋它，使它幾乎不可逾越。
Perhaps, thanks to the Inca's efforts to hide the city, the Spanish never found Machu Picchu. It was lost to the wider world until geographer Hiram Bingham rediscovered it in 1911. In 1983, Machu Picchu was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As archaeologists learn more about what happened here, new questions continue to arise, guaranteeing that Machu Picchu will remain a place of mystery for years to come.
或許，應該感謝印加爲隱藏這個城市而做出的努力，西班牙從未發現馬丘比丘。馬丘比丘成爲失落的城市，直到地理學家海勒姆賓厄姆在1911年重新發現這裏。1983年，馬丘比丘被聯合國教科文組織命名爲世界遺產。因爲考古學家瞭解這裏發生的事情更多，新的問題繼續出現，馬丘比丘將在未來幾年保持它神祕的面貌。
