Egypt Opts out of Wonders List
[WORDS]
♧ opt out (of) : ~에서 탈퇴하다, 손을 떼다
♧ Giza
♧ finalist : n. 결승전 출장선수
♧ infant : n. 유아, 소아, 신생의
♧ the Statue of Liberty the Eiffel Tower the Taj Mahal
♧ you are only good as good as the company you keep
♧ antiquity : n. 고대의 유물, 옛날 사람/물건
♧ genius : n. 천재성, 천재, 귀재
♧ fanfare : n. 화려한 과시, 선전, 트럼펫 등의 취주, 팡파르
♧ shed : v. (피, 눈물 등을) 흘리다, 풍기다, 발산하다
♧ at the foot of : ~의 아래쪽에, 밑에서, 산 기슭에
♧ make the cut : to qualify for the final rounds
♧ Grand Canyon
♧ Taj Mahal
♧ Angkor Wat : n. 캄보디아에 있는 앙코르문화의 대표적 유적.
♧ snob : n. 신사인 체하는 속물(俗物), 지위■재산 등을 숭배하는 사람,
It seems like a good idea : take the pyramids of Giza, the world's only surviving ancient wonder, and make them a finalist in a new contest that lets people vote online for the new seven wonders of the world. "the seventh ........ "
But here's the problem. Among the sites competing with the pyramids are relative infants, like the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal. And worried that you're only as good as the company you keep, Egypt's director of antiquities wants out.
"No, the pyramid has to be away from this just completely. The pyramids are still exist until today as a symbol, the symbol of the genius of the ancient people. And, we should not put them in any modern lists."
Which is why Egypt refused to even meet with the contest organizers, who were greeted like here at Petra with fanfare virtually everywhere else.
The pyramids in Egypt leave little doubt. Really from any angle, they clearly are a wonder of the world, and from the tourists here, they say the pyramids are in a league of their own.
"The first time I saw the pyramids, I had a tear in my eye. I never had a tear in my eye when I saw the Statue of Liberty. And, I never, I never had a tear in my eye when I saw the Eiffel Tower."
Not all shed tears at the foot of the pyramids. But, for the thousands of visitors to Giza every week, the pyramids always make the cut as one of the seven wonders, though not always at number one.
"First one would be Grand Canyon, Second one, Sydney Opera House,"
"Obviously the pyramids, because we are here."
"Third one, the pyramids, fourth one, the Amazon River,"
"Taj Mahal, pyramids, Great Wall of China."
"Fifth one Rome, Sixth one, London, Seventh one, my home in Essex."
His home in Essex? That's not among the 21 finalists. Others sites are, though, like Angkor Wat in Cambodia. But, the Egyptians are, well, heritage snobs.
"You don't do it! You don't do it at all. No sites in the world can compete with the pyramid.“