Art on a Grand Scale 壯麗雄偉的地表圖像藝術 The world’s largest works of art are drawn into the earth itself.
世上最巨大藝術作品就被刻畫於地球表面。
Geoglyphs▼ are huge images of shapes, animals, or strange human figures that are drawn on the land. To make them, the artists either add things like rocks or take things away by moving dirt to show lower layers▼ of chalk or clay. To be considered as a geoglyph, the image must be at least four meters long, though many are hundreds or even thousands of meters in size.
These amazing works of art can be found in various countries and climates around the world, and they can be thousands of years old. Given their size, many geoglyphs are only visible from the top of a mountain or from an airplane. This has led many people to wonder why and how they were made in the first place.
The reasons behind many ancient geoglyphs appear to be religious, as the images usually appear in areas that are holy to the nearby cultures of the region. How they were made, however, is still largely a mystery, and the methods likely varied from place to place. What all experts agree on, however, is that creating such giant works of art would take incredible▼ planning, time, resources, and dedication▼.
1. on a + 形容詞 + scale ……規模的
scale n. 規模，程度；秤
They are preparing for war on a large scale.
他們正大規模地為戰爭做準備。
The scale of the problem was beyond belief.
這個問題嚴重的程度到了令人難以置信的地步。
2. figure n. 圖形，畫像；人像
These ancient human figures on the rock were drawn thousands of years ago.
這些岩石上的古老人像是數千年前畫的。
3. various a. 各式各樣的
This bakery is famous for making various shapes of bread.
這家麵包店以製作各式形狀的麵包而聞名。
4. given prep. 鑒於
Given his poor health, Sam has decided to quit eating junk food and work out more often.
有鑒於健康不佳，山姆已決定戒除垃圾食物並更常健身。
5. visible a.（清晰）可見的；可察覺的
On a dark night in the country, many stars are easily visible to the naked eye.
在鄉間的夜晚，有許多星星用肉眼就可輕易看到。
6. in the first place 首先；最初
The little boy regretted having lied to his mother about his poor grades in the first place.
這位小男孩後悔當初因糟糕的成績而向母親撒謊。
7. holy a. 神聖的
For the locals, this church has been a holy place for centuries.
對當地居民來說，這座教堂幾世紀以來一直是個聖地。
8. mystery n. 謎；難以理解的事物
The identity of the thief who stole the painting remains a mystery.
偷了這張畫的小偷身分仍是個謎。
▼ geoglyph n. 地表圖像
▼ layer n. 層（次）
▼ incredible a. 難以置信的；極好的
▼ dedication n. 投入；奉獻（精神）
likely vs. unlikely
本文中的 likely 為常見的形容詞表「可能的」，若要表示「不太可能的」，除了在前面加 not 之外，也可用 unlikely 表示。要注意常見的搭配，likely 以及 unlikely 前面都可以加上 most 或是 highly 來加強語意。例：
People who use smartphones all the time are most likely to be near-sighted.
（總是使用智慧型手機的人最有可能近視。）
It is highly unlikely that Trent would buy that watch because it is way too expensive.
（崔特極不可能買那只錶，因為它實在太貴了。）
