Nelson's Ship in a Bottle 瓶中的纳尔逊战舰

By Will Gompetz, London

媒体英语会带大家一起学习BBC撰稿人在报道世界大事时常用到的单词和短语。

Background:背景：伦敦特拉法加广场上的纳尔逊圆柱是为了纪念在特拉法加海战中带领舰队击败拿破仑的纳尔逊海军上将。150年后的今天，纳尔逊上将终于将和自己的战舰团圆。艺术家殷卡·绍尼巴尔设计并制作的瓶中的纳尔逊战舰胜利号（HMS Victory）的精美复制品现在已经被放置在了特拉法加广场第四基座。

Yinka Shonibare is the first black artist to make a sculpture for the fourth plinth.

He's also the first artist to address directly the historic nature of Trafalgar Square and its connections to Britain's imperial past.

Two facts which he says are not unconnected:

"In a way the legacy of Nelson's victory is the kind of city, the kind of dynamic, a multicultural city, we have today. So Nelson's ship in a bottle is a way of celebrating that, celebrating that diversity of culture, you know, the wealth of our city."

Shonibare was born in London but grew up in Nigeria and his work is heavily influenced by the relationship between the two continents.

The ship in his bottle is a scale replica of Nelson's HMS Victory.

He has gone to some trouble to ensure that it looks authentic. There are cannons, real brass fittings, twine and canvas.

But the 31 set sails are not the brilliant white sheets of the original, but printed richly-patterned fabrics more commonly associated with African dress.