[ti:Mysterious Monolith Removed by Group Saying ‘Leave No Trace’] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A shiny piece of steel about 3.4 meters tall [00:05.72]appeared last month in the red-rock desert of the American state of Utah. [00:12.96]Just ten days later, it disappeared. [00:17.56]Only a few rocks remained to mark the spot where the monolith once stood. [00:25.00]A photographer from neighboring Colorado [00:29.48]said he knew exactly what had happened. [00:33.72]Ross Bernards, the photographer, wrote on Instagram [00:38.96]that he saw four men take it down last Friday. [00:44.12]The men "pushed it almost to the ground on one side, [00:49.28]before they decided to push it back to the other when it then popped out [00:56.68]and landed on the ground with a loud bang." [01:01.36]Bernards wrote one of the men said [01:04.76]"this is why you don't leave trash in the desert." [01:08.76]The group broke the monolith into pieces, [01:12.80]loaded it onto a carrier and left, saying "leave no trace." [01:19.52]Bernards did not take photos of the removal. [01:23.68]But he posted a cell phone photo of the men taking down the monolith. [01:30.32]It was said to be taken by his friend. [01:34.96]On Tuesday, Andy Lewis of Utah c [01:38.88]onfirmed that he and his team had removed the monolith. [01:43.44]He wrote on Facebook, "On the night of November 27, 2020, [01:50.60]at about 8:30pm— our team removed the Utah Monolith. [01:57.28]We will not be including any other information, [02:01.64]answers, or insight at this time." [02:05.44]Lewis also added a short video showing a group of men removing the object. [02:13.40]The local sheriff's office has said it is not planning an investigation [02:19.92]into the disappearance of the monolith, [02:23.24]which had been placed without permission on public land. [02:27.80]But officials also said they would accept new information [02:32.80]from any of the hundreds of visitors [02:35.80]who walked out to see the otherworldly object in the desert. [02:41.28]The mysterious structure brought international attention [02:46.32]and caused many to wonder about its creator. [02:50.56]The New York Times reported that some believe it was the work [02:55.44]of artist John McCracken who died in 2011. [03:00.44]His son, Patrick McCracken, [03:03.60]told the paper that his father said in 2002 [03:08.52]"he would like to leave art in remote places to be discovered later." [03:15.04]For Bernards, the visitors' damage to the area [03:19.40]convinced him that the desert is better off without the structure. [03:24.68]"Leave the art to places where art should be [03:29.20]and let Mother Nature have her space for art," he said. [03:34.24]Utah is not the only place a monolith has appeared. [03:39.44]A similar metal structure was found on a hill in northern Romania, [03:44.92]in the city of Piatra Neamt. [03:48.24]It has also disappeared. [03:51.24]Whoever placed the object did not get a permit, [03:55.28]Mayor Andrei Carabelea said in a Facebook post. [04:00.00]He added that teenagers from outer space [04:03.72]might be responsible for both structures. [04:07.44]"I am honored they chose our city," he said. [04:12.28]I'm Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM