Hunters Look for Nazi Treasure in the Netherlands

Hunters Look for Nazi¹ Treasure in the Netherlands

Treasure hunters walked with digging tools and metal detectors³ through the fields of Ommeren in eastern Netherlands last week.

They were looking for gold and jewels that Nazi soldiers reportedly buried during World War II.

The Dutch National Archive released⁴ a 77-year-old Nazi map last week. Officials said the map was believed to show where soldiers had hidden four boxes of valuable jewels and metals. The men had stolen them after a bank explosion⁵ in 1944, the Archive said.

Some people believe the objects may be worth millions of dollars.

Dutch officials took the map from a German soldier after the Netherlands was freed from Nazi occupation in 1945.

The map was protected for 75 years before it was required to be shown to the public.

The Archive said it looked for the treasure several times in 1947 but did not find anything.

Anne-Marieke Samson is an Archive spokesperson. She said the organization researched the story and found it to be "reliable." However, she said it is also possible there was never a treasure, or that it had been removed before the Archive searched.

The possibility of treasure proved impossible to resist for 57-year-old Jan Henzen. He was one of many, armed with tools, searching the area.

"Like a lot of people, the news about the treasure made me go look for myself. The chance of the treasure still being here after 70 years is very small I think, but I want to give it a try," he said.

The former mayor⁶ of Ommeren is Klaas Tammes. He runs an organization that owns the land where people are looking.

He said he has seen hunters come from all parts of the country.

"A map with a row of three trees and a red cross marking a spot where a treasure should be hidden sparks⁸ the imagination," he said.

"Anyone who finds anything will have to report it to us, so we'll see," Tammes said, adding, "But I wouldn't expect it to be easy."

Words in This Story

map –n. a picture or chart that shows the location of cities and land features such as rivers or lakes

box –n. a container where items can be held

metal detector² –n. a tool that an operator⁹ carries over the ground to see if a metal item is below the surface

reliable –adj. able to be counted on, something that is thought to be correct

spark⁷ –v. to cause something to happen, to inspire someone or something

1 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

2 detector   

n.发觉者，探测器

参考例句：

• The detector is housed in a streamlined cylindrical container.探测器安装在流线型圆柱形容器内。
• Please walk through the metal detector.请走过金属检测器。

3 detectors   

探测器( detector的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The report advocated that all buildings be fitted with smoke detectors. 报告主张所有的建筑物都应安装烟火探测器。
• This is heady wine for experimenters using these neutrino detectors. 对于使用中微子探测器的实验工作者，这是令人兴奋的美酒。 来自英汉非文学 - 科技

4 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

5 explosion   

n.爆发，发出，爆炸

参考例句：

• The police arrived right at the moment of the explosion.警察就在爆炸的那个时候赶到了。
• The shock of the explosion was felt far away.爆炸引起的震动很远都可感觉到。

6 mayor   

n.市长

参考例句：

• The new mayor said he would clean the city up.新市长说，他要整顿本市。
• The mayor hurried into his office,brushing off the reporters.市长赶快走进办公室，拒不接见记者。

7 spark   

n.火花，朝气，情人，俗丽的年轻人；vi.闪烁，冒火花，热情回应；vt.激发，引起，追求

参考例句：

• A single spark can start a prairie fire.星星之火，可以燎原。
• What made the electric wire spark?电线冒火花是什么原因？

8 sparks   

电工，无线电通讯员； 火花( spark的名词复数 )； （指品质或感情）一星； 丝毫； 电火花

参考例句：

• The amplifier exploded in a fountain of sparks. 放大器爆炸，喷射出火星。
• A shower of sparks flew up the chimney. 烟囱里飞出无数火星。

9 operator   

n.（机器、设备等的）操作员；电话接线员

参考例句：

• He is a computer operator.他是个电脑操作员。
• The telephone operator connected us.话务员给我们接通了电话。