北师大版高中英语模块7--Unit 24 Society 2

[00:01.34]To start with,Athens could afford it.
[00:03.97]It was the greatest trading centre
[00:05.81]in the Mediterranean¹.
[00:07.61]Many foreigners like Herodotus were drawn²
[00:09.92]to this cultural magnet.
[00:11.88]Their contribution played an important role
[00:14.58]in transforming Athens from a conservative,
[00:17.40]aristocratic society,
[00:19.42]to a sophisticated urban democracy.
[00:25.09]Renaissance³ Italy
[00:27.22]In the 15th century,the Italian city-state
[00:30.10]of Florence became the centre of an artistic⁴
[00:32.87]period known as the Renaissance.
[00:35.74]Outstanding painters and sculptors⁵ of the day
[00:38.85]included Botticelli,Donatello,
[00:41.19]Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vincii.
[00:44.34]Like the ancient Greeks,
[00:46.11]these artists tried to create an ideal form
[00:48.96]of beauty based on nature.
[00:51.76]Brunelleschi's cathedral dome⁶
[00:53.64]is one example of the architectural splendour
[00:55.94]of Florence during this period.
[00:58.72]The Renaissance occurred in Florence
[01:01.00]because of the city's long tradition
[01:02.94]of cultural achievement,
[01:04.68]and its key position as the richest city-state
[01:07.66]in Italy.Florence's wealth primarily
[01:10.62]came from a commercial revolution
[01:13.16]which saw the development of modern banking⁷
[01:15.88]and accounting⁸.
[01:17.69]To ensure that there was a good supply
[01:20.19]of educated labourers to work
[01:22.32]in the Florentine economy,
[01:24.27]new schools were built and local people
[01:26.71]got the chance to learn to read and write.
[01:28.79]

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 sculptors   

雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座

参考例句：

• He is one of Britain's best-known sculptors. 他是英国最有名的雕塑家之一。
• Painters and sculptors are indexed separately. 画家和雕刻家被分开，分别做了索引。

6 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

7 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

8 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。