【跟着英剧练发音】A Histry Of Britain - 9

 And with tribal¹ manufacture came trade. The warriors², druid priests and artists of Iron Age Britain shipped their wares⁴ all over Europe, trading with the expanding Roman Empire. In return, with no home-grown grapes or olives, Mediterranean⁵ wine and oil arrived in large earthenware⁶ jars. So Iron Age Britain was definitely not the back of beyond. Its tribes may all have led lives separated from each other by custom and language, and they may have had no great capital city, but taken together they added up to something in the world, the bustling⁷ of countless⁸ productive, energetic beehives. What the bees made was not honey, but gold. So the Romans would have known all about this strange but alluring⁹ world of fat cattle and busy forgers. Evidence of its refinement¹⁰ would certainly have found its way to Rome. But along with the glittering metal ware³ came stories of alarming cults¹¹, which might have prompted the usual Roman dinner time discussions. But all very interesting, I dare say, but would we really want to call them a civilisation¹²? Supposing they would have seen an ancient sculpture, like this haunting stone face with its archaic¹³ secretive smile, the eyes closed as if in some mysterious devotional trance. The nose flattened¹⁴, the cheeks broad, the whole thing so spellbindingly reminiscent of things the Romans must have seen in Etruria or around the Greek islands. Would they then have said, "Yes, this is a work of art"?

 

译文：

    随着部落制造业的繁荣，贸易随之兴起。铁器时代不列颠的士兵，德鲁伊祭司和艺术家，将其商品大量运往欧洲，倾销至不断膨胀的罗马帝国市场，换回的是本地不出产的葡萄或橄榄。巨大陶器装满的葡萄酒和橄榄油源源运来。因此，铁器时代的不列颠绝非蛮夷之地，或许碍于语言与习俗，部落间相互隔绝不相往来。亦或许他们不曾拥有繁荣的首都，但整体来说，也为世界文明贡献了力量。正如一个个熙攘而充满活力的蜂房，不过他们所酿绝非蜂蜜，而是黄金。罗马人对这个家畜成群，工场繁忙的陌生而诱人地方，肯定有所听闻这里文明的制品，肯定也早就行销罗马，但随着闪亮金属制品而来的，是可怖的邪教。这些也成为了罗马人饭后的谈资。我想这的确都很有趣，但我们真的能称之为文明吗？ 假设他们看到了一尊远古雕塑，像这张令人难忘的古老而神秘的笑脸，双目紧闭，仿佛正在虔诚地祷告，鼻梁平塌，面颊宽阔，通体与罗马人在伊特鲁利亚和希腊诸岛所见的艺术珍品神形俱似,他们是否会颔首称道"这确是艺术珍品"呢？

1 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

2 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

3 ware   

n.(常用复数)商品，货物

参考例句：

• The shop sells a great variety of porcelain ware.这家店铺出售品种繁多的瓷器。
• Good ware will never want a chapman.好货不须叫卖。

4 wares   

n. 货物, 商品

参考例句：

• They sold their wares at half-price. 他们的货品是半价出售的。
• The peddler was crying up his wares. 小贩极力夸耀自己的货物。

5 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。

6 earthenware   

n.土器，陶器

参考例句：

• She made sure that the glassware and earthenware were always spotlessly clean.她总是把玻璃器皿和陶器洗刷得干干净净。
• They displayed some bowls of glazed earthenware.他们展出了一些上釉的陶碗。

7 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

8 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

9 alluring   

adj.吸引人的，迷人的

参考例句：

• The life in a big city is alluring for the young people. 大都市的生活对年轻人颇具诱惑力。
• Lisette's large red mouth broke into a most alluring smile. 莉莎特的鲜红的大嘴露出了一副极为诱人的微笑。

10 refinement   

n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼

参考例句：

• Sally is a woman of great refinement and beauty. 莎莉是个温文尔雅又很漂亮的女士。
• Good manners and correct speech are marks of refinement.彬彬有礼和谈吐得体是文雅的标志。

11 cults   

n.迷信( cult的名词复数 )；狂热的崇拜；（有极端宗教信仰的）异教团体

参考例句：

• Religious cults and priesthoods are sectarian by nature. 宗教崇拜和僧侣界天然就有派性。 来自辞典例句
• All these religions were flourishing side by side with many less prominent cults. 所有这些宗教和许多次要的教派一起，共同繁荣。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

12 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

13 archaic   

adj.(语言、词汇等)古代的，已不通用的

参考例句：

• The company does some things in archaic ways,such as not using computers for bookkeeping.这个公司有些做法陈旧，如记账不使用电脑。
• Shaanxi is one of the Chinese archaic civilized origins which has a long history.陕西省是中国古代文明发祥之一，有悠久的历史。

14 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。