英语听力文摘 English Digest 594、为什么埃及艳后要化妆？

 　　Why Did Cleopatra Wear Makeup¹?

 

　　Over five thousand years ago, the ancient Egyptians used eye shadow, not only for cosmetic² but practical purposes as well. Dark pigment³ painted around the eye helped protect the eye from the bright midday sun glaring off the desert sands.

 

　　The earliest eye paint in ancient Egypt was a thick, bright green paste made from the mineral malachite.

 

　　By the time Queen Cleopatra came to power in the 1st century BC, Egyptian women had at their disposal a whole rainbow of cosmetics⁴, all of which were made from rocks, minerals, and plants in the region. Cleopatra used the bright green malachite paste of the ancient Egyptians on her lower eyelids⁵.

 

　　On her upper eyelids, she used a deep blue eye shadow with gold-colored pyrite flecks⁶, made from ground lapis lazuli stone. She darkened her eyebrows⁷ and lengthened⁸ her eyelashes with black kohl, a mixture of powdered lead sulfide and animal fat. And for lipstick⁹ and rouge¹⁰, Cleopatra used red ochre, a type of clay colored red by iron oxide¹¹.

 

　　The Egyptian queen even wore nail polish, made of the reddish-brown dye called henna, which comes from the Egyptian privet tree. And Cleopatra often had her palms painted with henna in elaborate designs. Like the ancient Egyptians before her,

 

　　Cleopatra used her cosmetics not simply for beauty’s sake, but for certain benefits that beauty might bring. With Julius Caesar as her lover and, later, Marc Antony as her husband, Cleopatra consolidated¹² Egypt’s power with that of Rome.

 

 

 

 

　　为什么埃及艳后要化妆？

 

　　5000多年以前，古埃及人画眼影不仅仅只是追求漂亮，其实它是有实际用途的。正午的艳阳照射着沙漠，抹在眼部周围的黑色涂料能够保护眼睛免受强光的伤害。

 

　　古埃及人最早使用的眼影是由一种矿物质—孔雀石制成的它，看起来就像一团厚厚的亮绿色糊状物。

 

　　公元前1世纪，埃及艳后克里奥佩德拉开始掌权后，埃及女性便可以自由使用各种各样的化妆品，这些化妆品均由当地的石块，矿物质及一些植物制成。埃及艳后则在她的下眼睑上涂抹古埃及人曾使用的孔雀石眼影。

 

　　在上眼睑中，她会用一种带有金色黄铁矿斑点的深绿色眼影，这种眼影的原材料是天青石。同时，她还会描眉，用黑色的眼圈粉来拉长睫毛。这种眼圈粉是由粉状的硫化铅和动物油脂混合而成。对于口红和腮红的选择，埃及艳后则会选用赤铁矿粘土，这种粘土会因氧化铁的作用呈现出红色。

 

　　埃及艳后甚至还懂得亮甲，她的指甲油是由叫做指甲花的红褐色染料制成，这种指甲花生长在埃及女贞树上。同时，埃及艳后也经常会在手掌中用指甲花做出各种各样的精致图案，就像在她之前的古埃及人那样。

 

　　埃及艳后使用化妆品不纯粹为了追求漂亮，而是漂亮之余带来的一些好处，埃及艳后曾做过朱利叶斯凯撒的情人，后来又嫁给了马克安东尼，她利用自己在罗马的势力巩固了埃及政权。

1 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

2 cosmetic   

n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的

参考例句：

• These changes are purely cosmetic.这些改变纯粹是装饰门面。
• Laughter is the best cosmetic,so grin and wear it!微笑是最好的化妆品，所以请尽情微笑吧！

3 pigment   

n.天然色素，干粉颜料

参考例句：

• The Romans used natural pigments on their fabrics and walls.古罗马人在织物和墙壁上使用天然颜料。
• Who thought he might know what the skin pigment phenomenon meant.他自认为可能知道皮肤色素出现这种现象到底是怎么回事。

4 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

5 eyelids   

n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色

参考例句：

• She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。
• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 flecks   

n.斑点，小点( fleck的名词复数 )；癍

参考例句：

• His hair was dark, with flecks of grey. 他的黑发间有缕缕银丝。
• I got a few flecks of paint on the window when I was painting the frames. 我在漆窗框时，在窗户上洒了几点油漆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

8 lengthened   

（时间或空间）延长，伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The afternoon shadows lengthened. 下午影子渐渐变长了。
• He wanted to have his coat lengthened a bit. 他要把上衣放长一些。

9 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

10 rouge   

n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红

参考例句：

• Women put rouge on their cheeks to make their faces pretty.女人往面颊上涂胭脂，使脸更漂亮。
• She didn't need any powder or lip rouge to make her pretty.她天生漂亮，不需要任何脂粉唇膏打扮自己。

11 oxide   

n.氧化物

参考例句：

• Oxide is usually seen in our daily life.在我们的日常生活中氧化物很常见。
• How can you get rid of this oxide coating?你们该怎样除去这些氧化皮？

12 consolidated   

a.联合的

参考例句：

• With this new movie he has consolidated his position as the country's leading director. 他新执导的影片巩固了他作为全国最佳导演的地位。
• Those two banks have consolidated and formed a single large bank. 那两家银行已合并成一家大银行。