国家地理-2008-06-05 City of The Dead Thrives 亡者之城埃及

The City of the Dead is one of the largest graveyards¹ in Egypt, home to thousands of tomb stones dating back as early as the 14th century. It was traditionally a burial ground for Arab conquerors² and their relatives. From a distance, set against the Cairo skyline, it looks like a shanty³ town, but this is a burial ground with a difference. The city of the dead is full of grave stones, tombs, and living people.

Cairo’s estimated population ranges anywhere from 14 to 18 million. People are desperately⁴ searching for work. The City of the Dead offers cheap, and for many, even free accommodation. No one knows for sure how many live in these makeshift cities. Estimates are between 30,000 and 5,000,000. Some dwellers⁵ manage to make a living by guarding the tombs for a few dollars a day. It’s a basic existence, no sanitation⁶ or electricity.

"When we wake up, if there is a body to bury, we dig and wait for the funeral to start, then we bury the corpse⁷. But whenever I get work outside the City of the Dead, I (will) go and do that."

It’s just as well he doesn’t pay rent here. He only earns a few Egyptian pounds a day, barely enough to feed his family.

"Life is more difficult here than on the outside. If I could get regular work outside, we would have a normal life. We are earning a living here, but life outside the cemetery⁸ is beautiful and better."

And so the grave dwellers scrape by[1], not knowing whether they'll ever be able to move out of the City of the Dead.

Notes:
[1]scrape by phr v to have just enough money to live

Vocabulary Mix:
shanty town: area inside or just outside a town, where poor people live in shanties

1 graveyards   

墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所

参考例句：

• He takes a macabre interest in graveyards. 他那么留意墓地，令人毛骨悚然。
• "And northward there lie, in five graveyards, Calm forever under dewy green grass," 五陵北原上，万古青蒙蒙。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

2 conquerors   

征服者，占领者( conqueror的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Danes had selfconfidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. 这些丹麦人具有征服者的自信，而且他们的安全防卫也是漫不经心的。
• The conquerors believed in crushing the defeated people into submission, knowing that they could not win their loyalty by the victory. 征服者们知道他们的胜利并不能赢得失败者的忠心，于是就认为只有通过武力才能将他们压服。

3 shanty   

n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子

参考例句：

• His childhood was spent in a shanty.他的童年是在一个简陋小屋里度过的。
• I want to quit this shanty.我想离开这烂房子。

4 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

5 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

7 corpse   

n.尸体，死尸

参考例句：

• What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
• The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。

8 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。