美国学生世界地理教材 第103期:西班牙城堡(2)

 Gibraltar looks like a nose on the map, but if you were in a boat out on the Mediterranean¹ Sea, Gibraltar would look like a long, high rock.  直布罗陀在地图上看起来像个鼻子，但是当你坐船在地中海行驶的时候，直布罗陀看起来就像一块又长又高的岩石。

Between it and Africa there is a narrow strip of water called the Strait of Gibraltar.  在它和非洲之间有一条狭窄的水域，叫做直布罗陀海峡。

It is only about thirteen miles across.  它大约只有13英里宽，

It is about half as wide as the Strait of Dover, but powerful currents are pulling and pushing in and out from the Atlantic Ocean,  宽度大约是多佛海峡的一半，但来自大西洋的强劲海流涌进涌出，波涛汹涌，

and only recently has any one been able to swim across it.  直到最近才有人能游泳横渡海峡。

Inside of the Rock of Gibraltar, England has cut hallways and rooms and windows with long-distance guns in them,  在直布罗陀山里，英国人开凿了过道、房间和窗户，窗口放置了远程步枪，

and placed her soldiers there to watch out over the water, and in time of war to fire on any one England does not want to pass through the water-gate. 还安插士兵在那里监视海面，在战争时期任何人未经英国人同意而经过水闸，英国士兵就要开枪射击。

Long years ago most all of the World that people knew was chiefly around the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.  很多年以前，地中海地区的人认为地中海差不多就是整个世界。

Sailors at that time thought it dangerous to go outside this gate, the Strait of Gibraltar,  那时候的水手认为走出直布罗陀海峡这道大门进入大洋会很危险，

into the great ocean, and—so the story goes—they set up Pillars on each side of the Strait like gate-posts.  而且——传闻如此——他们在海峡两岸竖起了柱子，就像门柱一样。

They called them the Pillars of Hercules, and they put up a sign to warn sailors that it was dangerous to go beyond these Pillars.  他们把那叫做“赫拉克勒斯之墩”，他们还挂上告示牌警告水手如果越出石柱就很危险。

The sign said “Non Plus Ultra,” which meant “Nothing More Beyond.”  告示牌上写到“Non PlusUltra”，意思就是“禁止再往外行”。

It was supposed that not far outside the Pillars of Her-cules the ocean came to an edge where you would tumble² off down, down, down to bottomless nothing.  人们认为在赫拉克勒斯之墩之外不远就到了大海的边缘，人到这里会坠落下去，落啊落啊落入无底深渊。

Columbus did not believe any such foolishness; he was not afraid.  哥伦布根本不相信这种愚蠢的想法；他无所畏惧。

He sailed from Spain, starting from a place outside the Pillars of Hercules called Palos.  他从西班牙出发，从赫拉克勒斯之墩外一个叫做帕洛斯的地方起航。

He sailed on and on and on until, as you know, he came to America. 他在海上一直航行，没有退缩，最后，如你所知，他到达了美洲。

Just before Columbus sailed from Spain there were people living there called Moors³, who had come across from Africa and made their home in Spain.  就在哥伦布从西班牙出发前，摩尔人居住在西班牙，他们从对岸的非洲来到西班牙安家落户。

The Moors were different from other people in Europe.  摩尔人和欧洲的其他人不同。

They did not believe in Christ; they were not Christians⁵.  他们不信仰基督，不是基督徒。

They believed in a man named Mohammed and a god whom they called Allah.  他们信奉一个叫做穆罕默德的人和一个叫做安拉的神。

The Moors built beautiful palaces, but they were different from Christian⁴ palaces.  摩尔人建造了美丽的宫殿，但是和基督徒的宫殿不一样。

The Moorish⁶ princes lived in one of these palaces on a hill in the city of Granada, which is not far from Gibraltar.  摩尔王子就住在格拉纳达城山上其中一个宫殿里，离直布罗陀不远。

The palace in Granada was called the Alhambra. 格拉纳达的宫殿叫做爱尔汗布拉宫。

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 tumble   

vi.跌倒，摔下，翻滚，暴跌；n.跌(摔)倒

参考例句：

• Children tumble over each other in play.孩子们玩耍时相互连身翻滚。
• He took a tumble down the stairs.他摔下了楼梯。

3 moors   

v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• the North York moors 北约克郡的漠泽
• They're shooting grouse up on the moors. 他们在荒野射猎松鸡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

6 moorish   

adj.沼地的，荒野的，生[住]在沼地的

参考例句：

• There was great excitement among the Moorish people at the waterside. 海边的摩尔人一阵轰动。 来自辞典例句
• All the doors are arched with the special arch we see in Moorish pictures. 门户造成拱形，形状独特，跟摩尔风暴画片里所见的一样。 来自辞典例句