英语听力：Byzantium-The Lost Empire 拜占庭：失落的帝国-13

 Each man stands inside his own mysterious inner space, for each one of them was occupied. And from that space they look outwards¹, from the soul towards the heavens. As you might expect, if you should move around them, solid bulk of marble in the humanity would seem to be nothing more than an illusion.

 

These brand-new people though, were clever and inventive too. Many of them were drawn² here, to the center of the empire. Most of Byzantium's brightest brains were packed into these tiny streets and apartments that surrounded the palace complex in Constantinople. There were people here coming to seek their fortune at the court from all over the empire, from Spain, from Egypt, from Syria. There were mathematicians⁴, lawyers, doctors, scientists, magicians, alchemists, all sorts of weird⁵ and wonderful people packed and living tightly together in these little streets.

 

In the 520s and 530s, there was a great excitement bubbling up inside this unique community. Justinian and Theodora had planned to build new palaces and churches such as the world had never seen. The ancient forms, arches, vaults⁶ and column tops, were being used for something revolutionary, something that would be echoed in ten thousand different churches for a thousand years and more, the style that is Byzantium.

 

This seaside church sat right beside the palace was made for some of Theodora's favorite priests. It was probably the work of one Anthemius, the famous physician and mathematician³. This was where the style began. Theodora built the church to hold the blood-stained clothes and bodies of two martyr⁷ soldiers, Sergius and Bacchus, the army's patron saints. Now it's a mosque⁸. Anthemius's subtle compass has transformed all the usual ancient forms

1 outwards   

adj.外面的，公开的，向外的；adv.向外；n.外形

参考例句：

• Does this door open inwards or outwards?这门朝里开还是朝外开？
• In lapping up a fur,they always put the inner side outwards.卷毛皮时，他们总是让内层朝外。

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 mathematician   

n.数学家

参考例句：

• The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
• The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。

4 mathematicians   

数学家( mathematician的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do you suppose our mathematicians are unequal to that? 你以为我们的数学家做不到这一点吗？ 来自英汉文学
• Mathematicians can solve problems with two variables. 数学家们可以用两个变数来解决问题。 来自哲学部分

5 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

6 vaults   

n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴

参考例句：

• It was deposited in the vaults of a bank. 它存在一家银行的保险库里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They think of viruses that infect an organization from the outside.They envision hackers breaking into their information vaults. 他们考虑来自外部的感染公司的病毒，他们设想黑客侵入到信息宝库中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

8 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。