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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
探索世界奥秘之万里长城 Unit8
So when they left the sheltering walls of Dunhuang(敦煌), heading for the desert that local people referred to as "go in and you will not come out". They knew they had a little extra spiritual protection on their side. And this is where they finally left the protection of the wall and faced the dangers of the unknown.
The Jade1 Gate(玉门关) at the end of the wall is famous for the poem that says of this lonely spot: The Yellow River runs up to the white sky; a lonely tower stands in a thousand mountains; spring never reaches the Jade Gate.
The Great Wall was the start of a wonderful chain reaction for the Han Dynasty. The wall protected the caravans2 of the Silk Road. The caravans increased and prospered3, and the Han grew wealthy and extended their territories to the north and west of the Great Wall itself.
Tired at lapping at the base of a wall they couldn't breach4, the nomads5 thundered west and conquered Central Asia and Eastern Europe, threatening the other great power of the ancient world, Rome.
When Attila the Hun(匈奴王阿提拉), the Scourge6 of God(上帝之鞭), marched on Rome, he was so feared that Pope Leo(教皇里奥) went outside the gates to plead with Attila to spare the holy city. The meeting of pagan and pope never would have taken place without the Great Wall of China. Legend says that Attila, highly superstitious7, retreated because the Pope's name meant the lion. But it was just a short reprieve8 for Rome. A later fatal invasion finally brought Rome to its knees, plunging9 Europe into five centuries of Dark Ages.
While Europe suffered, China was entering its golden age, the Tang Dynasty, the richest and most powerful rulers in Chinese history. Scattered10 throughout the countryside are spirit guardians11, protecting the tombs of China's most golden age. One of the few royal tombs excavated12 is that of Princess Yongtai(永泰公主), the daughter of an emperor. It reflects the luxurious13 life these internationally-minded aristocrats14 led, with their fashions imported down the Silk Road and their games of Polo.
1 jade | |
n.玉石;碧玉;翡翠 | |
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2 caravans | |
(可供居住的)拖车(通常由机动车拖行)( caravan的名词复数 ); 篷车; (穿过沙漠地带的)旅行队(如商队) | |
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3 prospered | |
成功,兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4 breach | |
n.违反,不履行;破裂;vt.冲破,攻破 | |
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5 nomads | |
n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 );流浪者;游牧生活;流浪生活 | |
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6 scourge | |
n.灾难,祸害;v.蹂躏 | |
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7 superstitious | |
adj.迷信的 | |
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8 reprieve | |
n.暂缓执行(死刑);v.缓期执行;给…带来缓解 | |
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9 plunging | |
adj.跳进的,突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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10 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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11 guardians | |
监护人( guardian的名词复数 ); 保护者,维护者 | |
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12 excavated | |
v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 );开凿;挖出;发掘 | |
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13 luxurious | |
adj.精美而昂贵的;豪华的 | |
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14 aristocrats | |
n.贵族( aristocrat的名词复数 ) | |
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