英语听力：自然百科 The.First.Emperor 秦始皇 Part7

Only the metal parts have survived. But they are the finest quality bronze weapons found anywhere in the world. One of the most incredible finds is a sword, perfectly¹ preserved after 2,000 years in the ground.

This, um, this notch² here in the sword shows us that this is a sword that was actually used. This was a sword that was wielded³ by an actual soldier. Professor Yuan has explained to me that this remarkable⁴ weapon is longer than any sword that existed before the Chin started, the Chin Dynasty started to make these, um, um, significantly longer.

Chin armorers managed to perfect the art of bronze making to give their soldiers 30% extra reach and cutting power in close quarter combat. And there is new evidence that shows quite how seriously the Chin took their ability to wage war.

Oh, a Chin halberd, part of the bronze assembly at the top of the halberd.

The sharpened bronze head was placed on the end of a ten-foot long staff, making a powerful weapon.

This has an inscription⁵. What it says is that in the 5th year of the King of Chin’s reign⁶, the prime minister of state, Lv Buwei, had this halberd made. That’s a guarantee of its quality, and that it was made to a standard, so that he himself was being held accountable for the effectiveness of the weapons that the soldiers were carrying into battle.

The well-trained highly motivated Chin Army, equipped with precision weapons and led from the front by a ruthlessly ambitious king, creates the perfect conquest machine. Within 7 years, Ying Zheng captures 13 cities from the State of Han, a further 20 cities from other states, and repels⁷ a combined force intents on stopping him in his tracks. But while foreign enemies are easily brushed aside...

1 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 notch   

n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级

参考例句：

• The peanuts they grow are top-notch.他们种的花生是拔尖的。
• He cut a notch in the stick with a sharp knife.他用利刃在棒上刻了一个凹痕。

3 wielded   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The bad eggs wielded power, while the good people were oppressed. 坏人当道，好人受气
• He was nominally the leader, but others actually wielded the power. 名义上他是领导者，但实际上是别人掌握实权。

4 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

5 inscription   

n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文

参考例句：

• The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损，无法辨认了。
• He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。

6 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

7 repels   

v.击退( repel的第三人称单数 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开

参考例句：

• His manner repels me. 他的举止让我厌恶。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her callous attitude repels me. 她冷酷无情的态度引起我的反感。 来自《简明英汉词典》