英语听力：自然百科 消失的西藏王朝古格(8)

Being so high also made the power’s perfect strategic location, the sheer cliffs on three sides, and the steep summit made the city door virtually impregnable.

王宫位置如此之高亦让王宫成为战略要地，三面陡峭悬崖外加高耸的山顶让这座堡垒坚不可摧。

From here the slopes are very steep, any invaders¹ would find it almost impossible to climb up.

从这里开始坡度变得相当的陡峭，让所有侵略者发现几乎不可能从这里爬上来。

John Bellezza and Tsering Gyalpo believe that this is where the mystery slowly begins to unfold.

约翰·贝勒查及和嘉波才让相信从这里可以慢慢解开谜团。

What stories could these weathered walls tell? Perhaps an answer to a question that stymied² experts for decades.

这些餐风露宿的岩壁述说着什么故事或许可解答数十年来困惑学者的疑问。

How did the royals of Guge made their way to the top of the acropolis?

古格皇族如何到达这座要塞的最高点？

Certainly not the steep 30 minute high cupped narrow craggy paths used by commoners.

当然不是平民使用的。

Tsering thinks he may have discovered a clue to this mystery.

这些陡峭窄道和嘉波才让认为他可能发现这个谜团的线索。

At the far end of the royal complex is a wide open space which for years experts assumed was a reception hall for the king.

在复杂王宫的一角是宽广的空间，学者多年来推测这是国王的接待厅。

But after analyzing³ the soil composition there, Tsering found traces of horse hair and manure⁴.

但分析土壤组成后和嘉波才让发现马的毛发及马粪，

When you study the ground, you can discover horse manure in the soil, some people believe that this manure has sacred properties.

在这里就有一块马粪你可以清楚发现马鬃和马粪混合在一块，有些人相信这些马粪是种神圣的资产。

But if indeed there was a stable high on this mountain, the question still remains⁵.

但如果在这么高的山上真有一处马厩，问题在于:

How could these horses have made their way 300 meters to the top of the citadel⁶?

马如何步行三百公尺到达这座堡垒的最高点？

1 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。

2 stymied   

n.被侵袭的v.妨碍，阻挠( stymie的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Relief efforts have been stymied in recent weeks by armed gunmen. 最近几周的救援工作一直受到武装分子的阻挠。 来自辞典例句
• I was completely stymied by her refusal to help. 由于她拒不相助， 我完全陷入了困境。 来自互联网

3 analyzing   

v.分析；分析( analyze的现在分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析n.分析

参考例句：

• Analyzing the date of some socialist countries presents even greater problem s. 分析某些社会主义国家的统计数据，暴露出的问题甚至更大。 来自辞典例句
• He undoubtedly was not far off the mark in analyzing its predictions. 当然，他对其预测所作的分析倒也八九不离十。 来自辞典例句

4 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 citadel   

n.城堡；堡垒；避难所

参考例句：

• The citadel was solid.城堡是坚固的。
• This citadel is built on high ground for protecting the city.这座城堡建于高处是为保护城市。