Blenheim Palace 布伦海姆宫（在线收听）

	The fabulous Blenheim Palace

Helen: And I’m Helen. Today we’re taking you to a huge and stunning palace about two hours north west of London. It’s called Blenheim Palace.

Sun Chen: 今天要和我们一起去参观的, 是这座宫殿的档案馆总监 John Forster.

Helen: First John told us why the house was built. It was due to a battle that happened over 300 years ago.

Sun Chen: 这座宫殿是为了纪念英法战争期间一场激烈的战斗而修建的.

Insert:

The huge palace was built in the 18th century for the first duke of Marlborough in 1704. He inflicted a huge unexpected defeat on the army of France. Queen Ann wanted to give him a gift, but she also wanted the future to remember the victory. So she built this palace for him to live in and the Duke still lives to this day. The whole house is built on such a splendid and dramatic scale, it stands as a monument and that’s what it’s all about.

Helen: So the palace was built for the first duke of Marlborough. His name was John Churchill.

Sun Chen: Marlborough公爵一世, 是英国历史上最伟大的战士. 正是他,在1704年, 率领英国军队打败了法国军队.

Helen: He inflicted a huge unexpected defeat on the army of France.

Sun Chen: 强加于人 inflict, 没有料到的失败 unexpected defeat. 这场大战之后, 整个欧洲的政治版图, 都发生了巨变.

Helen: And as a way of saying thank you, the Queen of that time, Queen Ann, gave the first duke of Marlborough the money to build this palace to live in.

Sun Chen: 这座宫殿, 就是当时的女王奖励这位公爵勇猛战绩的一份礼物.

Helen, Sun Chen: The Queen also wanted the nation to remember this victory. So the palace is built on a splendid 华丽的 and dramatic 有戏剧性的 scale. It’s like a monument 一座纪念碑 a monument, 非常宏伟.

Sun Chen: 巴拉海姆宫的建筑特点, 是典型的巴洛克风格. 这里有巨大的庭院, 和宽阔的草坪.

Helen: That’s the other feature of Blenheim, the park is totally man made, landscaped by the great Capability Brown.

Sun Chen: That’s unbelievable. Landscape 这个单词, 其实既可以作为动词，也可以作为名词. 在这儿的意思就是大规模地进行园艺. 这座大花园, 是由英格兰历史上最伟大的园艺师布朗大师设计完成的.

Helen: And Blenheim palace has a very special status. Here is John again with the explanation.

Sun Chen, Helen: 要想听懂下面的采访, 这些单词, 你可得先记好了. 归功于 contribute to, 联合国 United Nations, 文化遗产heritage.

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The magnificent landscape there, and this wonderful Baroque building contributed to both of them being chosen as a United Nations world heritage site. The other world heritage sites are the pyramids, the Great Wall of China. You realise what a stately home this is.

Sun Chen: 要是这么说, 布拉海姆宫还真是不同寻常. 这座宫殿可是在英国唯一一座被列入联合国世界文化遗产的国宾馆.

Helen, Sun Chen: A world heritage site, and as John says, the other world heritage sites are the pyramids 金字塔 pyramids, the Great Wall of China 中国的长城, Great Wall of China. So this is definitely a very prestigious title to have.

Sun Chen: 作为英国历史悠久的建筑, 布拉海姆宫, 当然肯定是英国旅游的热点.

Helen: Sadly we’ve run out of time again.

Sun Chen: 我真希望还能再来一次布拉海姆宫。这真是一座精美绝伦的宫殿.

Helen: And if you are interested in Winston Churchill,

Sun Chen: 温斯顿.丘吉尔, 英国近代历史上最伟大的首相.

Helen: Then you’ve got to visit Blenheim, because this is where Winston Churchill was born and buried!

Sun Chen: I see. 这里就是温斯顿.丘吉尔出生和埋葬的地方.