美国学生世界地理教材 第149期:众神之国(2)

 They believed that there was a god of love and that there was a god of war and that there was a god of almost everything in the World. 希腊人相信有掌管爱情的神，有主管战争的神，还有主宰世界万物的神。

Greece is in two chief parts, like a tiny North and South America, 希腊国土，主要由两部分组成，像微型版的南北美洲。

which were once joined by a thin stem¹ of land called the Isthmus² of Corinth, only four miles across. 这两部分曾经由被称为“科林斯地峡”的一条狭长陆地相连接，只有4英里宽。

In the northern part was, is, and probably always will be a great city called Athens. 在希腊的北部，有一个过去是、现在是、很可能将来也是伟大的城市——雅典。

The people in Athens thought that one goddess in particular looked after their city. 雅典人认为有一位女神特别眷顾他们的城市，

She was the goddess of wisdom called Athene Parthenos, so they named their city Athens, after her first name; 她就是智慧女神，叫雅典娜.帕特农，所以就以她的名字来命名他们的城市——雅典；

and on the top of a high hill they built the most beautiful temple in the World to her and called it the Parthenon, after her last name. 而且，他们还在一座高山上，为了纪念她建造了世界上最美丽的神庙并以她的姓命名为“帕特农神庙”。

Inside of this temple they placed a huge statue of her, made of gold and ivory³. 在神庙内，他们放置了一座她的巨像，是用金子和象牙制作的。

The statue has now disappeared, nobody knows where, and the building itself was blown up in a war and is now in ruins. 但是，现在雕像不在了，没有人知道它在哪里。神庙在一次战争中被炸毁了，现在是一片废墟。

The beautiful sculptures on this temple were taken down and carried away to London and are now in the British Museum. 后来，神庙上的一些雕刻品被拆下来，运到了伦敦，现在存放在大英博物馆里。

So if you want to see what beautiful statues the Greeks once made, don't go to Athens—go to London. 所以，如果你想看希腊人刻的美丽雕像，不要去雅典，去伦敦吧。

On the side of the hill on which is the Parthenon and all through the city of Athens are other temples to their many gods. 在帕特农神庙的那座山的山坡上，以及整个雅典城，还有纪念众神的其他神庙，

These temples had no domes⁴ nor spires⁵ like Christian⁶ churches, but columns around the outside. 这些神庙不同于基督教的教堂，没有圆屋顶，也没有尖塔，但是外侧有圆柱环绕。

The marble for these buildings and statues they got from a hill near Athens called Mount⁷ Pentelicus. 建造这些建筑物以及雕像所需的大理石，希腊人是从雅典附近一座名叫“潘泰列克斯山”的山上取来的。

1 stem   

n.茎，干，船首，词干，血统；vt.堵住，阻止，抽去梗；vi.起源于，发生

参考例句：

• Cut the stem cleanly,just beneath a leaf joint.把茎切整齐点，正好切在叶根下。
• The ship was in a blaze from stem to stern.整艘船从头到尾都着火了。

2 isthmus   

n.地峡

参考例句：

• North America is connected with South America by the Isthmus of Panama.巴拿马海峡把北美同南美连接起来。
• The north and south of the island are linked by a narrow isthmus.岛的北部和南部由一条狭窄的地峡相连。

3 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

4 domes   

n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场

参考例句：

• The domes are circular or ovoid in cross-section. 穹丘的横断面为圆形或卵圆形。 来自辞典例句
• Parks. The facilities highlighted in text include sport complexes and fabric domes. 本书重点讲的设施包括运动场所和顶棚式结构。 来自互联网

5 spires   

n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her masts leveled with the spires of churches. 船的桅杆和教堂的塔尖一样高。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• White church spires lift above green valleys. 教堂的白色尖顶耸立在绿色山谷中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。