Noah and the Great Flood 诺亚方舟

The story of Noah building an ark to save his family and save thousands of animals from a flood which destroys all life on earth is an epic¹ from many people's childhoods. It's a wonderful story found in the Bible, the Koran and the torah. But is it in fact real history? Now the technology exists to examine this well-known epic with the eyes of science. We will weigh out the evidence from archaeological finds in Iraq. We will examine the proof that a global flood did cover the whole planet. We'll also create a historically accurate picture of the real Noah, who he was, where he lived and what he might have looked like.

The story of Noah is told in the book of Genesis in the Bible and the torah. It's set somewhere in the Middle East about 5, 000 years ago. (Hey, stop that! ) Noah's family includes his wife, his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth and their brides. Noah stands out as a good person, the only virtuous² man left in a world that had become filled with corruption³ and violence.

He is described as a vine grower. A claim that has an authentic⁴ ring to it as vine was grown in the middle east as far back as 3, 000 B. C. And this reference also provides a real insight into Noah's character. After the flood, the Bible says Noah planted the first vineyard. But it also tells us that Noah had a weakness. Having made the first wine, the story goes that Noah drank too much of it. In fact, one night this holy man collapses⁵ naked and drunk. Horrified⁶, his sons Ham and Shem covered their father. In the morning, Noah is embarrassed and perhaps suffering the first ever hangover, he curses the sons who saw him naked. (Ham, you. . . ) He sounds like a flawed and complex man. But perhaps that is true of all great man.

But Noah was probably a very reliable man because God gives him a very big mission. The story goes that God warned Noah in a dream that he was going to punish humanity for its sins with a flood that would cover the whole earth. To save Noah and his family, God told him to build a boat of wood and to line it with pitch inside and out. He also ordered Noah to give the ark three decks, a roof and a door. But the most surprising of God's instructions was the sheer size of the ark. The Bible spells that out in cubits. Traditionally, a cubit was the length of man's forearm about one and a half feet. The Bible says Noah built an ark 300 cubits long and 30 cubits wide by 30 high. That's almost as big as modern super tankers⁷ and cruise liners like Titanic⁸. Nearly 450 feet long, it would have been a magnificent sight, certainly the biggest boat in the ancient world. Quite an achievement for an ordinary man. Now the Bible assumes it was possible to build this monster vessel⁹ out of wood alone. It's a pretty big assumption.

phrase to remember:
have an authentic ring to ... ......听起来是真的
ring的用法：sth.calls a ring to me that... ......让我想起来......

1 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

2 virtuous   

adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的

参考例句：

• She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性，人人都尊敬她。
• My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。

3 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

4 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

5 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

6 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

7 tankers   

运送大量液体或气体的轮船[卡车]( tanker的名词复数 )； 油轮； 罐车； 油槽车

参考例句：

• They should stop offloading waste from oil tankers into the sea. 他们应当停止从油轮上往海里倾倒废弃物。
• The harbour admits large tankers and freighters. 这个港口容得下巨型油船和货轮。

8 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

9 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。