英语听力：自然百科 真实的庞贝—17

In fact, even the lower class citizens have access to a wide range of foods. They benefit directly from the power of the Roman empire, vast trade networks that bring in goods from thousands of miles away. 

When archaeologists looked the drain from one restaurant they found a wide variety of food.

So the people of Pompeii eat well. But this is also a special day.

Oddly enough, the very night before the eruption¹, at here would have been the festival of thec, this is a festival to appease² the god Vulcan. Vulcan is the god of fire. Fire is the force that brings warmth and light into every Roman's life. He's the blacksmith's god, the patron of metal workers, like *.Roman poets imagine volcanoes as the chimneys above his workshop, and so he gives them his name. Vulcan is also a god of destruction. 

Vulcan was that the god of fire and earthquake and volcanoes. And so,what you could imagine, out here, would've been a series of bonfires, as into which were thrown live sacrifices and fish. This is all designed to appease the volcano. Of course the great irony³ is the very next day, Vesuvius completely obliterated⁴ the entire city here.

1 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

2 appease   

v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足

参考例句：

• He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.他试图给那个啼哭的孩子糖果使他不哭。
• The government tried to appease discontented workers.政府试图安抚不满的工人们。

3 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

4 obliterated   

v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》