英语听力英语高级听力材料Genghis Khan.docx

1、英语听力英语高级听力材料Genghis KhanIn 1162, deep in the heart of Asia, a child was born. He was clutching a blood clot(血块), a sign from heaven that he was destined to be a great warrior. His life was to become a legend, his name-Genghis Khan.Many believe his story is simple, that he was the incarnation of evil

2、, a brutal barbarian who butchered millions. But the real character of Genghis Khan is far more intriguing. How did this illiterate outcast turn the feuding tribes of Mongolia into a powerful nation and how did he transform the Mongol hordes into a ruthless and disciplined fighting machine, an army

3、with revolutionary tactics and ingenious weapons that ultimately stood poised to conquer Europe. And why on his deathbed, did he believe his divine mission remained unfulfilled?Soon I will know death, but I will never know my destiny.Shortly after his death, his heirs gathered their memories into an

4、 epic account of his life. They called it the Secret History of the Mongols(蒙古秘史). Evidence from Chinese and Persian sources, the work of leading scholars and the Secret History allow this to be the most complete television portrait of Genghis Khan ever made. The characters are all real historical f

5、igures and the words of Genghis Khan are rooted in the great speeches of the Secret History. This is the story of how that tiny fist turned to iron and came to rule the largest land empire ever known to man.In 1215, the Mongol warrior Genghis Khan led his army to Beijing, capital of Northern China.

6、After fighting his way across Asia, the city stood before him. But Beijing was protected by formidable defenses. Surrounding it was a wall 12 meters high and 30 kilometers long. Behind the wall was one of the worlds most advanced armies. First, Genghis Khan besieged the city. Then he ordered an auda

7、cious attack. He forced enemy prisoners to fill his front lines. He built new weapons to attack the citys defenses. Finally, having endured the Chinese arrows and bombs, he commanded his Mongol warriors to scale the walls. Genghis Khan sensed victory was within his grasp. Beijing was fighting for it

8、s life.A poor nomad from the remote Mongol steppe, Genghis Khan had made an extraordinary journey. The boy, who would become Genghis Khan, was called Temujin(铁木真). He was the son of a tribal warrior chief. When he was only nine years old, he received news that was to change his life.My father had be

9、en poisoned by a rival tribe. My mother told me my fathers enemies were forever the enemies of my own heart. From that day, I would never be a child again.As the eldest son, Temujin(铁木真) grew up to lead what was little more than an extended family. And on the steppes, a small tribe was weak and vuln

10、erable. To survive, Temujin knew he must forge links with other tribes and there was only one way he could do that.Her name was Borte(孛儿帖). There were only two things to know about the marriage. She was a woman of beauty, and the sable fur (黑貂裘) they gave us was worth a thousand of the swiftest hors

11、es.The great tribes of Mongolia were locked in a spiral of murderous vendettas. There was only one law on the steppes. If a man wanted something, he took it. Now Temujin had something another man wanted. The Merkit(蔑儿乞惕) tribe had feuded with Temujins father. Now Temujin himself was in danger. And e

12、specially vulnerable was his new wife. The Secret History (蒙古秘史) recalls what Temujin, the man who would one day be Genghis Khan, did next.Theyre taking my wife. I knew what I had to do.What Temujin had to do was to escape.Only a fool fights a battle he knows he cannot win.Wife stealing was common o

13、n the steppes. Borte knew she had no choice but to submit.I had just one friend that I could trust, Jamuqa(扎木合). As children, we have sworn a vow of anda(安答,意为义兄弟). It was the most sacred vow of all. We were blood brothers, a bond that joined our lives as one. With my sworn brother, Jamuqa, my power

14、 had been increased by Heaven and Earth.extended family: social unit consisting of parents and their children along with other relativessable: small carnivorous mammal native to northern Europe and Asia (hunted for its dark brown valuable soft fur)vendetta: an often prolonged series of retaliatory,

15、vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such actsAt the Merkit(蔑儿乞惕) camp in the mountains of northern Mongolia, Temujin(铁木真) went looking for his wife.We made the Merkits pay for their deed. We destroyed their families and emptied their breasts.Temujin, the man who was to become Genghis Khan, was

16、barely 20 and hed already eliminated one of Mongolias great tribes.In those early days, Temujin and Jamuqa (扎木合) shared the leadership of the tribe. Yet, even as they celebrated the victory over the Merkits, there was a hidden tension between them. At the root was a fundamental question- how to meas

17、ure a mans worth? Both Temujin and Jamuqa were the sons of tribal leaders, Mongolian aristocrats. But only Temujin had experienced a childhood of real adversity and learned from it.Now I cared only for the strength in a mans heart. A warrior does not win a battle by virtue of his birth.Temujin rewar

18、ded ability and loyalty alone. One of his most promising warriors was Subedei(速不台), the son of a humble herdsman. But this attitude flew in the face of Mongol tradition. Jamuqas noble birth led him to believe that high rank should be reserved only for Mongol aristocrats. But now, his blood brother w

19、as throwing out the old ways. The gulf between Temujin and Jamuqa widened still further until a prophecy of the Mongol holy man brought their relationship to a crisis.The shaman (萨满) said he had ascended into heaven in a holy trance where the Supreme God told him that he would give to me and to my s

20、ons the whole surface of the world.For the tribe and for Jamuqa(扎木合) it was a decisive moment.Men who were sworn brothers share one life. But I began to question whether Jamuqa was truly my blood brother for all eternity.It was not right that our differences should force a feud but my wife stopped m

21、e from going after him. She warned that one day my blood brother would ride against me.For Temujin(铁木真), this feud brought back the darkest memory of his childhood.I knew where a war between brothers would lead. Even when we were starving, my brother Bekhter(别克帖儿) betrayed us, he refused to share th

22、e spoils of a hunt. He died of his wounds.sworn brothers: people who have sworn to their fraternity, people who have taken an oath of brotherhoodblood brother: one of two men pledged to mutual loyalty by a ceremonial use of each others bloodJamuqa(扎木和) split the tribe. Two years would pass before th

23、ey would hear from him. High on the plateau of central Mongolia is a place known as Dalan Balzhut. It was here that Bortes(孛儿帖) prophecy would be fulfilled. Jamuqa ambushed Temujins(铁木真) tribe. Temujin, the man who would be Genghis Khan, led an army that was unprepared, outnumbered, and outwitted. I

24、td been a catastrophic defeat. But there was worse to follow. Jamuqa took the generals he had captured and subjected them to the cruelest of punishments. He boiled them alive.When Temujin learnt of the atrocity, he made this vow: By the power of Heaven, I swore to gain my vengeance. Never again woul

25、d I be defeated, nor my loyal warriors so dishonored.It was now that Temujin started a revolution.They say that the Mongols were descended from the wolf. Like the wolf, we were famous for our ferocity and courage. But to win a battle, we have to fight fiercely, not as individual warriors, but as par

26、ts of a whole.Temujin formed an elite officer training corps, the Keshik(蒙古骑射手). He was building a professional fighting machine, from top to bottom. The Mongols universal instrument of battle was the bow. Made from wood and animal bone, it had a shooting range of 500 meters. Training in archery and

27、 horsemanship was made compulsory for all, even children. They learnt to release their arrows at the exact moment the horses hoofs were off the ground for maximum accuracy. Temujin had thrown out the old tribal divisions. This was a meritocracy. This was a modern army. Now he was ready.In the summer

28、 of 1204, Temujin(铁木真) rode west to confront his blood brother. The outcome would be decisive for the future of the Mongol people.In the foothills of the Khangai Mountains (杭爱山脉), on the eve of battle, Temujin called his generals to him.I told them, one tribe was like a single arrow, easily broken.

29、But many tribes together would be strong. They could never be broken.But Temujin didnt just rely on inspirational speeches. He practiced psychological warfare.I knew Jamuqas(扎木和) scouts would be watching as my men prepared for battle. I ordered each man to light not one, but five fires.Jamuqas scout

30、s reported that Temujins army was so large; they had more fires than there were stars in the sky.At daybreak, Jamuqa led his army onto the heights of Chakirmaut, and this was the sight that confronted him.I saw the man who had been my friend, who had sworn the sacred vow of anda(安答,意为义兄弟), but he ha

31、d broken that vow.Jamuqa was about to become the first commander to face an army that would eventually conquer twelve million square milesWe advanced in silence, saving our battle cries to the last. When the enemy came within reach, my archers released a storm of arrows, and my cavalry attacked with

32、out mercy.According to the Secret History(蒙古秘史), each tactic was meticulously planned and ingenious. Temujin(铁木真) held squadrons and weapons in reserve. Then with the enemy in disarray, they regrouped and charged. One of Temujins cavalry squadrons suddenly fled the battlefield. Jemuqas(扎木和) men chased them down. But they were being lured into a trap. In the heart of the battle, Jemuqa saw his army destroyed and he ran.Across the battlefield, I saw the bodies of Jamuqas(扎木和) men lying together like felled logs in the forest.Following the def