高中英语第辑异域风情素材.docx

1、高中英语第辑异域风情素材高中英语 第2辑 异域风情10 Places That Might Disappear Before You Can See Them10个你可能来不及看就会消失的古迹Some of the worlds greatest wonders are the historical sites that have existed for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. Many of them were lost to human knowledge for centuries before they were uncov

2、ered. Thanks to urbanization, natural disasters, and pollution, however, it is likely that these historical landmarks will be lost once more before the end of this century.在这世界上已经存在了几百年甚至几千年的伟大奇迹往往都是历史遗迹。它们中有很多在被发现之前就已经淡出人类文明史中数百年。然而，由于城市化的进程、自然灾害和环境污染，这些遗址古迹很有可能在本世纪末之前消失。1. Lamu, Kenya肯尼亚拉姆岛This ci

3、ty has been a World Heritage Site since 2001, but it has been around since the 14th century. Lamu was one of the original Swahili settlements, founded on the east coast of Africa, and its still inhabited to this day. During its golden age, Lamu was one of the biggest cities around, a scholastic cent

4、er of arts, politics, and literature. The city later became an important strategic location for both Germany and Britian, and it only gained its independence along with Kenya in the 1960s.这个城市在2001年入选世界遗产目录，但其实它在14世纪时就已经存在了。拉姆原来是斯瓦希里人的定居点，位于非洲东海岸，如今他们仍居住在这个地方。在它的黄金时代，拉姆是最大的城市之一，一个集艺术、政治和文学于一身的学术中心。这

5、个城市后来成为德国和英国两国争夺的一个重要战略位置，直到20世纪60年代才随着肯尼亚的独立而独立。Although Lamu has been a bustling town filled with people for many centuries, people nowadays are doing their best to avoid or leave it. In 2011, travel to Lamu was banned due to several kidnappings carried out by the terrorist group Al-Shaabab, who c

6、laims vengeance for stolen Muslim lands as its motive for the kidnappings as well as several brutal assaults on the city just this year that have left many dead. The terrorist attacks make it all but impossible to preserve historical sites such as Lamu Fort.虽然多少世纪以来拉姆一直是一个繁华热闹的城镇，但现在，人们都想尽办法避开或者离开它。

7、 2011年，由于恐怖组织Al Shaabab的几次绑架事件，人们被禁止进入拉姆，恐怖分子声称要报复夺走穆斯林土地的人，他们于今年对城市发动了数次恶性袭击，并造成大量人员伤亡。恐怖袭击事件使得像拉穆堡这样的遗迹不可能再得到很好的保存。2. Hishams Palace希沙姆宫Hishams Palace was buried underneath the sand in A.D. 747 and remained there until Palestinian archeologist D.C. Baramki began excavating it in 1934. Sadly, histo

8、rians fear that the site might not be around in as few as 100 years.公元747年，希沙姆宫被埋葬在沙尘之下，直到巴勒斯坦考古学家D.C. 巴拉姆基于1934年开始对它进行挖掘，它才得以重见天日。不幸的是，历史学家们担心100年之内这个古迹可能就会消失了。Intriguingly, no one is quite sure what Hishams Palace is supposed to be. When it vanished from sight, it also seemed to vanish from any hi

9、storical text. The only hint archaeologists have found is a chunk of pottery bearing the name Hisham. Baramkis colleague, Robert W. Hamilton, has argued that this is proof that the palace belonged to the heir of the caliph, Al-Walid II. All we really know for sure is that it was definitely built in

10、the early eighth century and destroyed by a massive earthquake. Tragically, we might never know the palaces secrets. Its threatened by the massive expansion from the neighboring, modern Jericho as well as extremely vulnerable to the natural elements after being buried under the sand for so long. The

11、 sand appears to be seeking to claim it yet again.有趣的是，没有一个明确的证据表明希沙姆宫到底是什么样的。当它从人们的视线中消失的时候，似乎也从历史记录里被抹杀掉了，唯一的线索可能就是考古学家发现的印有希沙姆字样的陶器。巴拉姆基的同事罗伯特W.汉密尔顿解释说，宫殿应该属于国王的继承人瓦利德二世。我们真正能肯定的是，它建于8世纪初，而毁于一次大地震。不过，我们可能永远不会知道该宫殿的秘密了。它的威胁来自于邻国的大规模军事扩张现在的杰里科，而且它被掩埋在沙土下这么长时间后，极易受到自然因素的破坏。沙尘似乎向世人宣告着，这座古城终究会归于尘土。3.

12、Intramuros市中市The name of this district of Manila, which is the second largest city in the Philippines, means within the walls. Its a very appropriate moniker, considering that it has been guarded by the same walls since they were built in the 16th century despite the horrific damage and destruction

13、they have endured. It was the original capital of the city, when the Spanish Empire still owned the territory.市中市，即菲律宾的第二大城市马尼拉其中一个区的名字，喻意围墙之城。尽管它在历史上曾经饱受战火的侵袭，但考虑到从16世纪开始它就被同样的城墙围了起来，这无疑是一个非常合适的名字。早在西班牙帝国对它殖民统治的时期，它便是这个城邦的首都。During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army invaded the Philippines. M

14、anila was hit especially hard, and several historical buildings within Intramuros such as the Santo Domingo Church and the original University of Santo Tomaswere ravaged. However, the real destruction occurred when America fought to take back the city from Japan. After this attack, only 5 percent of

15、 the original structures were left standing, and 40 percent of the walls had turned to rubble. In 1951, Intramuros was declared a historic monument. Slow progress has been made toward its restoration, including the return of its five original gates to their former glory. However, these ancient walls

16、 cannot keep out the modern world. Several franchises of Starbucks and McDonalds have been erected around the ancient city, and the moats surrounding it have been converted into golf courses. Historians tremble at what will come next.二战期间，日本侵略军入侵了菲律宾。马尼拉市中市区毁坏尤为严重，像圣多明各教堂和原圣托马斯大学这样的一些历史建筑都遭到践踏。然而，当美

17、国人重新从日本人手中夺回这座城市时，它遭到了真正毁灭性的破坏。这次攻击之后，原先的建筑只有5%保留了下来，40的墙壁变成了废墟。1951年，市中市正式被列为历史古迹。重建工作缓慢地进行着，其中包括5扇曾经风光无限的原城门的修复。不幸的是，这些古老的城墙根本阻挡不了现代世界的发展。星巴克和麦当劳等一些商家已经拿到了古城附近的经营权，护城河也已被改成了高尔夫球场。历史学家们很担心，不知这座古城将来还会变成什么样子。4. The Chersonesos Archaeological Site切索尼斯考古遗址Though it is located in modern-day Ukraine, sou

18、thwest of the Crimean Peninsula, Chersoneos is actually an ancient Greek site, founded between 300 and 200 B.C. However, much like Ukraine currently, it was not a peaceful site. Though it was one of the few relatively democratic societies at the time, historical records have shown that this city-sta

19、te was constantly at war against the Scythian people and the Roman Empire. It eventually lost its independence to the latter.虽然切索尼斯城坐落在现代乌克兰克里米亚半岛的西南部，但切索尼斯实际上是一座古希腊的旧城池，建于公元前300年至公元前200年之间。然而，就像当前的乌克兰一样，它曾经并不是一个太平的地方。尽管在同时期，切索尼斯算是几个比较民主的社会之一，但据历史记载，这个城邦一直不断遭受与斯基泰人和罗马帝国之间的战争洗礼，最终落入了罗马人的手中。In the fif

20、th century, most of the Greek buildings and temples were destroyed as Christianity became the dominant religion. However, even becoming part of the Byzantine Empire was not enough to save the society, as nomadic tribes raided and burned it around eight centuries later. The Soviet Union discovered th

21、e site when they annexed Crimea in the 1800s. It was rigidly protected and reconstructed, becoming one of the most important sites for Russian historians and archaeologists to study. Today, it is under attack by both natural and man-made forces, as coastal erosion, pollution, and urban encroachment

22、threaten its destruction.在公元5世纪，大部分的希腊建筑和庙宇都由于基督教成为主流教派而被摧毁。然而，即使是辉煌的拜占庭帝国也没能拯救它，大约800年之后，它被游牧部落袭击并烧毁。前苏联在十九世纪吞并克里米亚地区时发现了这座古城遗址。它现在受到了严格保护，政府也组织过重建，目前它已经成为对俄罗斯历史学家和考古学家而言最重要的研究点之一。不过现在，它正饱受大自然的侵蚀和人为力量的摧残，比如海洋侵蚀、人类污染和城市化蚕食。5. The Galapagos Islands加拉帕戈斯群岛Everyone whos taken a high school biology clas

23、s knows about Charles Darwin and how he was inspired to devise his theory of evolution while studying the wildlife of these secluded islands. Nearly 9,000 species, many of which can be found nowhere else in the entire world, call these islands home. However, the wildlife that makes the Galapagos so

24、unique is being seriously threatened.任何一个上过高中生物课的人想必都知道查尔斯达尔文的大名以及他是如何经过启发，在这些僻静的岛屿上设计出他的研究实验，并受此激发创作了进化论。这座岛是近9000种生物生活的家园，其中很多物种在全世界的其他地方都找不到。然而现在，这些让加拉帕戈斯群岛独具魅力的野生动物的生存空间正受到严重的威胁。As the number of immigrant workers and tourists has increased, the latter by more than 12 percent every year, so does

25、the number of invasive species. Goats and pigs eat the food that the native species need to survive, and predators such as rats make off with the young and the weak. For thousands of years, there were no predators at all on the islands, and evolution works too slowly for many of these unique animals

26、 to hope to catch up in time.外籍劳工和游客数量逐渐增加，尤其是后者以每年超过12的速度增长，除此之外还有大量的入侵物种来袭。山羊和猪吃掉了本地物种赖以生存的食物，而像老鼠这样的捕食者则消灭掉了本地物种当中的老弱病残。千百年来，这些岛上的生物没有天敌，以致它们进化得太慢，很容易被外来入侵物种捕食。6. The Chan Chan Archaeological Zone昌昌考古区Chan Chan, which enjoys the titles of the largest pre-Columbian city to be discovered and the la

27、rgest ever adobe city, covers around 20 kilometers (12 miles) of Peruvian land. It was originally inhabited by the Chimu people, who divided the city into nine different citadels, each of which were autonomous.昌昌城，享有最大的前哥伦比亚城旧址的美誉，曾是面积最大的土砖城，覆盖秘鲁陆地上约20公里(12英里)大的地方。起初奇穆人居住在这里，当地居民将该城市划分为九个独立的要塞。Chan

28、Chan has also been labeled by anthropologists as the first true engineering society in the New World. Their projects, such as an irrigation system that supplied the entire city and their attempt to create a massive canal that would have stretched to the Chicama River 80 kilometers (50 mi) north, wer

29、e unheard of in civilized Europe. The city lasted for more than 600 years before the Incan Empire finally managed to overthrow it. Today, this archaeological wonder is under attack not only from those who come to pillage and loot but also from storms caused by the deadly El Nino phenomena. To make m

30、atters worse, powerful earthquakes put the city in danger of being crushed completely.昌昌城也被人类学家贴上了新世界第一个真正的工程社会的标签。他们的工程，比如能够服务整个城市的灌溉系统以及他们创造的延伸到奇卡马河80公里（50英里）以北的大运河，在文明的欧洲都是闻所未闻的。这座城市辉煌了600余年才最终被印加帝国成功地推翻。如今，这个历史奇迹受到的攻击远不止是来自那些掠夺者，还有致命的厄尔尼诺现象导致的风暴。更糟糕的是，强震能把这座城市彻底粉碎。7. Olympia奥林匹亚When we think of

31、ancient Greece, most of us think of the Greek gods, Sparta, or the Olympics. While everyone knows that the Olympics were created in Greece, not many people know about the exact city where they were founded.每当我们想到古希腊，我们最先联想到的总是希腊众神、斯巴达或者奥运会。虽然众所周知，奥运会诞生于希腊，但是没有多少人准确地知道具体是在哪一座城市。Olympia has been occup

32、ied by several different cults over the years who worshiped several different gods, from Kronos, the King of Titans, to the goddess of lust and beauty, Aphrodite. Over time, one cult claimed the city completely for their god, the ruler of the Olympians, Zeus himself. Nearly everything in the city was designed to honor him, from the magnificent 13-meter (42 ft) statue covered in gold and ivory (which, sadly, no longer exists) to the Olympic games themselves. Today, the Olympic flame is still ignited in this city and then transported to wherever the games are being