Great Zimbabwe
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Contents A Giant Place.
内容表 A 巨型地.
4 The Pride of a Nation.
4 国家骄傲。
5 Stone City.
5"石头城".
6 A Booming Empire.
6 A Booning Empire. (英语).
9 Building the Walls.
9 建城墙.
11 Who Built It?
11 谁建的?
13 Protecting Great Zimbabwe.
13"保护大津巴布韦".
15 Glossary.
15 词汇。
16 A Giant Place The ruins of the once-magnificent city of Great Zimbabwe lie in an area with rolling hills and many huge piles of boulders.
16 A 巨型地点 曾经巨大的大津巴布韦城市的废墟位于一个有滚滚的山丘和许多巨石堆积的区域.
Massive stone walls dot the landscape.
巨石墙点出地貌
In some places, the walls stand as high as 11 meters (36 ft.)
在一些地方,城墙高可达11米(36英尺).
tall.
高个子。
The ruins cover an area measuring 728.
废墟占地面积728.
4 hectares (1,800 acres)— almost as large as 1,400 American football fields.
4公顷(1,800英亩)——几乎高达1,400个美国足球场.
The ruins of Great Zimbabwe give us a glimpse into what life was like there from the eleventh to fifteenth centuries.
大津巴布韦的废墟让我们可以一窥11至15世纪的生活。
The abandoned city also contains many unsolved mysteries.
被废弃的城市也包含了许多未解之谜.
The ruins of Great Zimbabwe cover a large area.
大津巴布韦的废墟覆盖了大片地区.
Masvingo Harare H MOZAMBIQUE CHANNEL ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA SOUTH AFRICA ZAMBIA MOZAMBIQUE AFRICA The Pride of a Nation This mysterious city’s ruins are located in the southeastern part of Zimbabwe, a nation in southern Africa.
马斯文戈·哈拉雷 H. 莫桑比克 钱德尔·齐巴布韦 博茨瓦纳 南部非洲 赞比亚 莫桑比克 非洲 国家的荣耀 这个神秘城市的废墟位于津巴布韦东南部,这是南部非洲的一个国家.
Its neighbors include Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Botswana.
其邻国包括莫桑比克、南非、赞比亚和博茨瓦纳。
Nearby landmarks include Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo.
相近地标包括穆蒂里克维湖和马斯文戈镇.
In the late 1800s, the country we now know as Zimbabwe was a British-controlled colony called Southern Rhodesia.
在1800年代后期,我们现在知道津巴布韦是一个英国控制的殖民地,叫"南罗得西亚".
When Zimbabwe gained its independence from Britain in 1980, the people needed a new name for their new country.
当津巴布韦于1980年从英国获得独立时,人民需要他们的新国家的新名称。
Since the city of Great Zimbabwe had long been a source of national pride, they chose to name their country after the famous ancient city.
由于大津巴布韦市长期是民族自豪的发源地,他们选择以著名的古城命名.
Stone City Three main sections span the ruins of Great Zimbabwe: the Hill Complex, the Great Enclosure, and the Valley Ruins.
石头城 三个主要地段横跨了大津巴布韦的废墟:山地建筑群,"大封地"和"谷地".
Approximately 100 meters (328 ft.)
约100米(328英尺)
long by 45 meters (148 ft.)
长45米(148英尺)
wide, the Hill Complex sits high on a steep hillside on the northern edge of the site with a beautiful view of the rest of the city and the surrounding valley.
平面宽阔,山地建筑群高高地坐落于遗址北部边缘的陡峭的山坡上,景色优美地观赏了城外和周边山谷.
Six upright posts topped with sculptures of birds have led experts to think that the Hill Complex may have functioned as the city’s spiritual center or the home of the kings of Great Zimbabwe.
6个直立的柱子被雕塑成鸟类,
The Hill Complex is located at the northern end of the city.
山地综合体位于城市北端.
Valley Ruins Great Enclosure Hill Complex The walls of Great Zimbabwe were: • 11 meters (36 ft.)
谷地大修道院 大津巴布韦的城墙是: • 11米(36英尺)
high in some places—as tall as a three-story building • up to 6 meters (20 ft.)
在一些地方——高至三层楼——高达6米(20英尺)
thick in some places • continuously curving • quite smooth and decorative in some places The Hill Complex was probably the city’s religious hub and also where Great Zimbabwe’s kings resided.
• 在一些地方相当平滑和装饰 山地综合体可能是该市的宗教中心,也是大津巴布韦国王居住的地方。
Experts think the Valley Ruins were home to the people living in Great Zimbabwe.
专家认为谷地鲁能是生活在大津巴布韦的人们的家园.
The Great Enclosure was likely where the city’s wealthy residents lived.
《大公报》可能是该市富裕居民居住的地方。
The Great Enclosure is located in the southern area of the site.
大公报位于遗址南部.
Built in the 1300s during the height of the city’s success, it is the largest ancient African structure south of the Sahara Desert.
该地建于1300年代,建于该市成功高峰时期,是撒哈拉沙漠以南最大的非洲古代建筑.
The Great Enclosure is an oval that measures 250 meters (820 ft.)
"大附文"是测量出250米(820英尺)的椭圆形.
around the outside.
围绕外道.
The builders used approximately one million stones to build it.
建造者使用约一百万石来建造.
Just inside the Great Enclosure’s outer wall is an inner wall that forms a narrow passage to a cone-shaped tower.
就在"大公报"外墙内是一堵内墙,形成一条狭窄的通向锥形塔的通道.
Archaeologists do not know what the purpose of the tower was or even why the Great Enclosure was built, but it’s possible that it was a royal palace.
考古学家不知道这座塔的目的是什么,甚至不知道为什么建造"大公报",但有可能是一座皇家宫殿.
The Valley Ruins lie between the Hill Complex and the Great Enclosure.
谷道位于山地综合体和"大公报"之间.
They are composed of a large number of smaller houses that are made of a mixture of clay and gravel called daga.
它们由一大批由粘土和砂砾混合而成的叫"daga"的更小的房屋所组成.
The curved walls of the Great Enclosure reveal that the builders favored rounded shapes over angular ones.
"大公报"的弯曲墙壁显示,建造者偏好圆形而优于角形.
A Booming Empire By the fourteenth century, Great Zimbabwe was a city at the heart of a powerful empire.
一个繁荣的帝国 到14世纪,大津巴布韦是一个强大的帝国的核心城市.
More than ten thousand people may have lived there.
可能有一万多人住在那里。
Some researchers estimate that the population was as high as twenty thousand.
一些研究人员估计人口高达2万.
The empire’s wealthy people may have lived in the stone buildings of the Hill Complex and the Great Enclosure.
帝国的富人可能住在山地建筑群和"大公所"的石楼中.
The peasants likely lived in the daga structures throughout the valley.
农民可能住在整个山谷的Daga结构中。
Great Zimbabweans grew crops and raised cattle.
大津巴布韦人种植作物并饲养牛。
They were also involved in a large trade network.
他们还参与了大型贸易网络。
The city was located along a busy trade route that connected other regions of Africa with ports along the Indian Ocean.
该市位于一条繁忙的贸易路线上,该路线将非洲其他地区与印度洋沿线的港口相接.
The people of Great Zimbabwe traded the gold they mined from the surrounding hills for goods from West Africa, the Middle East, and even China.
大津巴布韦人民用他们从周围山地开采的黄金换取来自西非、中东甚至中国的货物。
This soapstone carving of a female figure might have been made in Great Zimbabwe.
这个雕刻出女性人物的肥皂石 可能是在大津巴布韦做的
This sculpture, possibly from Great Zimbabwe, combines features of an eagle with those of a person.
这个雕塑可能来自大津巴布韦,结合了一只鹰和一个人的特征.
Although the city was very rich and powerful at one time, by the middle of the fifteenth century it lay abandoned.
虽然城市一度非常富有和强大,到十五世纪中叶时已废弃.
Some people think the land around the city was ruined from too much farming.
一些人认为城市周围的土地被过多的耕作所破坏.
Others think the people may have moved to follow changing trade routes.
另一些人则认为,人们可能已经移动,以遵循不断变化的贸易路线.
Scholars still do not know why the great city fell.
学者仍不知大城为何倒塌.
The most famous works of art recovered from Great Zimbabwe are a set of eight soapstone bird statues found in the Hill Complex.
从大津巴布韦找回的最出名的艺术品是一套八相皂石鸟雕像,发现于希尔综合体.
The sculptures may have represented royal authority or perhaps the ancestors of Great Zimbabwe’s kings.
雕塑可能代表了王室的权威,或可能是大津巴布韦国王的祖先.
The bird statues sat atop columns and likely served as protectors.
鸟雕像坐以待毙,并有可能充当保护者。
Zimbabwe’s national symbol was inspired by the sculptures and appears on its flag and coins.
津巴布韦的国家象征被雕塑所启发并出现在其旗帜和硬币上.
Building the Walls Most of the walls of Great Zimbabwe are made of brick-shaped stones.
大津巴布韦城墙多由砖石砌成.
The people who built them cut the stones from the huge boulders surrounding the city.
建造它们的人从环绕城市的巨石上砍出石块.
To do this, they heated the boulders with fire.
为了做到这一点,他们用火把巨石加热.
Then, they poured cold water on the stones.
然后,他们把冷水倒到石头上。
This process caused the stones to split.
这个过程导致石块被分出.
The types of granite boulders they used naturally split into straight lines.
他们使用的花岗岩巨石类型自然被分出为直线.
Therefore, they were excellent for shaping into bricks.
因此,它们对于塑造出砖块是极好的。
The builders stacked these brick-shaped stones on top of one another to build the walls of Great Zimbabwe.
建造者将这几块砖块形状的石头堆在一起相上以建造大津巴布韦的城墙.
In most modern brick walls, a cement- like substance called mortar holds the bricks together.
在大多数现代的砖墙中, 一种水泥,就像被叫作"迫击炮"的物质 将砖块放在一起。
The people who built Great Zimbabwe did not use mortar.
建设大津巴布韦的人民没有使用迫击炮。
They made the base of each wall a little thicker than its top.
他们使每道墙的底部比它的顶部更厚.
This made the towering walls stable.
这使得起塔的城墙稳定.
It has been estimated that over one million bricks were used to construct the walls of the Great Enclosure.
据估计,用100多万块砖来建造"大公报"的城墙.
In addition to using brick-shaped stones, the builders also used huge boulders to make some of Great Zimbabwe’s walls.
除了使用砖石形状外,建造者还使用巨大的巨石来做一些大津巴布韦的城墙.
Some of the more carefully constructed walls are as smooth as those we make today.
一些更仔细地建造的墙壁和我们今天建造的一样平滑.
Another interesting characteristic of the ancient city’s walls is that they form curves rather than straight lines.
古城墙的另一个有趣的特点是它们形成曲线而不是直线.
Researchers aren’t sure why the people of Great Zimbabwe built such massive walls.
研究者并不知道为什么大津巴布韦人民会建造如此庞大的城墙。
It seems clear that they did not design the walls to support weight.
很明显 他们设计墙壁不是为了支撑体重
They may have built the walls to help defend the city from enemies, to give the city’s ruling class more privacy, or to stand for the king’s authority.
他们可能建造了城墙来帮助防御城市的敌人,给予城市统治阶级更多的隐私,或代表国王的权威.
The people of Great Zimbabwe used both boulders and cut stones to build the walls of the Hill Complex.
大津巴布韦人民既用巨石又用切石来建造山地综合体的城墙.
Who Built It?
是谁造的?
Europeans began to explore the ruins of Great Zimbabwe in the late nineteenth century.
19世纪后期,欧洲人开始探索大津巴布韦的废墟.
They doubted that local African builders could have built the great city.
他们怀疑当地的非洲建筑商能够建造这座伟大的城市.
Wood found at the site from the far north led some Europeans to think that another civilization, such as people living along the Mediterranean Sea, had constructed it.
在从远北而来的地点发现的木头使一些欧洲人认为另一个文明,如生活在地中海一带的人,已经建造了它.
For decades they tried to prove that idea.
几十年来,他们试图证明这个想法。
They ignored items found at the site that suggested local people had built the city.
他们忽略了现场发现的表明当地人建造了这座城市的物品.
They even damaged or destroyed parts of the site while they searched for signs of a foreign culture.
他们在搜寻外国文化迹象时,甚至损坏或摧毁了部分场地。
Finally, in 1905, an archaeologist examined the artifacts found at the site and was able to prove that local Africans built Great Zimbabwe.
最后,1905年,一位考古学家检查了在该地发现的文物,并能够证明当地非洲人建造了"大津巴布韦".
Drawings made in 1892 show the floor plan of the Great Enclosure and artifacts found near the site.
1892年出土的图画显示了"大公报"的地平图和遗址附近发现的文物.
A few different tribes claim to be the descendants of the people of ancient Great Zimbabwe.
少数不同的部落自称是古代大津巴布韦人民的后裔.
However, most people today believe that the Shona people built the ancient city.
然而,今天大多数人认为肖纳人建造了古城.
The Shona have been living in that area for many centuries.
肖纳人在该地区生活了几个世纪。
Some of the artifacts, such as tools found in the ruins by archaeologists, are very similar to items that the Shona people were using during the nineteenth century.
一些文物,如考古学家在废墟中发现的工具,与肖纳人于19世纪使用的物品非常相近.
In addition, many people think that the word Zimbabwe comes from a Shona phrase that means “stone houses.”
此外,许多人认为,津巴布韦一词来自Shona语,意思是“石屋”。 “
Modern Shona people wear traditional dress.
现代肖纳人穿传统服装.
Protecting Great Zimbabwe The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated the ruins of Great Zimbabwe a World Heritage Site in 1986.
保护大津巴布韦 联合国教育、科学及文化组织(教科文组织)于1986年将大津巴布韦的废墟定为世界遗产。
This means nearly all the countries in the world recognize the site as worthy of admiration and protection.
这意味着世界上几乎所有国家都承认该地值得钦佩和保护。
However, the site has been damaged over time.
然而,该地逐渐被破坏.
People from around the world visit the site, adding to the need for repair.
来自世界各地的人访问该地,增加了修复的需要.
Plants threaten to grow over many of the remaining structures.
植物有可能在所剩许多结构上生长。
Weather has also taken a toll on the site.
天气也给现场造成了损失.
More funding and staff are needed to study and preserve the ruins.
需要更多的资金和工作人员来研究和保存废墟。
Great Zimbabwe’s oldest walls have stood for roughly one thousand years.
大津巴布韦最古老的城墙已经站了大约一千年。
With proper care, they may stand for a thousand more.
有了适当的照顾,他们可能还要站上一千人。
Stars light up the ruins of Great Zimbabwe at night.
星光照亮了大津巴布韦的废墟 在夜晚。
Glossary archaeologists (n.)
词汇考古学家 (n.