美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-04-18

 Fridays may be awesome¹, the severe weather moving across parts of the U.S. this week is not. But it is leading off today’s show. Earlier in the week, some states got hit with huge snowfalls. A blizzard² warning in Denver and South Dakota; the snow and ice knocked down power lines and trees. The storm system moved east bringing wind, rain, and reports of tornadoes³ with it. At least one person was killed. Several others were injured after twisters touched down in Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. 

 

Wildfires, tornadoes, snow, ice, flooding - all of that probably sounds crazy that it’s all happening at the same time. This is a symptom of the season, and as temperatures change, so does the weather. CNN meteorologists say that in spring, we should expect the unexpected. 

 

Emil Kapaun served in the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War. He didn’t carry a rifle. He never fired a shot. Kapaun was a captain. He was also a Roman Catholic chaplain - Father Kapaun. During the Korean War, when his unit moved, Captain Kapaun stayed behind to help the wounded. He knew there was a risk of being captured by the enemy and that’s what happened. As a prisoner of war, Captain Kapaun helped save other prisoners from being shot. He snuck(潜行；秘密行动) around the camp, ministering(做牧师) to other prisoners. He snuck out of the camp, stealing food, and sneaking⁴ it back for others. Eventually, he died as a prisoner. This week his actions earned him the medal of honor, the military’s highest award for valor(英勇；勇猛). President Obama presented Kapaun’s nephew at the White House yesterday, saying he couldn’t imagine a better example for all of us, whether in uniform or not. 

Is this legit? The Roman Empire once covered parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Totally true. The empires stretched across areas of three continents. 

 

On a modern map, you can go from England down to Egypt, and from Syria across to Spain. All of that was part of the Roman Empire. Two thousand years ago, one out of every four people on earth lived under Roman law. The empire, of course, is long gone, but archaeologists are digging up relics⁵ from the empire to this day and what they find can give a glimpse at what life was like back then. Erin McLaughlin looks at some recent discoveries. 

 

These are the very beginnings of Roman Londinium. 

 

Hugely important town for the Romans even when the Romans were based in Rome, across the empire. So we are learning much more about the development of a major city in the Roman Empire.

 

Pottery⁶, jewelry⁷, and tools, clues as to how an ancient people once lived, buried in what is now a very modern city. 

 

This is the heart of the city of London. You have the Gherkin(伦敦的一座状如半截黄瓜的建筑) over there as well as the Bank of England, and over here, you have a construction site. Inside that building site, a team of archaeologists is in the process of uncovering thousands of artifacts dating all the way back to the Roman period. 

 

Artifacts preserved in the lining(土层) of what was once an old riverbed. 

 

The deposits we are excavating⁸ are waterlogged, and they have anaerobic(没有空气能够生活的；厌氧性的) conditions - which means there was no oxygen getting to them. So metalwork doesn’t rust⁹. So it comes up looking as shiny as the day it was dumped or dropped in. 

 

The find includes rare objects like a tiny amber¹⁰ amulet(琥珀护身符) in the shape of a gladiator(格斗士)’s helmet. Archaeologists believe it once belonged to a child. 

 

What was life like back in the Roman times?

 

Well, we’ve learned that life in the early Roman period was pretty hard for lots of people. Very, very small rectangular simple dwellings¹¹ thrown up(匆匆建成) quite quickly, lots of small-scale industrial activity going on. Very busy, very smelly. 

 

Thousands of years of history. Archaeologists say there’s likely more out there lying right under our feet. Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.

1 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

2 blizzard   

n.暴风雪

参考例句：

• The blizzard struck while we were still on the mountain.我们还在山上的时候暴风雪就袭来了。
• You'll have to stay here until the blizzard blows itself off.你得等暴风雪停了再走。

3 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

4 sneaking   

a.秘密的，不公开的

参考例句：

• She had always had a sneaking affection for him. 以前她一直暗暗倾心于他。
• She ducked the interviewers by sneaking out the back door. 她从后门偷偷溜走，躲开采访者。

5 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

6 pottery   

n.陶器，陶器场

参考例句：

• My sister likes to learn art pottery in her spare time.我妹妹喜欢在空余时间学习陶艺。
• The pottery was left to bake in the hot sun.陶器放在外面让炎热的太阳烘晒焙干。

7 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

8 excavating   

v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• A bulldozer was employed for excavating the foundations of the building. 推土机用来给楼房挖地基。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A new Danish expedition is again excavating the site in annual summer digs. 一支新的丹麦探险队又在那个遗址上进行一年一度的夏季挖掘。 来自辞典例句

9 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

10 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

11 dwellings   

n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices. 新建楼区将由66栋住房和一些办公用房组成。
• The hovels which passed for dwellings are being pulled down. 过去用作住室的陋屋正在被拆除。 来自《简明英汉词典》