美国学生人类历史第25期:美索不达米亚

 　　Chapter 07

　　第一章

　　Mesopotamia

　　美索不达米亚

　　Mesopotamia-The Second Center of Eastern Civilisation¹

　　美索不达米亚--东方文明的第二个中心

　　I am going to take you to the top of the highest pyramid and I am going to ask that you imagine yourself possessed² of the eyes of a hawk³.

　　现在，我将带你到最雄伟的金字塔之颠，让你想象自己拥有一双鹰一般锐利的眼睛。

　　Way, way off, in the distance, far beyond the yellow sands of the desert, you will see something green and shimmering⁴.

　　你将目光指向遥远的东方，越过大沙漠的漫漫黄沙，你将看见一块绿色的 国土在闪烁微光，

　　It is a valley situated⁵ between two rivers. It is the Paradise of the Old Testament⁶.

　　那是位于两条大河之间的一个河谷，《旧约全书》曾提到的乐土。

　　It is the land of mystery and wonder which the Greeks called Mesopotamia-the "country between the rivers."

　　这块充满神秘的仙境被希腊人称为"美索不达米亚"，意为"两河之间的国度"。

　　The names of the two rivers are the Euphrates (which the Babylonians called the Purattu) and the Tigris (which was known as the Diklat).

　　这两条河分别叫"幼发拉底河"（巴比伦人称其为普拉图河）和"底格里斯河"（也叫迪克拉特河）。

　　They begin their course amidst the snows of the mountains of Armenia where Noah's Ark found a resting place

　　它们发源于亚美尼亚白雪皑皑的群山之中，就是挪亚逃 难途中曾驻脚休息的地方。

　　and slowly they flow through the southern plain until they reach the muddy banks of the Persian gulf⁷.

　　然后，它们缓慢的流过南部的平原，抵达波斯湾泥泞的海岸。

　　They perform a very useful service. They turn the arid⁸ regions of western Asia into a fertile garden.

　　它们养育着两岸的人民，将西亚干旱的沙漠地区变成了肥沃的花园。

　　The valley of the Nile had attracted people because it had off ered them food upon fairly easy terms.

　　尼罗河谷吸引人们，是因为它供给了丰盛的食物。

　　The "land between the rivers" was popular for the same reason.

　　这块"两河之间的国土"同样因此倍受青睐。

　　It was a country full of promise

　　它是一块充满希望的土地，

　　and both the inhabitants of the northern mountains and the tribes which roamed through the southern deserts tried to claim this territory as their own and most exclusive possession.

　　来自北部高山的居民和游荡在南部荒漠的部落都曾试图独占它，拒绝外人的进入。

　　The constant rivalry⁹ between the mountaineers and the desertnomads led to endless warfare¹⁰.

　　山区居民与沙漠游牧部落的长期争夺招致了无休无止的战争，

　　Only the strongest and the bravest could hope to survive

　　只有最强悍、最聪明的人才能够存活下来。

　　and that will explain why Mesopotamia became the home of a very strong race of men who were capable of creating a civilisation which was in every respect as important as that of Egypt.

　　这也解释了 为什么美索不达米亚会成为一个最强壮种族的家园，他们何以能创造一个在各方面都足与古埃及比肩的伟大文明。

1 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

2 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

3 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

4 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

5 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

6 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

9 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

10 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。