英语听力：自然百科 The.First.Emperor 秦始皇 Part1

The.First.Emperor 秦帝国

Qin Shi Huangdi remains¹ a controversial figure in Chinese history. After unifying² China, he and his chief adviser³ Li Si passed a series of major economic and political reforms. He undertook gigantic projects, including the first version of the Great Wall of China, the now famous city-sized mausoleum guarded by a life-sized Terracotta Army, all at the expense of many lives. To ensure stability, Qin Shi Huang outlawed⁴ Confucianism and buried many scholars alive. All books other than those officially decreed were banned and burned in what is known as the great Confucian purge⁵. Despite the tyranny of his autocratic rule, Qin Shi Huang is regarded as a pivotal figure....

‘This kind of opportunity only comes once in 10,000 years.’

‘There’s only one way for Chin to survive, and that is through conquer.’

He founded a mighty⁶ country—China. He was its first emperor, and his empire became his fortress⁷ protected by a Great Wall. The legend says he was a tyrant⁸, driven mad by power.

‘Find out who’s responsible and have him killed.’

He cheated death, ‘Assassin, assassin.’ and built the tomb the like of which mankind has never seen. But it wasn’t enough, he wanted to live forever.

‘Immortality, and if I do not have it, who does?’

A man with one extraordinary vision. ‘How big is this supposed to be? How big is this going to be?’ and he left a legacy⁹ that has lasted over 2,000 years.

‘Your divine son speaks.’ ‘Here I am!’

‘The First Emperor of China.’

When the first emperor was laid to rest, the legend says he was the most powerful man on earth, that for 30 years, he’d subjected China to the most violent and bloody¹⁰ phase in its history. He had achieved the impossible: He unified¹¹ the people, ten times as many subjects as the Pharaohs of Egypt, across an empire that would outlast¹² Rome by 1,000 years. China was his. When the doors of his tomb were closed for the final time, the most fantastic part of that legend was born.

注释:

outlast: to continue to exist or be effective for a longer time than something else

pharaoh: 法老

tomb: a stone structure above or below the ground where a dead person is buried

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 unifying   

使联合( unify的现在分词 )； 使相同； 使一致； 统一

参考例句：

• In addition, there were certain religious bonds of a unifying kind. 此外，他们还有某种具有一种统一性质的宗教上的结合。
• There is a unifying theme, and that is the theme of information flow within biological systems. 我们可以用一个总的命题，把生物学系统内的信息流来作为这一研究主题。

3 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

4 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

5 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。

6 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

7 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

8 tyrant   

n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a despotic tyrant.该国处在一个专制暴君的统治之下。
• The tyrant was deaf to the entreaties of the slaves.暴君听不到奴隶们的哀鸣。

9 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

10 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

11 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

12 outlast   

v.较…耐久

参考例句：

• The great use of life is to spend it doing something that will outlast it.人生的充分利用就是为争取比人生更长久的东西而度过一生。
• These naturally dried flowers will outlast a bouquet of fresh blooms.这些自然风干的花会比一束鲜花更加持久。