英语听力：自然百科 消失的西藏王朝古格(1)

West Tibet, the roof of the world.

西藏，世界的屋脊。

In the thin air, 6000 metres high, a vast area of wasteland as far as the eye can see.

在六千公尺高的稀薄空气中，放眼望去是一片荒漠干地。

In this remote corner of western Tibet, lie the ruins of a mysterious kingdom-a kingdom whose army was feared by all its neighbours, a kingdom which once dominated trade in gold, silk and spices between India and China.

在遥远的西藏一角，一座神秘的王朝遗址述说着故事，这个王朝曾令所有邻国畏惧，主宰着中印间的黄金，丝绸及香料贸易。

It was a kingdom of fabulous¹ wealth and great religious significance.

坐拥万甲财富及浓厚宗教重要性。

Scholars argue that without this kingdom, Tibetan Buddhism² would have withered³ and died centuries ago.

学者认为没有这个古王朝藏传佛教几世纪前就已经没落失传。

Yet the spiritual and commercial harbor, which prospered⁴ for seven centuries, vanished almost without a trace since 1630s.

然而这座曾经是精神及贸易枢纽的王朝在历经七世纪的盛世后却在1630年消失。

What happened to bring this great civilization to an end?

这个伟大的古文明王朝为何消失？

Was it the arrival of the first ever westers to visit Tibet?

是因为西方传教士吗？

Or was it the intense rivalry⁵ between two brothers fighting for power?

或是因为两兄弟间的争权夺利？

Why was it completely abandoned? And what silent secrets do these decapitated remains⁶ tell?

为什么这座古城整个荒废，这些遭斩首的尸骸述说着什么秘密？

To unravel⁷ this mystery, a Tibetan historian and an American archaeologist travel to the far reaches of Tibet to these 400-year-old ruins where they will discover the answers to what happened to the extraordinary kingdom of Guge.

为了解开谜团，一位西藏历史学家及一位美国考古学家前往遥远的西藏，调查这座四百年之久的遗址他们将解开古格王朝的秘密。

1 fabulous   

adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的

参考例句：

• We had a fabulous time at the party.我们在晚会上玩得很痛快。
• This is a fabulous sum of money.这是一笔巨款。

2 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

3 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

4 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

5 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。

6 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。

7 unravel   

v.弄清楚（秘密）；拆开，解开，松开

参考例句：

• He was good with his hands and could unravel a knot or untangle yarn that others wouldn't even attempt.他的手很灵巧，其他人甚至都不敢尝试的一些难解的绳结或缠在一起的纱线，他都能解开。
• This is the attitude that led him to unravel a mystery that long puzzled Chinese historians.正是这种态度使他解决了长期以来使中国历史学家们大惑不解的谜。