英语短文名人故事 政界精英 第2期:凯撒·奥古斯都

 　　Caesar Augustus 凯撒·奥古斯都

　　Many consider Augustus to be Rome's greatest emperor. 许多人认为奥古斯都是罗马最伟大的皇帝。

　　His policies certainly extended the Empire's life span and initiated¹ the celebrated² Pax Romana or Pax Augusta. 其政策无疑大大延长了罗马的寿命，并开启了罗马的盛世，即“罗马和平”或“奥古斯都的和平”。

　　He was intelligent,decisive，and a shrewd politician, but he was not perhaps as charismatic as Julius Caesar. Nevertheless, his legacy³ proved more enduring. 奥古斯都悟性很高，能断大事，是极狡猾的一名政治天才。他并不像尤利鸟斯·凯撒般光彩照人，但其留给后人的遗产却更持久。

　　The longevity⁴ of Augustus' reign⁵ and its legacy to the Roman world should not be overlooked as a key factor in its success.  奥古斯都的长久统治和他留给罗马的遗产是他成功的关键因素之一。

　　As Tacitus wrote, the younger generations alive in AD 14 had never known any form of government other than the Principate. 正如Tacitus所写的那样，生活在公元14年的人，除了元首制外，不知道还有其他制度。

　　Had Augustus died earlier (in 23 BC,for instance),  matters might have turned out differently.  要是他死得更早一些(比如公元前23年)，事情可能就大不一样了。

　　The attrition of the civil wars on the old Republican oligarchy⁶ and the longevity of Augustus, therefore, must be seen as major contributing factors in the transformation⁷ of the Roman state into a monarchy⁸ in these years. 罗马共和国寡头政治时期的连年内战和奥古斯都的长寿，是罗马由共和制转为帝制的决定性因素。

　　Augustus' own experience, his patience, his tact⁹, and his political acumen¹⁰ also played their parts.  奥古斯都个人的城府、忍耐、手腕和他如日中天的政治声望也起了一定作用。

　　He directed the future of the Empire down many lasting¹¹ paths, from the existence of a standing¹² professional army stationed at or near the frontiers, 其制定了在很多方面影响了以后的帝国政策:维持常备军并屯军于边，

　　to the dynastic principle so often employed in the imperial succession, to the embellishment of the capital at the emperor's expense.  皇位的继承原则与方式，使用皇帝的经费建设首都。

　　Augustus' ultimate legacy was the peace and prosperity the Empire enjoyed for the next two centuries under the system he initiated. 其最重要的遗产是建立了能让帝国在未来二百年维持和平与繁荣的制度。

　　His memory was enshrined in the political ethos of the Imperial age as a paradigm¹³ of the good emperor.  在帝国时代，他的行为被奉为明君典范。

　　Every emperor of Rome adopted his name, Caesar Augustus, which gradually lost its character as a name and eventually became a title.  虽然后世罗马皇帝都袭用“凯撒·奥古斯都”的称号，但只有少数人真正配得上。

1 initiated   

n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入

参考例句：

• He has not yet been thoroughly initiated into the mysteries of computers. 他对计算机的奥秘尚未入门。
• The artist initiated the girl into the art world in France. 这个艺术家介绍这个女孩加入巴黎艺术界。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 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。

4 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

5 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

6 oligarchy   

n.寡头政治

参考例句：

• The only secure basis for oligarchy is collectivism.寡头政体的唯一可靠基础是集体主义。
• Insecure and fearful of its own people,the oligarchy preserves itself through tyranny.由于担心和害怕自己的人民，统治集团只能靠实行暴政来维护其统治。

7 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

8 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

9 tact   

n.机敏，圆滑，得体

参考例句：

• She showed great tact in dealing with a tricky situation.她处理棘手的局面表现得十分老练。
• Tact is a valuable commodity.圆滑老练是很有用处的。

10 acumen   

n.敏锐，聪明

参考例句：

• She has considerable business acumen.她的经营能力绝非一般。
• His business acumen has made his very successful.他的商业头脑使他很成功。

11 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

12 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 paradigm   

n.例子，模范，词形变化表

参考例句：

• He had become the paradigm of the successful man. 他已经成为成功人士的典范。
• Moreover,the results of this research can be the new learning paradigm for digital design studios.除此之外，本研究的研究成果也可以为数位设计课程建立一个新的学习范例。