有声英文阅读-劫后余生：巴黎圣母院

A Celestial¹ Ambience
劫后余生：巴黎圣母院 

As a testament² to the correlation³ between glorious spaces and heavenly thoughts, the Notre Dame⁴ de Paris has stood for 750 years as the apex⁵ of European religious architecture.

Seeking to liberate⁶ their creation from the sepulchral⁷ atmosphere of the plague-ridden medieval era, the Notre Dame architects conceived of a design more spacious⁸ than that of their predecessors⁹. New developments in arched doorways¹⁰ and supports allowed for thinner outer walls and larger windows, including the famous Rose Windows on the cathedral's north, south, and west sides.

The west window is 9.75 meters in diameter and depicts¹¹ the infant Jesus surrounded by 16 prophets, 32 Old Testament kings, and 32 high priests, in concentric circles. With the added light and color provided by these windows, the architects created an ethereal ambience without compromising structural¹² integrity.

Since its fundamental completion in 1250, the cathedral has borne witness to many of the significant events of European history, as well as bearing the scars of its violent periods. It was the scene of the coronation of Henry VI of England in 1430, and later, that of Mary, Queen of Scots. It survived attempted destruction during the French Revolution to witness the crowning of Napoleon and Josephine. Since then, the Notre Dame de Paris has survived two world wars, and it remains¹³ a symbol of European history and resilience.

作为荣光之地与神圣思想互相关联的证明──巴黎圣母院，至今已有750年的历史了，它是欧洲宗教建筑登峰造极之作。

寻求把他们的创作从世纪黑死病蔓延的死寂气氛中摆脱出来，圣母院的建筑师们构思出比他们的前人更宽阔的设计。而拱形门道和支柱的崭新设计，为较薄的外墙和较大的窗户，包括教堂北、南、西三面著名的“蔷薇花瓣小圆窗”的建造作了准备。

西窗直径长9.75米，上面描绘了16位先知、旧约全书 里的３２位列王以及32位大祭司，呈同心圆围绕着襁褓中的耶稣。借着这些窗户呈现的光线和色彩，建筑师营造出了天境般的氛围，同时也兼顾了结构上的完整性。

1250年基本竣工后，这座大教堂见证了欧洲历史上的许多重大事件，也在动荡时代留下了累累伤痕。它也是1430年英王亨利六世和其后苏格兰玛丽皇后加冕典礼举行的地方。它幸免遭受法国大革命时期试图的破坏，得以为拿破仑和约瑟芬的加冕做见证。此后，巴黎圣母院在两次世界大战中保存了下来，它依然是欧洲历史与复原力的象征。

1 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

2 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。

3 correlation   

n.相互关系，相关，关连

参考例句：

• The second group of measurements had a high correlation with the first.第二组测量数据与第一组高度相关。
• A high correlation exists in America between education and economic position.教育和经济地位在美国有极密切的关系。

4 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

5 apex   

n.顶点，最高点

参考例句：

• He reached the apex of power in the early 1930s.他在三十年代初达到了权力的顶峰。
• His election to the presidency was the apex of his career.当选总统是他一生事业的顶峰。

6 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。

7 sepulchral   

adj.坟墓的，阴深的

参考例句：

• He made his way along the sepulchral corridors.他沿着阴森森的走廊走着。
• There was a rather sepulchral atmosphere in the room.房间里有一种颇为阴沉的气氛。

8 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

9 predecessors   

n.前任( predecessor的名词复数 )；前辈；（被取代的）原有事物；前身

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Will new plan be any more acceptable than its predecessors? 新计划比原先的计划更能令人满意吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 doorways   

n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The houses belched people; the doorways spewed out children. 从各家茅屋里涌出一堆一堆的人群，从门口蹦出一群一群小孩。 来自辞典例句
• He rambled under the walls and doorways. 他就顺着墙根和门楼遛跶。 来自辞典例句

11 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

12 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

13 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。