The Mysteries of Machu Picchu 消失在云雾中的城市
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2004年11月05日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2011年8月07日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：386
课文朗读
课文讲解
When Yale Professor Hiram Bingham “discover” Machu Picchu, ancient citadel of the Incas, in 1911, its existence remained well-known to local inhabitants. Located 120 km northwest of Cusco, Peru’s capital, Machu Picchu is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been extensively restored. Although the original purpose of Machu Picchu remains elusive, the site is a favorite travel destination for its sublime location and its undisturbed, pre-Hispanic condition.
1911年，耶鲁大学的教授希伦宾汉「发现」了这个属于印加文明的古堡遗址──马丘比丘，其实当地的居民都知道这个古城的存在。马丘比丘座落在秘鲁古都库斯科西北方120公里处，今日联合国教科文组织将它列为世界遗产并予以大规模的整建。虽然原先建造马丘比丘的用途仍是个谜。然而，因为地势险峻，保有未遭西班牙人入侵的原始面貌，而成为极受欢迎的旅游圣地。
At the entrance of Machu Picchu, a series of gigantic agricultural terraces, once used to cultivate crops like corn and potato, rise up the steep mountainsides. At the top of the ruins lies the Sacred Plaza, which houses Machu Picchu’s most important religious buildings. Here sits a small room, the Sacristy, where the Incas performed now-forgotten religious rites, often involving hallucinogens and human or animal sacrifice. Above it lies Intiwatana, the “Hitching Post of the Sun,” which was used in the Incas’ worship of their sun god. This artifact is unique, for the conquering Spaniards made a deliberate point of destroying all religious artifacts they encountered.
在马丘比丘的入口处，一排排曾经用来种植玉米、马铃薯等农作物的巨大梯田，一直向上延伸至陡峻的山腰。这座废墟的顶端有一座神圣广场，所有重要的宗教建筑伫立在此，里头的圣器室在当时用来进行如今已被人所遗忘的宗教仪式，常常包括使用迷药和献祭人或动物。坐落其上的是英提瓦塔那，意思是「太阳的驿站」，是他们敬奉太阳神的地方。这处文明遗址是独一无二的，因为征服者西班牙人会蓄意摧毁他们所碰到的所有宗教文物。
These enigmatic traces of the lost Incan culture, together with Machu Picchu’s awe-inspiring surroundings, make a visit here a magical experience.
消逝在云雾中的印加古文明，伴随马丘比丘令人肃然起敬的巍峨陡峭环境，让造访这个充满神秘色彩的印加迷城，有一种前所未有的奇幻体验。
Vocabulary
单词发音
citadel [ˋsɪtəd!] n.（护城）城堡；堡垒，要塞
restore [rɪˋstor] v. 修复，整修；修补（受损文物等）; 使复原
elusive [ɪˋlusɪv] adj. 难以理解的
sublime [səˋblaɪm] adj. 壮丽的，宏伟的
undisturbed [͵ʌndɪˋstɝbd] adj. 没受到干扰的; 未被动过的
Hispanic [hɪsˋpænɪk] adj. 西班牙的；西班牙人的
terrace [ˋtɛrəs] n. 台地；梯田
ruin [ˋrʊɪn] n. 废墟；遗迹
sacristy [ˋsækrɪstɪ] n. 教堂内祭衣及圣器收藏室
hallucinogen [həˋlusnə͵dʒɛn] n. 迷幻剂
hitching post 拴马柱 a post to which an animal, especially a horse, is hitched.
Spaniard [ˋspænjɚd] n. 西班牙人
point [pɔɪnt] n. 目的；用途; 要点﹐重点
enigmatic [͵ɛnɪgˋmætɪk] adj. 如谜的；难以理解的
Sentence of the Day
Seeing Machu Picchu really brings home the reality of lost cultures.
看见马丘比丘让人更容易了解文化遗产的重要性。
bring something home 使深刻认识到某事
课文讲解
Cousins April and Jesse have arrived at Machu Picchu for sunrise after a four-day hike: 表兄妹耶波和耶西走了四天的路程终于到达马丘比丘，准备要看日出：
A: Oh, Jesse, we’re here. It’s a dream come true!
哇！耶西，我们到了！美梦终于成真了！
J: I’m even forgetting my aching feet. But we could’ve taken the bus here like that group there.
我几乎忘了脚痛，但是我们本来可以像那群人一样搭巴士上山的。
A: C’mon. The hike was worth it! What do you think the original purpose of this place was?
拜托！这趟脚程是值得的。你觉得这地方原先是作什么用的？
J: That’s a tough question. Some say Machu Picchu was an astronomical observatory.
这问题很难。有人说马丘比丘是个天体观测站。
A: And some say the site was chosen for its spiritual significance. Machu Picchu apparently sits on one of the Earth’s ley lines – like the Nazca Lines and Stonehenge.
还有人说选这个地点是有它神圣的意涵。马丘比丘很显然是地球上其中一处的几何草纹，就像秘鲁的那兹卡线条和英格兰巨石阵一样。
J: “Ley lines”? How New Age of you. It’s more likely that Machu Picchu played an important role in the Incan priestess cult.
几何草纹？妳还真是新世纪！马丘比丘在印加女祭师的祭拜上扮演重要的角色是比较有可能的吧。
A: Right. My Lonely Planet says over 80 percent of the remains excavated here are female. Some archeologists argue it was a holiday resort for an Inca emperor.
是啊，我的旅游指南上说，这里挖掘出来的遗骸有百分之八十以上都是女性。有些考古学家还争议说这里是一位印加帝王的假日休憩场所。
J: Given that the emperor was also the head of the Incan religion, Machu Picchu was probably both.
假设这帝王也是印加宗教的领袖的话，马丘比丘可能两种都有。
A: Look at those temples! They built those gigantic walls without a drop of mortar.
你看那些庙！他们建那些高大的墙竟没有用一滴水泥。
J: Amazing! We’d better stick to the path. A place this old is delicate.
真是不可思议！我们还是照参观路线进行吧。像这样古老的地方会很脆弱的。
A: I’ll bet those guards there will make sure we do.
我打赌那些守卫会希望我们这么做。
J: Let’s go, Indiana Jones!
咱们走吧，印地安琼斯！
－by Charles Thompson
Vocabulary
单词发音
astronomical [͵æstrəˋnɑmɪk!] adj. 天文学的；天文的
observatory [əbˋzɝvə͵torɪ] n. 天文台; 观象台; 气象台
ley line [`le ˏlaɪn] 史前地貌的假想线
priestess [ˋpristɪs] n. 女祭司；女神职人员
excavate [ˋɛkskə͵vet] v. 挖掘（穴、洞等）；开凿
mortar [ˋmɔrtɚ] n. 灰浆，灰泥
stick to 坚持
delicate [ˋdɛləkət] adj. 易坏的﹐易碎的﹐脆弱的
Sentence of the Day
In the Incan Empire, there was no separation of church and state.
印加帝国事政教合一制。
Visit of the Machu Picchu and train