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Jerusalem: The Holiest City of the Holy Land 圣城耶路撒冷

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A walled city of hills and valleys, Jerusalem has a 5,000-year history. It is sacred to the followers of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, which altogether amount to a third of the world’s population.

受丘陵和山谷环绕的耶路撒冷城已有五千年历史，为基督教、回教和犹太教的圣地。信仰这三大宗教的人口总数就占了全世界人口的三分之一。

The Temple Mount, the holiest place of Judaism, is a large flat-topped construction with the Wailing Wall on its western side. On Friday nights, Jewish people gather at the Wall. Men wear hats and black cloth suits, while women cover their heads with shawls. The Wall is all that’s left of the Great Temple. Jews come here to pray, and put prayers in the cracks in the Wall.

犹太教的至圣之地「圣殿山」，是一座巨大的圆顶建筑物，其西侧就是「哭墙」。每逢周五晚上，犹太教徒聚集于此，男士们头戴帽子、身着黑色服装，妇女们则用围巾包覆头部。哭墙是「大圣殿」仅存的遗迹，犹太人前来此处祈祷，并将祷文塞进哭墙的石缝里。

A little to the east stands the Dome of the Rock. The golden dome is the earliest Islamic monument that has survived. In its center lies the Noble Rock, said to be the exact spot from which the Prophet Muhammad was summoned to God. This 7^th –century shrine is especially magnificent at dawn. When sunlight first strikes its gold leaves and sky-blue tiles, the dome’s marvelous beauty is a sight to behold.

东边不远处即为「圣岩圆顶寺」。此金色圆顶建筑是回教现存遗迹中最早的一座。位于寺中央的「圣石」，据说正是先知穆罕默德升天之处。这座建于公元七世纪的圣地，在黎明时分显得特别宏伟壮丽。当晨曦照在其金箔和天蓝色砖墙上时，美妙绝伦的圣殿令人屏神凝视。

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher within the Old City has been the holiest Christian site since the 4^th century. The ground upon which it rests is accepted by Christians as the place where Jesus was crucified and buried. The church contains a rocky outcropping and it is believed that the cross once stood on this spot. Every day hundreds of pilgrims and priests weave in and out of it, creating an atmosphere of hustle and bustle not lessened by its dimly lit interior.

位于旧城的「圣墓大教堂」，自公元四世纪以来即为基督教的至圣之地。基督徒认为圣墓大教堂的所在地，就是耶稣被钉上十字架及埋葬之处。教堂里有一处岩石露头，据信就是当时十字架竖立之处。每天有数以百计的朝圣者和教士们在这里穿梭，即使教堂里面灯光昏暗，也不减这熙攘喧嚣的氛围。

With so much of the city fought over by three major faiths, Jerusalem has long been a center of world controversy. Nevertheless, people still find peace and inspiration there, feelings only “the holiest city of the Holy Land” can cultivate.

由于三大宗教争夺圣地，耶路撒冷一直是全球争议的中心。然而，人们还是能在那儿找到唯有「圣地的至圣之城」才能陶冶出的平静和灵感。

−by Amy Gittelson

Vocabulary

单词发音

sacred [ˋsekrɪd] adj. 神圣的

amount to 总计, 等同

monument [ˋmɑnjəmənt] n. 纪念碑﹐纪念塔﹐纪念馆

summon [ˋsʌmən] v. 召唤

marvelous [ˋmɑrvələs] adj. 令人惊叹的；非凡的

pilgrim [ˋpɪlgrɪm] n. 朝圣者

hustle [ˋhʌs!] and bustle [ˋbʌs!]  忙忙碌碌, 熙来攘往

faith [feθ] n. 信仰

inspiration [͵ɪnspəˋreʃən] n. 灵感

More Information

单词发音

walled [wɔld] adj. 有围墙的；有城墙的

Jerusalem [dʒəˋrusələm] n. 耶路撒冷

Judaism [ˋdʒudɪ͵ɪzəm] n. 犹太教

wail [wel] v. 恸哭，嚎啕

shawl [ʃɔl] n.〔尤指女用的〕披巾﹐披肩大围巾

prayer [prɛr] n. 祈祷文

crack [kræk] n. 裂缝

prophet [ˋprɑfɪt] n.〔基督教﹑犹太教﹑伊斯兰教的〕先知

shrine [ʃraɪn] n. 圣坛﹐神殿

gold leaf  金叶﹐ 金箔

behold [bɪˋhold] v. 注视

sepulcher [ˋsɛpəlkɚ] n. 坟墓，墓穴

crucify [ˋkrusə͵faɪ] v. 把……的手脚钉在十字架上处死

outcrop [ˋaʊt͵krɑp] v.（矿脉等）露出地面；出现

weave [wiv] v. 迂回行进，穿行

dimly lit  光线暗淡的

fight over 争夺 to fight a battle that decides who gets someone or something