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Machu Picchu, the Final Inca Monument 探访失落的印加帝国

课文朗读

课文讲解 

繁體中文譯本

Arising sometime in the early 13th century, the Inca civilization was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. Its capital city, Cuzco, sitting high in the Andes Mountains, over 3,300 meters above sea level, was supposedly constructed in the shape of a puma, a sacred animal for the Incas. But sacred as Cuzco was, and massive as the empire might have been, the Incan Empire was no match for the Spanish conquistadors, their weaponry, and the diseases they brought with them across the sea.

崛起于13世纪初的印加文明是前哥伦布时期美洲规模最大的帝国。其首都库斯科位于安地斯山上，海拔高达三千三百多公尺。据说库斯科是依照美洲狮的外型建造，美洲狮对印加人而言是种神圣的动物。但不管库斯科是多么神圣，帝国曾多么壮盛，印加帝国最终仍不敌西班牙的征服者，他们的武器，以及随他们飘洋而来的传染病。

The Inca people trace their roots back to a tribe that originated in the Cuzco area sometime in the 12th century. Gradually, this tribe would come to control large swaths of the western part of South America. From the 15th to the 16th century, using methods ranging from violent conquest to peaceful assimilation, the Incas swallowed neighboring tribes into their expanding empire.

印加人的根源可追溯到12世纪左右位于库斯科的一个小部落。这个部落渐渐掌控了南美西部一大片土地。15至16世纪间，藉由从武力征服到和平地民族同化等不同方式，印加不断将邻近部落并吞进他们日益扩张的帝国。

However, this Inca dominance was not to last forever. The Spanish conquistadors, led by Francisco Pizarro and his brothers, reached Inca lands by 1526, and knew they had found a wealthy kingdom. Pizarro traveled back to Spain to gain royal approval to conquer the Incas, and was given the authority to reign over the region, should he succeed.

然而印加帝国的统治并没有永远持续下去。公元1526年，由弗朗西斯科．皮萨罗和其兄弟领军的西班牙征服者踏上了印加帝国的土地。他们知道他们发现到的地方是一个富裕强盛的国度。皮萨罗随即返回西班牙取得皇室允准他征服印加帝国的许可。他得到了统治这片疆土的权力──如果他成功的话。

Pizarro had a small force of just 168 men, but he had acquired tens of thousands of native allies who were anxious to get rid of the Incan hold over their lands. Smallpox has also weakened the Inca Empire considerably, and the Spanish armored horses gave them a great technological advantage on the battlegrounds. By 1533, the Inca’s rule had been crushed. Today, the greatest reminder of their once great society is the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu.

皮萨罗的兵力短少，仅仅168人，但他获得了数以万计、亟欲脱离印加帝国掌控的当地盟友加入。天花亦大大削弱印加帝国的国力。再加上西班牙披着盔甲的战马让征服者在战场上占足科技优势。公元1533年，印加的统治地位就此瓦解。现今就只剩马丘比丘遗迹能让我们一瞻昔日帝国的壮阔风采。

Vocabulary

单词发音

monument [ˋmɑnjəmənt] n. 历史遗迹，遗址

arise [əˋraɪz] v. 产生，出现，形成

supposedly [səˋpozdlɪ] adv. 根据推测；据称

match [mætʃ] n. 对手，敌手

trace back to 可追溯到, 是…开始的

originate [əˋrɪdʒə͵net] v. 发源；来自；产生

range from .. to ..  范围从…到…的

expand [ɪkˋspænd] v. 扩张；发展

dominance [ˋdɑmənəns] n. 统治（地位）

approval [əˋpruv!] n. 批准；认可

reign [ren] v. 统治

acquire [əˋkwaɪr] v. 取得，获得

ally [ˋælaɪ] n. 同盟国；同盟者

considerably [kənˋsɪdərəblɪ] adv. 大幅度；十分地

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单词发音

Machu Picchu 马丘比丘 (Machu Picchu) 被称作印加帝国的“失落之城”。

puma [ˋpjumə] n. 美洲狮

conquistador [kɑnˋkwɪstə͵dɔr] n.【西】征服者

weaponry [ˋwɛpənrɪ] n.（总称）武器；军备

swath [swɑθ] n. 长而宽的一长条

assimilation [ə͵sɪm!ˋeʃən] n.（民族或语音的）同化

smallpox [ˋsmɔl͵pɑks] n.【医】天花

armor [ˋɑrmɚ] v. 为……穿盔甲（或加置装甲）

课文朗读

课文讲解 

Machu Picchu was discovered by historian Hiram Bingham in 1911, and it became an important site for archaeologists due to the fact that it had not been found or looted by the Spanish. Located 80 kilometers northwest of Cuzco, Machu Picchu lies over 2,400 meters above sea level, at the top of a mountain of the same name. It is believed that it was constructed around 1450, but abandoned just a century later.

公元1911年，历史学家海勒姆．宾汉发现了马丘比丘。由于没有被之前的西班牙人发现、掠夺，这座古城成为考古学家的研究重地。马丘比丘位于库斯科西北方80公里处，坐落于与其同名、海拔高达两千四百多公尺的山顶上。据信它建于1450年左右，但1世纪后便遭遗弃。

Most archaeologists agree that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti. Bingham also theorized that Machu Picchu was home for the Inca “Virgins of the Sun.” These were women who lived in convents and swore an oath of chastity. Their lives were then consumed with work such as the preparation of ritual food, keeping the sacred fire burning, and making the emperor’s ritual clothes.

多数考古学家皆同意马丘比丘是作为印加帝王帕查库提的宫殿。宾汉也提出另一推论，说马丘比丘可能是印加文化中「太阳的贞女」的居所。这些圣女居住在寺院中，并立下永保贞节的誓言。之后，她们的一生都奉献在工作上，像是准备祭典用的食物、不让圣火熄灭，以及制作国王于宗教仪式中要穿的服饰。

The central buildings of Machu Picchu were constructed in the classic Inca style. The stone temples were built without the use of mortar, and yet the stones fit together so perfectly that not even the blade of a knife can be placed between them. What’s more, these huge stone blocks were somehow moved without the aid of the wheel, which the Incas never discovered.

马丘比丘的中心建筑都是依印加传统方式建造而成的。其石造神殿建造时没有用到任何砂浆，但各个石块却密合得连刀刃都无法插入。更惊人的是，由于印加人从未发现车轮技术，那些巨大石块都是在没有车轮的帮助下搬运的。

After the discovery of Machu Picchu, our fascination with the Inca Empire was immediate. National Geographic dedicated its entire April 1913 issue to the city, which was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983. And in 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in an online poll. Though the Inca Empire is long gone, its mark on the collective imagination of humankind remains.

在马丘比丘被发现之后，人们立刻就迷上了印加帝国。《国家地理》杂志1913年的4月号以全刊篇幅介绍这座古城。1983年时马丘比丘被宣布成为世界文化遗产。之后2007年，马丘比丘又在网络上被票选为世界新7大奇景之一。尽管印加帝国消逝已久，它给人类共同的遐想将永远持续。

－by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

due to 因为, 由于

estate [ɪsˋtet] n. 庄园; 地产

swear [swɛr] v. 发誓；宣誓

oath [oθ] n. 誓言，誓约

chastity [ˋtʃæstətɪ] n. 贞洁; 贞节; 贞操

ritual [ˋrɪtʃʊəl] adj.（宗教）仪式的，典礼的

blade [bled] n. 刀刃; 刀锋; 刀片

fascination [͵fæsnˋeʃən] n. 着迷; 迷恋

immediate [ɪˋmidɪɪt] adj. 立即的，即刻的

dedicate ... to ...  奉献给

poll [pol] n. 民意调查

collective [kəˋlɛktɪv] adj. 集体所有（或经营）的

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单词发音

archaeologist [͵ɑrkɪˋɑlədʒɪst] n. 考古学家

loot [lut] v. 掠夺；抢劫

theorize [ˋθɪə͵raɪz] v. 推理; 建立理论

virgin [ˋvɝdʒɪn] n. 处女

convent [ˋkɑnvɛnt] n. 女修道院

mortar [ˋmɔrtɚ] n. 灰浆，灰泥

issue [ˋɪʃjʊ] n. 发行（物）

Reading Questions

1.   Which of the following is NOT true of the Incas?

A.  Their capital city was high in the mountains.

B.  They originated from a 12th-century tribe.     

C.  Their dominance continues to this day.

D.  They were weakened by European diseases.

2.   How did the Inca Empire expand?

A.  They solely used means of negotiation.

B.  They conquered and assimilated other tribes.

C.  They simply took previously unoccupied land.

D.  They killed every tribe they came in contact with.

3.   What was the function of the “Virgins of the Sun”?

A.  They were only required to pray to the sun god.

B.  They were the wives of the emperor.

C.  They served the emperor in various capacities.

D.  They guarded the emperor’s most valued possessions.

4.   What is the main purpose of this article?

A.  To discuss an ancient civilization and one of its ruins.

B.  To talk about South American culture.

C.  To discuss the most important points of ancient architecture.

D.  To show the cruelty of the Spanish conquistadors.

Cusco, Peru tour

Machu Picchu

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