英語經典晨讀美文

下面是本站小編爲大家帶來英語經典晨讀美文，希望大家喜歡!

英語經典晨讀美文：羅馬競技場

Inaugurnted in A.D. 80 by the emperor Titus, the Roman Colosseum is the earliest prototype ofthe modem superdome. W. ith a perimeter of 527 meters, 80 entrances, and the capacity to hold between 50 and 70,000 spectators, it rivals even the most advanced sports_stadiums in size artd utility of design, while greatly surpassing

公元前80年由提特斯大帝宣佈落成的羅馬競技場，可謂是超級穹頂的最早原型。羅馬競技場周長爲527米，有80個入口 ，可容納5～7萬名觀衆，其規模及多用途的設計堪與最先進的體育館相媲美，而其建築之宏偉壯麗，則是後者所望塵莫及的。

The Colosseum was constructed with tens of thousands of tons of a type of marble called travertine and held together with 300 tons ofiron. When completed, it rose up 57 meters in four levels. The lower three provided seating for the spectators and were surrounded by magnificentarcades and 80 perfectly symmetrical arches, each embellished with a attic story contained brackets wluch could suspend a canopy for shade.

羅馬競技場是由數萬噸名爲“石灰華”的大理石加上300噸的鋼鐵鑄建而成。完工後，其上面的4層有57米高。底下3層是觀衆席，被巨大的環狀拱廊所環繞，還有80座完全對稱的拱門，座座都刻有雕像。頂層部份有托架用以懸掛罩篷，可以遮蔭。

In spite of its glorious design, the Colosseum was built largely for the distraction of the masses in a cynical age, providing dramatic and often gruesome entertainments. Armies of slaves fought for their lives in horrific recreations of famous battles. Gladiators fought wild animals and one another to the death in retum for their continued survival, the glory of victory, and precious gifis from their benefactors.

儘管設計得金碧輝煌，但建造羅馬競技場的主要目的是：在憤世嫉俗的時代中，供人們忘情娛樂，演出張力十足、不時令人毛骨悚然的娛樂節目。在以著名戰役爲背景的駭人節目中，成羣奴隸爲生存而戰。戰士們與猛獸搏鬥或自相殘殺，至死方休，換來的除了繼續生存的權利、勝利的榮耀之外、還有贊助者饋贈的厚禮。

These spectacles of gratuitous violence may seem a little annchronistlic, but they are also analogues in many ways to professional sports today, Perhaps the Colosseum is not really such an "ancient" artifact after all.

這些暴力場面或許有些過時，然而類似的場景在現今職業運動中仍屢見不鮮。或許羅馬競技場並不是一座真正的“古蹟”。

　英語經典晨讀美文：巴黎聖母院

As a testament to the correlation between glorious spaces and heavenly thoughts, the Notre Dame de Paris has stood for 750 years as the apex of European religious architecture.

作爲榮光之地與神聖思想互相關聯的證明，巴黎聖母院至今已有750年的歷史了'它是歐洲宗教建築登峯造極之作。

Seeking to liberate their creation from the sepulchral atmos of the plague-ridden medieval era, the Notre Dame architects conceived of a design more spacious than that of their predecessors. New developments in arched doorways and supports allowed for thinner outer walls and larger Windows, including the famous Rose Windows on the

cathedral's north, south, and west sides.

尋求把他們的創作從中世紀黑死病蔓延的死寂氣氛中擺脫出來，聖母院的建築師們構思出比他們的前人更寬闊的設計。而拱形門道和支柱的嶄新設計，爲較薄的外牆和較大的窗戶，包括教堂北、南、西三面著名的“薔薇花瓣小圓窗”的建造作了準備。

The west window is 9.75 meters in diameter and depicts the infant Jesus surrounded by 16 prophets, 32 0ld 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 with structural integrity.

西窗直徑長9.75米，上面描繪了16位先知、舊約全書裏的32位列王以及32位大祭司，他們呈同心圓圍繞着襁褓中的耶穌。藉助這些窗戶呈現的光線和色彩，建築師營造出了天境般的氛圍，同時也兼顧了結構上的完整性。

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 ofits violent periods. It was the scene of the coronahon 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 remains a symbol of European history and resilience.

於1250年基本竣工後，這座大教堂見證了歐洲歷史上的許多重大事件，也在動盪時代留下了累累傷痕。它也是1430年英王亨利六世和其後蘇格蘭瑪麗皇后加冕典禮舉行的地方。它倖免於遭受法國大革命時期的蓄意破壞，才得以爲拿破崙和約瑟芬的加冕做見證。此後，巴黎聖母院在兩次世界大戰中保存了下來，它依然是歐洲歷史與復甦的象徵。