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英语经典晨读美文：罗马竞技场

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年由提特斯大帝宣布落成的罗马竞技场，可谓是超级穹顶的最早原型。罗马竞技场周长为527米，有80个入口 ，可容纳5～7万名观众，其规模及多用途的设计堪与最先进的体育馆相媲美，而其建筑之宏伟壮丽，则是后者所望尘莫及的。

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 statue.The attic story contained brackets wluch could suspend a canopy for shade.

罗马竞技场是由数万吨名为“石灰华”的大理石加上300吨的钢铁铸建而成。完工后，其上面的4层有57米高。底下3层是观众席，被巨大的环状拱廊所环绕，还有80座完全对称的拱门，座座都刻有雕像。顶层部份有托架用以悬挂罩篷，可以遮荫。

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.

尽管设计得金碧辉煌，但建造罗马竞技场的主要目的是：在愤世嫉俗的时代中，供人们忘情娱乐，演出张力十足、不时令人毛骨悚然的娱乐节目。在以著名战役为背景的骇人节目中，成群奴隶为生存而战。战士们与猛兽搏斗或自相残杀，至死方休，换来的除了继续生存的权利、胜利的荣耀之外、还有赞助者馈赠的厚礼。

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.

这些暴力场面或许有些过时，然而类似的场景在现今职业运动中仍屡见不鲜。或许罗马竞技场并不是一座真正的“古迹”。

英语经典晨读美文：巴黎圣母院

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。

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.

寻求把他们的创作从中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。

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，他们呈同心圆围绕着襁褓中的耶稣。借助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。

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.

于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。它幸免于遭受法国大革命时期的蓄意破坏，才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苏的象征。