双语美文:三峡情缘经济繁荣的代价

http://www.sina.com.cn 2007年09月21日 17:13   新浪考试

  It's called Changjiang (The Long River).

  它的名字叫长江,即一条很长的河流.

  For thousands of miles, the Yangtze winds it way through the heart of China,

  长江蜿蜒数千里,贯穿中国大陆的心脏地带,

  past monuments to the world's most enduring civilization.

  并流经世界最悠久的文明遗迹.

  Preserved here are the enigmatic symbols of a culture so old, it reaches back 2,000 years before the time of Christ.

  在这里保留下来的神秘文化符号来自于一种古老的文明,其历史可追溯至基督诞生前2000年(即公元前2000年).

  The Chinese hope the Three Gorges Dam will bring a boom to the 400 million people that occupy the Yangtze floodplain.

  中国希望三峡大坝建成后能为居住于长江泛洪平原的4亿人民带来繁荣,

  But prosperity comes at a price.

  但繁荣是有代价的.

  Rising water will soon obliterate one of the strangest chapters in Chinese history.

  水位上升后很快就将抹去中国历史上最奇异的其中一部分.

  These are the hanging coffins of the Yangtze, the most bizarre burial site in all of Asia.

  这些是长江沿岸的悬棺,是全亚洲最奇异的埋葬地.

  Some coffins contain the bodies of up to three people. But no one knows for certain who put them there or why.

  有些棺木里藏了多达3具尸体,但没人能肯定是谁将棺木放在那里,以及这样做的原因.

  One can only marvel at the skill and resolve of these ancient climbers.

  我们只能对这些古代攀登者的技术和决心感到惊讶.

  The Yangtze is the wellspring of Chinese mythology.

  长江是中国

神话的源泉.

  The ancients thought its jagged peaks resembled gods and heavenly guardians.

  古人认为它嶙峋的尖峰就像神仙和天兵.

  The great beauty of the river lured generations of poets and mystics to the magnificent temples

  长江秀丽的景色吸引了历代文人骚客来到雄伟庙宇

  that dot the hills around the Three Gorges.

  散布于三峡群山间的.

  Overlooking the port of Fengdu is a shrine called The City of Ghosts.

  鬼城是一座俯瞰丰都城的神殿.

  Dedicated to the God of Hades, it's haunted with Buddhist demons and devils;

  在这座为了阎王修建的庙宇里充满了鬼怪恶魔的神像,

  the endless punishment of human sinners is their mission.

  他们的任务就是对作奸犯科的人进行无尽的惩罚.

  According to legend, the tortures that awaited the wicked in Hell were reported by inmates who were allowed to return to life.

  根据传说,在地府有各种酷刑等待着坏人死后去接受惩罚,而这些刑法是由获准还阳的人传到人间的.

  Their horrifying vignettes are housed in a series of temples constructed about 14 centuries ago.

  那些恐怖的画像被藏于多座建于1400年前的庙宇中.

  The City of Ghosts will survive the flood, but the entire port of Fengdu will be sacrificed to the Three Gorges reservoir.

  虽然鬼城不会遭到洪水的淹没,但整座丰都城都将葬身于三峡水库之下.

  Downriver from Fengdu is the magnificent temple called Shibuozie, or Stone Precious Temple.

  在丰都城的下游,有座宏伟的庙宇叫石宝寨,即"宝石寺庙".

  The temple's most breathtaking feature is a towering pagoda.

  庙宇最让人惊叹的地方是一座巍峨的宝塔.

  One hundred thirty-five feet high, it is the tallest wooden building in China.

  宝塔高达135英尺,是中国最高的木制建筑物.

  Located on a rocky outcrop, the pagoda's internal staircase winds upward for 12 stories. The builders used no nails.

  塔身位于嶙峋的岩石上,塔内的楼梯蜿蜒向上12层.建筑者完全不用钉子,

  The structure was lashed into holes carved into the cliff-face. To survey the river from the highest story is to look back in time.

  而将大楼嵌于凿在崖壁的孔洞.在高塔的顶楼眺望长江,过往的历史仿佛一一浮现于眼前.

  While an army of construction workers rushes to complete the dam,

  当大批建筑工人正加紧完成水坝工程时,

  a small but dedicated group of archaeologists continues the struggle to salvage the past.

  一小群尽心的考古学家们却在继续为抢救历史而努力.

  For now, countless treasures of the Yangtze await their fate. Whether the race to save them can still be won, only time will tell.

  现在,无数的长江珍宝正在等待着命运的安排,到底这场保护赛是否仍可胜出,只有时间才知道.

本文选自《移动英语通》的博客,点击查看博客原文

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