31. life in ancient rome

　　the ancient romans are probably best remembered as fighters. fighting was certainly one of their favourite activities. according to the legend, the city of rome was founded by the twin sons of mars — the god of war. 1 the romans were such successful fighters that no one could resist them. at its height2, the roman empire stretched from britain in the west to persia in the east, and from germany in the north down to africa. the most famous roman leaders were soldiers —agrippa , hadrian, mark antony and julius caesar3 and the greatest works of roman literature described many battles these leaders fought.

　　even in peacetime the most popular form of sport in rome was a battle between two professional fighters called gladiators. these men fought each other with swords and spears. usually one gladiator killed the other. gladiators also fought wild animals for the amusement of the roman crowds. such entertainments were called circuses, and it was often said that“bread and circuses”4 were the only two things the romans needed to be happy.

　　but the romans did not spend all their time fighting. they were great builders. they built wonderful temples and public squares, heated baths and leisure centers, huge arches5 to celebrate the victories of their generals, and fine private houses, decorated with statues, fountains and mosaics. their ideas of town planning were very advanced. the roads they built were stright and strong. in many parts of europe, roman roads are still in use. 6

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. according to the p as sage , fill in the blanks with proper words:

　　1. one of the favourite activities in ancient rome was_____________ .

　　2. the entertainments that gladiators fought wild animals for amusement were called circuses, so there was a saying that_____________ and_____________ were the only two things the romans needed to be happy.

　　3. romans were great builders. they built wonderful_____________ and public squares, heated houses and_____________ and huge arches.

　　4. the roman empire was a wide state and it stretched from_____________ in the west to persia in the_____________ , and from germany in the north down to _______

　　Ⅱ. question :

　　list two proverbs which are in relation to rome.

　　参考答案

　　Ⅰ. 1. fighting 2. bread / circuses 3 . temples / leisure centers 4. britain / east / africa Ⅱ. the die is cast. all roads lead to rome.

　　参考译文

　　古罗马人

　　古 罗马人最为出名的可能要算斗士。搏斗理所当然地成为他们深爱的运动项目之一。 据传说记载, 罗马城是由战神马耳斯的双胞胎儿子所建。罗马人都是战功赫赫的斗士, 所 向无敌。罗马帝国鼎盛时期, 其疆域向西扩展至不列颠, 东到波斯, 自北面的德国向南直达 非洲。罗马最著名的领袖——— 阿格里帕、哈德良、马克· 安东尼、尤利乌斯· 恺撒都是斗 士, 而且罗马文学中最伟大的著作对这些领袖指挥的战斗都有所描述。

　　即使是和平年代, 罗马最流行的运动形式也是在被称为角斗士的两名专业斗士之间进 行的搏斗。过去这些人用剑和矛对打, 经常是两者必有一死。为了让罗马群众娱乐, 角斗 士还与野生动物打斗。这类娱乐方式被称为竞技。人们常说, 只要有了“ 面包和竞技”这两 样东西, 罗马人就可以过得快活了。

　　但是, 罗马人并没把所有时间都花在搏斗上。他们也是伟大的建设者。他们建造了奇 特的庙宇、公共广场、温泉浴场、休闲中心、庆祝将军们凯旋而归的巨大拱门, 以及装饰有雕 像、喷泉和镶嵌图案的漂亮的私人会所。罗马人的城市规划思想非常先进。他们修造的道 路笔直而且坚固。在现代欧洲的许多地方, 罗马人修筑的道路仍在使用。

　　阅读导评

　　竞技场上, 角斗士与角斗士, 角斗士与野兽之间进行着殊死搏斗。看台上, 古罗马皇帝 及贵族们闻着血腥味无动于衷地观看着搏斗。这是最惨无人道的表演。就是这种表演, 竟 然可以持续一百天! 最终, 古罗马帝国灭亡了。那些骄奢淫逸的贵族们永远地被钉在历史 的耻辱柱上, 那些勇敢的斗士被永远地载入史册, 那些伟大的建筑则成了今天的名胜。

　　阅读导释

　　1. 传说战神马耳斯与一位国王的女儿生了对双胞胎罗穆卢斯( romulus) 和瑞摩斯( remus) 。然而, 邪恶的舅舅把他们丢弃在台伯河( tiber river ) 上, 任其自生自灭。幸运 的双胞胎并没有被淹死。他们由一只母狼哺养长大, 后来被猎人救出。两人成年后, 决定建立城市。在修筑城墙时两人发生争吵, 罗穆卢斯杀死瑞摩斯成为罗马城创建者及 “ 王政时代”的第一国王。今天罗马城市的中心仍有一尊母狼哺乳婴儿的青铜像。至 今, 罗马城徽的图案就是一只母狼哺乳两个婴儿。

　　2. 这个词是形容词high 的名词形式, 意思是“顶峰, 顶点, 极度”, 如: reach the height of the mountain ( 到达山顶) ; the storm was at its height. ( 风暴正猛。)

　　3. agrippa ( 阿格里帕, 63? —12bc) , 罗马帝国皇帝奥古斯都的密友、副手和得力将领, 历 任执政官、护民官和帝国宰相。hadrian ( 哈德良, 76—138) , 奥古斯都( 117—138 ) 对外 采取谨守边境政策, 对内加强极权统治, 数次巡行帝国各地, 在不列颠境内筑“ 哈德良长 城”, 镇压犹太人暴动( 132—135) , 编纂罗马法典, 奖励文艺。mark antony ( 马克·安东 尼, 82? —30bc) , 古罗马统帅和政治领袖, 与李必达( lepidus, ? —77? bc) 、屋大维 ( octavian, 63bc—14ad) 结成“ 后三头”政治联盟。julius caesar ( 尤利乌斯·恺撒, 100—44bc) , 罗马统帅和政治家, 与庞培( pompey, 106—48bc) 、克拉苏( crassus, 115— 53bc) 结成“前三头同盟”后击败庞培, 成为罗马独裁者( 49—44bc) , 后来被共和派贵 族刺杀。他曾编订定儒略历, 著有《高卢战记》。谚语“the die is cast. ( 木已成舟。) ”即 出自恺撒。

　　4. 这个词组已经从它的本意“ 面包和马戏表演”引申为“政府或其他统治集团出于安抚目 的款待公众的面包和马戏欣赏、食物和娱乐”, 也可指“ 福利”, 意思同welfare, 如: on the direct orders of the new leaders, it was bread and circuses time this week. ( 由于新领导人 直接下令, 这个星期是老百姓享受吃喝玩乐的日子。)

　　5. 这个词的意思是“ 拱门, 拱型建筑”, 如: the arch of triumph( 凯旋门) 。

　　6. 文章最后两句话也许是英语谚语“all roads lead to rome. ”的最初含义。但是, 不管是不 是这样, 大家对“ 条条大道通罗马”应该有更深的理解吧。