The Great Wall 万里长城 - 9
The Tang(唐) armies controlled vast areas on both sides of the Great Wall. So it was no longer needed as a defense 1 and it fell into ruin. To maintain order in the steppes, the Tang preferred to make their mark with trade and diplomacy 2 rather than with walls. And their best diplomats 3 at the time were Chinese princesses.
Every so often a princess was chosen to marry a nomadic 4 ruler, and was sent off with her eunuchs, servants and piles of luxurious 5 gifts.
Exile was a torture for these princesses. They were used to being treated as fragile, precious, porcelain 6 beauties. Now they were forced to eat chunks 7 of boiled meat, and drink fermented 8 mare's milk, and sleep with barbarian 9 husbands who never washed. One princess lamented 10: "A yurt is my home; felt are my walls; sour milk is my drink. Living here in a foreign country, I dream of turning into a yellow crane, and flying back to my home. "
Sacrificing a princess to exile in life for the barbarians 11 seemed a small price to pay for peace. It was certainly a lot cheaper than building and guarding the Great Wall. But this policy had only short-term success. A new danger was developing in the northern wastelands. China was about to face the most legendary 12 warrior 13 the world has ever known.
Beyond the Great Wall, barbarians thundered across Asia, destroying villages, pillaging 14 and plundering 15 everything in their way. And here, China's worst nightmare began with the birth of a baby. His right hand drenched 16 in blood, an omen 17 of things to come.
As he matured, Temujin(铁木真) grew strong, mastered the art of tribal 18 politics, and by cunning and treachery, became leader of his tribe, and then of many tribes. By 1204, all the tribes answered to Temujin, and he became the first king of all the nomads 19. They acclaimed 20 him Genghis Khan(成吉思汗), the king of kings. It was said that his fierce and ruthless warriors 21 never knew what pain and mercy meant. They could ride for days without dismounting. When food ran low, they just sucked the blood of their horses. No prisoners were ever taken, and they often slaughtered 22 the whole cities.
Populations were so frightened that they would surrender without fighting. Genghis soon turned his attention southward, to the fertile lands of China. The bloody 23 hand at his birth was about to fulfill 24 its terrible destiny.
steppe: A vast semiarid grass-covered plain, as found in southeast Europe, Siberia, and central North America
yurt: A circular, domed, portable tent used by nomadic peoples of central Asia
felt: fabric of matted, compressed animal fibers, such as wool or fur, sometimes mixed with vegetable or synthetic fibers
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
- The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
- This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。
- These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
- The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- This tribe still live a nomadic life.这个民族仍然过着游牧生活。
- The plowing culture and the nomadic culture are two traditional principal cultures in China.农耕文化与游牧文化是我国传统的两大主体文化。
- This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
- The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。
- These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
- The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。
- a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
- Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？
- When wine is fermented, it gives off gas. 酒发酵时发出气泡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- His speeches fermented trouble among the workers. 他的演讲在工人中引起骚动。 来自辞典例句
- There is a barbarian tribe living in this forest.有一个原始部落居住在这个林区。
- The walled city was attacked by barbarian hordes.那座有城墙的城市遭到野蛮部落的袭击。
- her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
- We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The ancient city of Rome fell under the iron hooves of the barbarians. 古罗马城在蛮族的铁蹄下沦陷了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- It conquered its conquerors, the barbarians. 它战胜了征服者——蛮族。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
- Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
- Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。
- The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
- A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。
- The rebels went looting and pillaging. 叛乱者趁火打劫，掠夺财物。
- Soldiers went on a rampage, pillaging stores and shooting. 士兵们横冲直撞，洗劫商店并且开枪射击。 来自辞典例句
- The troops crossed the country, plundering and looting as they went. 部队经过乡村，一路抢劫掳掠。
- They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。
- We were caught in the storm and got drenched to the skin. 我们遇上了暴雨，淋得浑身透湿。
- The rain drenched us. 雨把我们淋得湿透。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The superstitious regard it as a bad omen.迷信的人认为那是一种恶兆。
- Could this at last be a good omen for peace?这是否终于可以视作和平的吉兆了？
- He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
- The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。
- For ten years she dwelled among the nomads of North America. 她在北美游牧民中生活了十年。
- Nomads have inhabited this region for thousands of years. 游牧民族在这地区居住已有数千年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
- Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。
- I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
- The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。
- The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
- He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。