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。)