苏格兰工匠着手修复边境墙
文章来源:未知 文章作者:enread 发布时间:2013-09-29 06:43 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
苏格兰将于明年9月18日举行公投,决定是否结束与英格兰长达三个世纪的联合,成为独立的国家。在距离公投还有一年的时候,苏格兰的四位工匠却已着手开始修复曾经阻隔双方的边境墙——哈德良长城。
The wall runs for more than 80 miles across the hills of northern Britain
The wall runs for more than 80 miles across the hills of northern Britain
 
The referendum on whether Scotland should leave the UK is still a year away - but a group of craftsmen1 have already started the job of dividing England from its northern neighbor.
 
Four dryliners from Cumbria are helping2 to rebuild parts of Hadrian's Wall, which was erected3 by the Romans to keep the 'barbarian4' inhabitants of Scotland out of 'civilized5' England.
 
The project is intended as a way of protecting the ancient stone wall - but one of the workers jokes that they may have to reinforce the barrier with concrete if the referendum is successful in splitting up Britain.
 
Hadrian's Wall was built in the 2nd century AD and manned by Roman soldiers, who wanted to protect their British territory from the Picts who lived in what is now Scotland.
 
Ever since the Act of Union in 1707, the wall has run across the middle of the United Kingdom - but after next year's referendum, it could become an international border once again.
 
Every inhabitant of Scotland will be asked to vote on the question, 'Should Scotland be an independent country?' on September 18 next year.
 
Most polls suggest that the referendum question is likely to be rejected, but if it succeeds it will fundamentally change the landscape of Britain.
 
The four dryliners who are rebuilding Hadrian's Wall are more interested in contributing to history than arguing about politics, however.
 
George Allonby, Mark Jennings, Steven Allen and Geoff Capstick are taking original Roman stone from stronger sections of the wall in order to reinforce the weaker sections.
 
They are shifting 10 tonnes of stone every day as part of the £500,000 project, which was commissioned by the Hadrian's Wall Trust and will continue until the end of next month.
 
Hadrian's Wall takes its name from the Emperor Hadrian, who ruled over the Romans at the time the fortification(防御工事) was first constructed in 122 AD.
 
The wall stretches across northern Britain from the River Tyne in the east to the Solway Firth in the west, roughly dividing the territory of the Romans from that of the Picts.
 
The vast majority of the wall is now in England, suggesting that the border between the two countries has shifted north since ancient times.
 
It was dotted with fortified6 towers which would have provided the bases for Roman soldiers defending the territory and inhabitants of their empire.
 
Although much of Hadrian's Wall is now in a state of relative disrepair, it is still a notable landmark7 in the region and is popular among hikers walking its 84-mile length.
 
'This is a really enjoyable job,' Mr Allen said. 'To think you're working with stone somebody put in 2,000 years ago. And leaving something at the end of the day that'll be there in 200 to 300 years - there's not many jobs that are like that.
 
'It's about picking the right stone to go in the right place. You've got to look for the one that's going to fit. That comes with experience. It's a big jigsaw8.'
 
Bryan Scott, from the Hadrian's Wall Trust, said: 'By repairing the dry stone wall we're protecting the Roman wall underneath9.
 
'The wall was built to separate Romans and barbarians10. The wall is still used as a boundary - but now it's between fields rather than Romans and barbarians.'
 
Mr Scott also joked that it might be time to rebuild the wall entirely11 if the independence referendum drives England and Scotland apart.
 
'A local civil engineering firm was asked to calculate the cost of a wall made of concrete,' he said. 'It was £80million at 1974 prices - maybe we should think about it if there is a "yes" vote for Scottish independence next year?'


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 craftsmen craftsmen     
n. 技工
参考例句:
  • rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
  • The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。
2 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
3 ERECTED ERECTED     
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立
参考例句:
  • A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
  • A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。
4 barbarian nyaz13     
n.野蛮人;adj.野蛮(人)的;未开化的
参考例句:
  • 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。
5 civilized UwRzDg     
a.有教养的,文雅的
参考例句:
  • Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
  • rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为
6 fortified fortified     
adj. 加强的
参考例句:
  • He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
  • The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。
7 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
8 jigsaw q3Gxa     
n.缕花锯,竖锯,拼图游戏;vt.用竖锯锯,使互相交错搭接
参考例句:
  • A jigsaw puzzle can keep me absorbed for hours.一副拼图就能让我沉醉几个小时。
  • Tom likes to work on jigsaw puzzles,too.汤姆也喜欢玩拼图游戏。
9 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
10 barbarians c52160827c97a5d2143268a1299b1903     
n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 );外国人;粗野的人;无教养的人
参考例句:
  • 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
11 entirely entirely     
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
  • His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。
TAG标签: UK wall Scotland
发表评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:点击我更换图片