书城外语流行名人篇(老外最想和你聊的101个英语话题)
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第2章 The Political Leaders政坛领袖(1)

Gaius Julius Caesar

恺撒大帝

恺撒是一个伟大的历史人物。年轻时的恺撒,不畏强权,征战无数,终于顺利征服罗马,称霸一方。而且我们都知道,恺撒在埃及遇到了他生命中一名重要的女子,也就是埃及艳后克莉欧佩特拉,两人展开轰轰烈烈的情爱纠葛。

About Caesar

关于恺撒

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman。 He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire。

In 60 BC, Caesar entered into a political alliance with Crassus and Pompey that was to dominate Roman politics for several years。 Their attempts to amass power through populist tactics were opposed within the Roman Senate by the conservative elite, among them Cato the Younger with the frequent support of Cicero。 Caesar’s conquest of Gaul extended Rome’s territory to the North Sea, and in 55 BC he conducted the first Roman invasion of Britain。 These achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse Pompey’s standing。 The balance of power was further upset by the death of Crassus in 53 BC。 Political realignments in Rome finally led to a standoff between Caesar and Pompey, the latter having taken up the cause of the Senate。 Ordered by the senate to stand trial in Rome for various charges, Caesar marched from Gaul to Italy with his legions, crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC。 This sparked a civil war from which he emerged as the unrivaled leader of the Roman world。

After assuming control of government,he began extensive reforms of Roman society and government。 He centralized the bureaucracy of the Republic and was eventually proclaimed “dictator in perpetuity”。 A group of senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus, assassinated the dictator on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC, hoping to restore the constitutional government of the Republic。 However, the result was a series of civil wars, which ultimately led to the establishment of the permanent Roman Empire by Caesar’s adopted heir Octavius (later known as Augustus)。

恺撒大帝是罗马共和国末期杰出的军事统帅、政治家。他公元前60年与庞培、克拉苏秘密结成前三巨头同盟,随后出任高卢总督,花了八年时间征服了高卢全境(大约是现在的法国),还袭击了日耳曼和不列颠。公元前49年,他率军占领罗马,打败庞培,集大权于一身,实行独裁统治并制定了《儒略历》。

恺撒是罗马帝国的奠基者,故被一些历史学家视为罗马帝国的无冕之皇,有恺撒大帝之称。甚至有历史学家将其视为罗马帝国的第一位皇帝,以其就任终身独裁官的日子为罗马帝国的诞生日。影响所及,有罗马君主以其名字“恺撒”作为皇帝称号﹔其后之德意志帝国及俄罗斯帝国君主亦以“恺撒”作为皇帝称号。

Key words & Sentences

关键词句全知道

Caesar was born into a patrician family。

恺撒出生于一个贵族家庭。

He played Caesar in the play。

他在剧中扮演恺撒。

Caesar’s dream required money。

恺撒的梦想需要金钱的支持。

He was a soldier in the army of Caesar。

他曾经是恺撒大帝军队中的一名战士。

How Caesar would have dealt with it·

恺撒将会如何应对·

We went to the party in fancy dress; John was dressed as Julius Caesar and I went as Queen Elizabeth I。

我们都化了装去参加舞会,约翰打扮成恺撒大帝,我打扮成伊丽莎白一世女王。

Now all-powerful and without rivals, Caesar made himself dictator and consul for life。

扫除了所有的对手后,恺撒的势力如日中天,他成为罗马独裁者和终身执政官。

He became king in all but name。

恺撒成为了没有皇帝之名的罗马皇帝。

Soon the news was carried to Rome: “Caesar has crossed the Rubicon。”

恺撒越过卢比孔河了,这一消息很快就传到了罗马。

He orders Caesar to resign his command and disband his army。

他令恺撒辞去指挥官的职位,遣散他的军队。

Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare’s early plays。

《恺撒大帝》是莎士比亚早期写的剧本之一。

July is named after Julius Caesar, a famous Roman general。

七月,是在恺撒大帝,一个著名的罗马将领之后命名的。

Julius Caesar wore a laurel wreath to cover the onset of baldness。

恺撒大帝戴月桂花环以遮掩自己日益稀少的头发。

She might have remained in exile had it not been for Julius Caesar。

若不是恺撒大帝,她或许仍流放在外。

Two girls were reading Julius Caesar。

两个女孩在读《恺撒大帝》。

The Mermaid Company will present Tom Hill as Brutus in Julius Caesar。

美人鱼剧团将由汤姆·希尔演出《恺撒大帝》中的布鲁塔斯。

He was one of the most powerful kings in Europe after Julius Caesar of Rome。

他是罗马恺撒大帝之后,欧洲最强大的国王。

Julius Caesar was given a mandate by the people to rule as dictator for life。

恺撒大帝随后被人民拥戴为终生独裁者。

Many famous personages, like Julius Caesar, have left their marks on the city。

在这座城市,恺撒大帝等很多名流要士都留下了他们的印记。

The Globe Theater opened in 1599, with Julius Caesar as one of its first productions。

环球剧院1599年开业,首演剧目是《恺撒大帝》。

Julius Caesar was knifed to death。

恺撒大帝是被短剑刺死的。

Consul Julius Caesar made them public in 59 BC。

执政官恺撒大帝于公元前59年下令公开。

Julius Caesar invented a new solar calendar。

恺撒大帝发明了一种新的纪年法。

Cleopatra is the lover of two of the most powerful men in ancient Rome, Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony。

克莉欧佩特拉是古罗马两位最有权力的男人恺撒和安东尼的情人。

When the emperor Julius Caesar died, the prince and his uncle started a relentless struggle between the thrones。

当恺撒大帝死去后,王子和其无情的叔叔展开了王位之争。

He took the name Augustus on becoming sole ruler after Julius Caesar’s assassination。

恺撒大帝遭到暗杀之后,他取得奥古斯都的封号并成为当时唯一的掌权者。

Let’s Talk!

开始交流吧!

Mike: What did you learn in the history class today·

麦克:你们今天历史课讲了什么·

Daisy: We were taught about the life of Julius Caesar。

黛西:我们学了恺撒大帝的故事。

Mike: That’s interesting。

麦克:那应该很有意思。

Daisy: Yes, Julius Caesar’s life is very legendary。

黛西:是的,恺撒大帝的一生很传奇。

Mike: I’m very interested in his romance with Cleopatra。

麦克:我对他和埃及艳后的罗曼史很感兴趣。

Daisy: The teacher showed a movie about it, which shows Cleopatra tried to meet Caesar by hidden in the blanket。

黛西:老师放了一个关于他们的影片,影片上说埃及艳后把自己藏在毯子里献给恺撒。

Mike: That’s also what I’ve heard。

麦克:我也是这么听说的。

Daisy: But Cleopatra also seduced other men after Caesar died。

黛西:但是埃及艳后在恺撒之后又诱惑了其他男人。

Mike: She is such a powerful and intelligent woman。

麦克:她是一个非常有权势,又有心机的女人。

Daisy: I think she had to do that in her position。

黛西:我想以她的处境,她不得不这么做。

Mike: Maybe, have you seen the movie Cleopatra·

麦克:也许吧,你看过《埃及艳后》这部电影吗。

Daisy: No, I know it’s a classic movie, but I’ve never watch it。

黛西:没有,我知道这是部经典电影,但我从来没看过。

Mike: Why not we watch it together now·

麦克:要不我们现在一起看吧·

Daisy: That’s a good idea。

黛西:这是个好主意。

Mike: I’ll see if I can find it。

麦克:我看看我能不能找到。

George Washington

乔治·华盛顿

乔治·华盛顿是美国的开国元勋,在1787年他主持了制宪会议,制定了现在的美国宪法,并在1789年,他经过全体选举团无异议的支持而成为美国第一任总统。他在两届的任期中设立了许多持续到今天的政策和传统。在两届任期结束后,他也自愿地放弃权力不再续任,因此建立了美国历史上总统不超过两任的传统,维护了共和国的发展。之后他便再次回复平民生活,隐退在弗农山庄园。由于他扮演了美国独立战争和建国中最重要的角色,华盛顿通常被称为美国国父。学者们则将他和亚伯拉罕·林肯并列为美国历史上最伟大的总统。

About Washington

关于华盛顿

George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799。 He led the American victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army in 1775-1783, and he presided over the writing of the Constitution in 1787。