7、（双语科普）学英语，看天下：“中国长城”

The Great Wall of China

中国长城

One of the most recognizable（可识别的） symbols of China, the Great Wall of China has a long and complicated history.

中国长城汗青久长繁复，是中国最具标示性的意味。

It is not just one wall, but many different walls and fortifications（防守工事） that were built over the course of thousands of years.

这不仅仅是一道墙，它是由不同样式的城墙和防守工事构成，都是人们上千年修造的后果。

The walls built at different times were often built with different materials, everything from packed dirt or wood to stone and brick.

不同时期制作的墙材质都有不同，有土壤、木头另有砖石。

These walls were meant to protect China from invasion（入侵）.

修造这些城墙是为了保护中国不受外来入侵。

The earliest walls were built more than two thousand years ago when individual states built walls of packed earth（紧实的土壤） and gravel（碎石） between boards to protect their territories（国土） from attackers with swords and spears.

最早的城墙修造于两千年前，当时各个场合在界限上用土壤和碎石修造城墙，反抗外部的刀枪打击，保卫本人的国土。

Hundreds of years later in 221 BC, the first Emperor（天子） of China, Qin Shi Huang, ordered that walls that divided his empire should be destroyed and a new wall connecting the remaining pieces should be built, creating fortifications that protected the empire from northern attackers.

几百年后，中国第一位天子，秦始皇，在公元前221年，下令撤消支解了其国土的墙壁，修造与其他地区相连的新墙，设立防守工事，反抗北边入侵者。

No one knows exactly how long that wall was or where it was built, as most of it has worn down or been destroyed.

那座墙具体的长度和地点无人知晓，因其大局部以前坍塌或是被摧毁了。

Over the next thousand years, different ruling（统治） dynasties repaired, rebuilt, or expanded sections of the wall.

在接下去的几千年里，不同执政王朝对其举行了修补，重修以及扩建。

The leaders of the Ming Dynasty, which began in 1368, constructed the most famous version of the Great Wall.

始于1368年的明朝统治者修造了最出名的一版长城。

They began by building watchtowers and garrisons（要塞）, later adding walls of stone and earth.

他们开始修造眺望塔和驻防区，之后又加修了石头和土筑成的墙壁。

New construction on the wall ended in 1644.

新一轮的城墙建立于1644年完工。

At its height（壮盛） the Great Wall stretched more than 13,000 miles or about 22,000 kilometers in total length, making it the longest structure ever built by humans.

在其壮盛时期，长城绵延13000英里，约22000千米，成为人类制作史上最长的修建。

In some places the walls were 30 feet or 9 meters thick, and 25 feet or 7.5 meters tall, and it was studded（镶嵌） with as many as 25,000 watchtowers.

有些场合的墙壁厚达30英尺即9米，高约25英尺即7.5米，并且长城上遍及约25000个眺望塔。

You may have heard that the Great Wall is so big that it can be seen from space, but that is only partially（不完全地） true.

你约莫听说过，长城大到可以从太空望见它，但这也不全对。

It cannot be seen at all from the moon, but from a much closer orbit （轨道）it could be seen by someone who knew exactly where to look and what it would look like.

从月球上基本看不到它，但是在更近点的轨道上，确切晓得长城地点和外表的人可以看到它。

Today the Great Wall of China is a World Heritage site, protected and maintained for all of humanity to enjoy.

如今，中国的长城已成为被保护的天下遗产景观，供人们欣赏。

Only some pieces of the wall are taken care of, however, as it is simply too big and too damaged by time and old battles to repair and take care of it all.

但是，仅有一局部墙壁被修葺，由于它范围太大，蒙受时间和战争的损毁太严峻，致使于很难举行完全修补。

In fact, nearly 1/3 of the wall has completely disappeared, fallen down and even the stones were taken away by local people to use in building.

内幕上，有接近1/3的墙以前完全散失，坍塌乃至有些落下的石头被当地住民带走去制作衡宇。

Still, the Great Wall is the most popular place for tourists to visit in China, attracting millions of people each year.

但是，对来访中国的游客来说，长城仍旧是最受接待的景点，每年都多数百万人来旅行嬉戏。