兵马俑背后有什么故事吗？ What's the backstory on the warriors?

【走近兵马俑】

40年前，兵马俑的奇迹之门被打开，"世界第八大奇迹"出现在众人眼前。为庆祝秦兵马俑发现40周年，China Daily手机报推出口语特别策划"走近兵马俑"，在带您穿越历史长河、探索这些人类智慧与艺术结晶背后故事的同时，讲述孕育这段历史的神秘土壤——西安的前世今生，并向您介绍相关词汇、句式的地道英语表达。

[第五期]

What's the backstory on the warriors?

兵马俑背后有什么故事吗？

口语君：秦始皇为什么要命工匠制造兵马俑呢？是否与他迷信长生不老和死后世界之说有关呢？且看陶小德有什么结论。

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F: What's the backstory on the Terra-Cotta Warriors?

兵马俑背后有什么故事吗？

M: They say the intricate life-size figures were placed in the ground to protect Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the afterlife.

听说错综复杂地摆在地宫里、真人大小的人像是为了在秦始皇死后保护他。

F: How many are there?

有多少个兵马俑？

M: The museum officials say there are about 8,000 soldiers, including archers and cavalry. Many are still underground, waiting to be excavated.

博物馆领导说，约有8000个兵马俑士兵，其中包括弓箭手和骑兵。目前，很多兵马俑仍沉睡于地下，有待挖掘。

F: But there are other sculptures too, right?

也还有其他雕塑吧？

M: Yes, the army is complete with horses as well as chariots for the generals. There are also supply wagons – though in some cases the wheels are all that remain.

是的，整个军队还有将军用的马匹和战车。此外，还有补给车。虽然有时保留下的只有车轮而已。

[口语点睛]

Cavalry作名词是指"骑兵"。在现代，cavalry除可表示骑兵外，还有装甲兵的意思。 骑兵是陆军(Army)士兵(soldier)的一种，步兵(infantry)、炮兵(artillery)和弓箭手(archers)也是陆军的兵种。

[口语天天练之栩栩如生的陶俑]

口语君：走进陈列兵马俑的博物馆，细看这座考古遗迹会让人不禁浮想联翩，如果迷失在这寂静、威严、已守候千年的俑像群中会是什么情形。

1. It really is an army, and even without their original coloring, they are vividly lifelike.

这是一只真正的军队，就算兵马俑原本的色彩没有了，他们还是生动逼真、栩栩如生。

2. Whether standing with their weight seemingly centered on the balls of their feet, as if ready to sprint forward at any moment, or crouching with their arrows primed, there is a directness to their gaze that suggests their sculptors intended whoever beheld them to feel beheld by them as well.

有的兵马俑保持着直立的姿态，身体的重量似乎落于脚掌上，仿佛马上就要跃向前方。另一些则蹲踞着，手中握着的弓箭蓄势待发。但无论哪种姿态的兵马俑，他们都有着笔直的目光。他们的塑造者也故意要让看着陶俑的人有一种被陶俑注视着的感觉。

3. This makes sense, as the warriors had a more active purpose than simply to be admired.

这很容易理解，因为这些兵马俑不是仅用来被人们敬畏的，而有着更为实际的用途。

4. Presumably anyone who made it past the rigged arrows and crossbows needed a good fright to deter them from the treasures within.

假如有人绕过了墓内设置的暗箭和弓弩，那么就需要来自兵马俑有效的威慑，来阻止他们深入墓穴去探寻宝藏。

（中国日报网英语点津 丁一）