From Mild to Wild: Elephants of War 古代坦克－战象
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2013年4月03日
- 最后更新于 2023年12月18日
- 发布于 2013年4月03日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：236
课文朗读
课文讲解
Elephants are massive and mild animals, and we often think of them as gentle giants. But did you know they were once importantly used in the wars of antiquity and the Middle Ages? Some Indian kings even stated that an army without elephants is like a kingdom without a king.
大象是巨大而温驯的动物，因此我们常将牠们视为「温柔的巨人」。但你知道在远古与中古时代，大象曾被用于战争中且有重要地位吗？某些印度国王甚至如此比喻：一支没有大象的军队就像一个没有国王的王国。
An elephant can run as fast as 30 km/h and was not easily stopped by enemy spears. They could trample soldiers and swing their tusks to maim people. Their thick hide gave them protection from swords and spears. In addition, their great height and mass helped to protect their riders. Any general on top of an elephant also had a great view of the battlefield to help them give commands and employ the right strategies.
一头大象奔跑速度可达每小时30公里，而且不容易被敌军长矛兵阻止，他们能践踏敌人士兵和甩动长牙给予人类重创。大象厚实的皮肤保护牠们免于刀剑与长矛的伤害。此外，牠们的高度与体积也能给予骑士保护。在大象背的将军同时在战场上拥有极佳的视野，能帮助他们下达命令与执行正确战术。
Historic events showed elephants’ weaknesses though: at the Megara siege of ancient Greece, elephants were scared away by squealing pigs; the Roman Empire’s Julius Caesar successfully defeated war elephants at the battle of Thapsus by having troops on foot quickly attack the elephants’ slow-moving legs. Despite what we might think about the mild animals we see at the zoo, elephants could be the wild super heroes in the wars of the past.
尽管如此，历史事件也显示了大象的弱点。在古希腊的墨伽拉围城战役，大象们被尖叫的猪群吓跑；罗马帝国的西泽大帝在塔普苏斯战役中，利用步兵快速攻击大象移动缓慢的腿部，成功击退战象部队。虽然我们可能认为大象就像我们在动物园看到的一样是温驯动物，但在过去的战争里大象可说是狂野的超级英雄。
－by Bryan Shettig
单词发音
Vocabulary
massive [ˋmæsɪv] adj. 大而重的，厚实的
mass n. 大量
Libraries in universities usually have a massive collection of books.
spear [spɪr] n. 矛
The spear is one of the most popular weapons in Chinese martial arts.
trample [ˋtræmp!] v. 践踏
(trample-trampled-trampled)
The dog trampled flowers when it ran through the garden.
command [kəˋmænd] n. 命令
Our basketball coach always shouts commands during practice.
defeat [dɪˋfit] v. 击败
In World War II, the US defeated Japan by dropping powerful bombs.
troop [trup] n. 军队，部队
The army has thousands of troops ready to protect the country from attack.
More Information
antiquity [ænˋtɪkwətɪ] n.（尤指中世纪前的）古代
tusk [tʌsk] n.（象、野猪等的）长牙，獠牙
maim [mem] v. 使残废；使受重伤
battlefield [ˋbæt!͵fild] n. 战场，战地
siege [sidʒ] n. 围攻；包围；围城
squealing [skwilɪŋ] 号叫; 尖叫声
on foot 步行