历史频道《人类:我们的故事》第二集03:改变人类的未来

Chaos rules.

混乱主宰世界

Trade dries up.

贸易停滞终结

Supplies of bronze,

青铜供应受阻

The lifeblood of civilization, dwindle to nothing.

文明的根源几近枯竭

Mankind faces the collapse of thousands of years of progress.

人类数千年发展进程岌岌可危

But on an island in the eastern Mediterranean

然而在地中海东岸的岛屿上

A group of pioneering metal workers

金属工人中的一批先驱

Uncovers one of the keys to our future.

发现了一把开启未来的金钥匙

What they discover will arm new peoples,

他们的发现将武装新人类

Give power to new ideas,

新思想有了新动力

Send mankind across the world,

使人类可以在地球上漂洋过海穿行陆地

And transform the planet.

然后改变这个星球

The Age of Iron.

这就是铁器时代

An age we still live in today.

我们至今依然活在这个时代

Alashiya, Cyprus.

塞浦路斯的阿拉什亚

An island named after its rich resources of copper.

一个因盛产铜而得名的岛屿

But the supply of rare tin to make bronze from copper

因用于冶炼青铜的锡供应稀少

Has dried up.

岛屿不再兴旺发达

Faced with ruin, metalworkers make a discovery

行业衰败 金属工人只能另谋生路

That will change the future of mankind.

这将改变人类的未来

Rusty red rocks, found all over the island.

红锈斑斑的岩石遍布整个岛屿

They contain one of the most important raw materials

它们是人类历史上最重要的原材料之一:

In history: iron.

铁

重点讲解

1、dwindle

(数量上)减少,缩小

The factory's workforce has dwindled from over 4,000 to a few hundred.

工厂雇员总数已经从 4,000 多人减少到几百人。

Exports are dwindling and the trade deficit is swelling.

出口在缩减，贸易赤字在增长。

2、discover

发现(以前不知道的事实)

She discovered that they'd escaped.

她发现他们已经逃跑了。

I discovered I was pregnant.

我发现自己怀孕了。

(偶然)发现;找到(一直在寻找的某人或某物)

A few days later his badly beaten body was discovered on a roadside outside the city.

几天后，他的尸体在城外的路边被发现，身上有被严重殴打过的痕迹。

(第一个)发现

the first European to discover America.

第一个发现美洲大陆的欧洲人

In the 19th century, gold was discovered in California.

19 世纪时，在加利福尼亚发现了金子。

初次接触(某活动并乐在其中)

I wish I'd discovered photography when I was younger.

我要是早点接触到摄影技术就好了。

Discover the delights and luxury of a private yacht.

体验私人游艇的乐趣和奢华。

3、resource

资源;物力;财力

Some families don't have the resources to feed themselves properly.

有些家庭无力维持生活。

There's a great shortage of resource materials in many schools.

很多学校物资都十分短缺。

(国家的)资源，财富

resources like coal, tungsten, oil and copper.

煤、钨、石油和铜之类的资源

Today we are overpopulated, straining the earth's resources.

现在我们人口过多，致使地球资源使用过度。