国家统一

A sad but inescapable fact of human history

战争推动技术的发展是人类历史上

is that war drives technology.

一个可悲但无法回避的事实

A new kind of weapon will transform the way we fight,

新型的武器将改变战争的模式

Help unify an empire,

有助于国家统一

and lay the foundations for a feat of engineering

也为工业的发展创造了基础

That will change the face of the planet.

这一切将改变整个世界

China, 200 years before christ.

公元前两百年的中国

The soldiers of China's first emperor

秦始皇的士兵们

change the face of warfare with a new kind of weapon:

用一种新型武器改变了战争形态

The crossbow.

它就是弩

The Chinese crossbow draws back nearly 24 inches,

中国的弩 其弦能向后拉二十四英寸

more than five times that of a European crossbow,

是欧洲十字弓的五倍

so, for the same weight of bow, you get five times the power,

在弓的重量一样时 就会多出五倍的发力

five times the range and five times the punch.

五倍的射程和穿透力

Bolts with an iron core,

弩箭为铁芯

fired at high velocity, nearly a quarter mile.

若以很快的速度射出 射程可达四分之一英里

In the history of mankind,

在人类历史上

this was really the first time that mass productions

这是大规模生产第一次

became so important as part of state building,

对一个国家的建立

empire building.

起着如此重要的作用

Easy to use, with just a few days' training,

弩使用简便 只需几天时间的训练

Foot soldiers become killing machines.

步兵就能成为杀人机器

重点讲解

1、transform

转换;改变;改造

Your metabolic rate is the speed at which your body transforms food into energy.

新陈代谢率是身体把食物转换为能量的速度。

Delegates also discussed transforming them from a guerrilla force into a regular army.

代表们还讨论了把他们从游击队武装改造为正规军的问题。

改善;使改观;使改头换面

The Minister said the Urban Development Corporation was now transforming the area.

部长声称城市开发公司如今正使该地区改头换面。

A cheap table can be transformed by an interesting cover

一块趣味盎然的桌布就能使一张廉价桌子面目一新。

2、weight

重量;分量;体重

What is your height and weight?

你的身高和体重是多少？

This reduced the weight of the load.

这减轻了负荷的重量。

过重；分量重

His weight was harming his health.

他体重过重，这有损他的健康。

Despite the vehicle's size and weight it is not difficult to drive.

尽管车子很大很重，但它一点都不难开。

权衡…的价值;加权重于

a computer program which weights the different transitions according to their likelihood.

根据可能性的大小对不同转换进行加权处理的电脑程序

This takes account of the number of countries in which a company wins approval for a new drug, weighted by the size of each country's market.

这考虑到了允许一家公司的新药在本国上市的国家的数量，并依照每个国家的市场规模权衡其重要性。

重要性;影响力

Consumers generally place more weight on negative information than on the positive when deciding what to buy.

消费者在决定要买什么东西的时候往往更重视负面消息，而不是正面消息。

the overwhelming weight Freud assigned parents in our development.

弗洛伊德认为父母在我们的成长过程中所起到的举足轻重的作用