我们的故事

Columbus thinks they're wrong,That the world is smaller than they realize

哥伦布认为他们错了 世界比他们想的要小

And it's quite easy to sail from Europe to China.

通过海陆很轻松就能从欧洲到达中国

When Columbus said, "Let's sail west,"

当哥伦布说"往西行"时

they had a picture of the Earth in their mind,

他们脑中浮现出一幅地球的景象

they said, "Are you crazy?" "No".

他们问"你疯了吗?" "没有"

For almost a decade,Columbus tries to finance his crazy scheme.

哥伦布花了近十年的时候 努力为他这次疯狂的计划筹措资金

He's turned down by the rulers of Portugal,Venice and Genoa.

葡萄牙 威尼斯和热亚那的统治者 都把他拒之门外

But the balance of power in Europe is changing...With the help of the gun.

但是在火枪的影响下 欧洲的势力平衡正发生变化

It hasn't stayed a Chinese secret.

火枪早已不是中国人的秘密了

Almost as soon as the Chinese had invented the first proper gun,

几乎中国人刚发明了第一把 趁手的火枪

within 40 years, this had spread all the way to Europe.

它就在四十年里传遍了整个欧洲大陆

No invention had ever moved as fast in the entire history of the world.

在整个世界历史中 没有哪一个发明能像这样传播得如此迅速

1486, southern Spain.

1486年 西班牙南部

130 years after the Red Turbans,Another rebel army fights for independence,

红巾军起义130年后 另一股叛军势力为独立揭竿而起

Using the latest in gun technology:The harquebus.

他们使用最新的火枪技术:火绳枪

重点讲解

1、turn down

拒绝(某人或其请求、提议等)

Before this I'd have smiled and turned her down.

在这之前，我本该笑着拒绝她。

I thanked him for the offer but turned it down

我谢绝了他的提议。

动词关小;调低

He kept turning the central heating down.

他不断调低中央暖气的温度。

She could not bear the relentless music and turned down the volume.

她受不了没完没了的音乐，就把音量调小了。

（比率）减少;（水平）降低

The divorce rate turned down in the 1950s.

20 世纪 50 年代离婚率下降了。

2、independence

(国家的)独立,自主

In 1816, Argentina declared its independence from Spain.

1816年,阿根廷宣布脱离西班牙正式独立。

the country's first elections since independence in 1962.

该国自 1962 年独立以来的首次选举

(人的)独立,自立

He was afraid of losing his independence.

他害怕失去自己的独立性。

a woman's independence, capability, and power.

一个女人的独立、能力与权力