故宫在美丽的建筑背后还有着非常悠久的历史和众多的宫廷传说，罗拉好像也有所了解，并且很感兴趣。这不，她和本杰明聊起了宫廷的传说。

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Laura: Uncle Ben. When was the Forbidden City built?

Benjamin: The construction began in 1407, the 5th year of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty. And, it was completed 14 years later in 1420.

Laura: Oh, it took such a long time.

Benjamin: Sure. That was why it became the world's largest palace complex.

Laura: It must be interesting to live in such a beautiful place.

Benjamin: Interesting? No, I'd rather say dangerous, for most of the people who used to live there.

Laura: Why? Were there any dangerous animals?

Benjamin: No. Well, except the royal family, most of the people were just maids. And the rules were extremely strict for them. One simple slight mistake could bring them death.

Laura: Oh, that's too bad! Luckily, it is just history. We are perfectly safe here. Look, here's a picture. Who is the lady in it?

Benjamin: It's Tzu Hsi. Have you ever heard of any stories about her?

Laura: Sure. I even read a book about her. Its name is “Dragon Lady”. The book tells many interesting stories about her.

Benjamin: “Dragon Lady”. That's an interesting and suitable name for her, a real dictator, powerful and cold-blooded.

Laura: Oh, there, they have costumes for photo shooting.

Benjamin: Wanna try? What do you want to be, the emperor, the queen, or the princess?

Laura: None of those. Just the “Dragon Lady”

Benjamin: Cool choice!

听看学
罗拉：本叔叔，紫禁城什么时候建成的啊？

本杰明：它始建于1407年，也就是明朝第三任皇帝登基后的第五年。它是在14年后的1420年完工的。

罗拉：哦，花了那么长的时间啊。

本杰明：当然啊。这就是它成为世界上最大的皇宫建筑群的原因啊。

罗拉：住在这个美丽的地方一定是一件非常有趣的事情。

本杰明：有趣？不是的，对于大多数曾经在这里生活过的人来说，我宁愿说是危险的。

罗拉：为什么啊？这里以前有什么危险的动物吗？

本杰明：那倒没有。不过，除了皇族，大多数人都是仆人。管理他们的制度非常苛刻。一个小小的失误就可能给他们带来杀身之祸。

罗拉：哦，那太糟糕了。幸好，那只是历史。我们在这里绝对是安全的。看，这里有一幅画。那里面的女人是谁？

本杰明：她就是慈禧太后啊。你听说过有关她的故事吗？

罗拉：当然了。我还看过一本关于她的书呢，名字叫做《龙女》。那本书讲了很多关于她的有趣故事。

本杰明：《龙女》？对于她这样的独裁者，这倒是一个有趣并且贴切的名字，有权势又很冷酷。

罗拉：哦，那里，他们好像有供拍照用的戏服呢。

本杰明：想试试吗？你想当什么，皇帝、皇后还是公主啊？

罗拉：不想当那些，就想当“龙女”。

本杰明：很酷的选择嘛。

经典背诵 Recitation
Benjamin: The Forbidden City has a long history. The construction of it started in 1407, the 5th year of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty. And, it was completed 14 years later in 1420. It's the world's largest palace complex. One of the most famous people who used to live in this place was Tzu His. There is a book about her named “Dragon Lady”. It must be an interesting book.

生词小结
complex n. 综合建筑群

perfectly adv. 完全地

dictator n. 独裁者

cold-blooded adj. 冷血的

语素 Material
The People's Princess

On July the 29th ,1981, 19 year-old Diana married Charles, the Prince of England. It was definitely a fairytale wedding, and everything looked perfect. However, the royal palace was not a real dream home for her. Diana was very unhappy in her marriage. Finally, they got divorced in 1996, and Diana's life ended tragically in a car crash in France on August the 31th, 1997. But, the public loved her, and she would live in people's hearts forever.

大众的王妃

1981年7月29日，19岁的戴安娜与英国王子查尔斯结婚。那绝对是一场童话般的婚礼，一切看上去都是完美的。然而，皇宫并不是戴安娜理想的家园。戴安娜的婚姻生活并不幸福。他们最终在1996年离婚了。更为可叹的是，1997年8月31日，戴安娜在法国丧生于一场车祸中。但民众爱她，她也将永远活在人们的心中。

Julius Caesar

“I came; I saw; I conquered.” These were the words of the man who changed the course of Greco-Roman history. Julius Caesar was born in Rome on July 12 or 13, in the year 100 B.C. His father died when he was 16 year old. During his political life, he was famous for his wisdom and fighting fit. He obtained distinction for himself and his family. But he was murdered on March 15, 44 B.C., after which Rome experienced 13 years of civil war.

凯撒大帝

“我来了，我看到了，我胜利了。” 这是那个改变了希腊罗马历史进程的人所说过的话。凯撒大帝在公元前100年7月12或13日出生于罗马。他的父亲在他16岁那年去世了。在他的政治生涯中，他因其智慧和善战而闻名于世。他也为自己和家族赢得了荣誉。但他在公元前44年3月15日被谋杀，在那之后罗马经历了长达13年的内战。