BBC英国史

The mainland too, of course, had its burial chambers,like the long barrow at West Kennet.

当然 在大陆上同样建有墓穴 诸如西坎奈特长墓

There were also the great stone circles,the largest at Avebury.

其他地方同样也有巨石圈 其中最大的在埃夫伯里

But the most spectacular of all at Stonehenge.

而最为壮丽的 当数史前巨石阵

By 1,000 BC,things were changing fast.

公元前1000年前后 这里发生着天翻地覆的变化

All over the British landscape,a protracted struggle for good land was taking place.

不列颠全境 进行着一场良田之争

Forests were cleared so that Iron Age Britain was not,

森林被夷为耕地 所以铁器时代的不列颠

as was once romantically imagined, an unbroken forest kingdom stretching from Cornwall to Inverness.

已并非曾经那个坚不可摧的森林帝国 领土自康奈尔绵延至因弗内斯

It was rather a patchwork of open fields,

更多的 是一片片广阔的田野

dotted here and there with woodland copses giving cover for game, especially wild pigs.

星罗棋布的丛林穿插其间 为像野猪一样的动物们提供了一片乐土

And it was a crowded island.

这还是一个拥挤的岛国

We now think that as many people lived on this land

现今普遍认为 当时这片土地上的人口

as during the reign of Elizabeth I, 2500 years later.

与2500年后伊丽莎白一世时期一样多

Some archaeologists believe that almost as much land was being farmed in the Iron Age as in 1914.

部分考古学家认为 铁器时代的耕地面积几乎与1914年一样多

So it's no surprise to see one spectacular difference from the little world of Skara Brae.

因此也就不必惊异于 斯卡拉布雷的这一奇特之处

Great windowless towers.

巨大的无窗石塔

They were built in the centuries before the Roman invasions,

罗马入侵数世纪前 它们就被筑造于此

when population pressure was most intense and farmers had growing need of protection,

因为当时正是人口压力最重之时 而农民也日益需要加强自我保护

first from the elements, but later from each other.

之前是为对抗自然 后来则是互相防范

词汇解析

1、struggle

奋力;努力;尽力

They had to struggle against all kinds of adversity.

他们不得不同一切困境做斗争。

Those who have lost their jobs struggle to pay their supermarket bills.

那些失业的人们想方设法以支付超市的账单。

搏斗;扭打

She screamed at him to 'stop it' as they struggled on the ground.

他们在地上扭打成一团，她向他尖叫着“别打了”。

We were struggling for the gun when it went off!

我们正在争夺那把枪，这时它突然走火了！

艰难地做;吃力地做

I could see the young boy struggling to free himself.

我看到小男孩正在奋力挣脱。

I struggled with my bags, desperately looking for a porter.

我提着行李艰难地走着，迫切地寻找着搬运工。

2、protection

保护；防护

Such a diet is widely believed to offer protection against a number of cancers.

这种饮食结构被广泛认为可以预防多种癌症。

It is clear that the primary duty of parents is to provide protection for our children.

很明显，父母的首要职责是为孩子们提供保护。

（保险单提供的）保险

The new policy is believed to be the first scheme to offer protection against an illness.

这份新的保险单被认为是首个承保疾病风险的保险方案。