BBC英国史

There was one emperor, Spanish by birth, who understood that even the world's biggest empire needed to know its limits.

一位西班牙血统皇帝深明 无论帝国疆域如何广阔 终有疆界

He of course was destined, in Britain at any rate, to be remembered by a wall.

在不列颠 他注定因一堵墙而流芳百世

When we think of Hadrian's Wall,we tend to think of the Romans rather like US cavalrymen deep in Indian country, defending the flag,

想到哈德良长城 我们自然会想到罗马人 如同深入印第安保卫国旗的美国骑兵

peering through the cracks and waiting nervously for war drums and smoke signals.

提心吊胆地等待着 战鼓与烽烟

A place where paranoia sweated from every stone.

所及之处 风声鹤唳 草木皆兵

It wasn't really like that at all.

但事实并非如此

As fantastically ambitious as this was,stretching 73 miles from coast to coast from the Solway to the Tyne,

它彰显着令人难以置信的雄心 绵延七十三英里 横贯东西海岸 西至索尔韦湾 东至泰恩河口

and though Hadrian probably conceived it in response to a rebellion

纵然哈德良筑此长城的初衷是抵御叛乱

on the part of those people in the Romans loftily referred to as "Brittunculi"--nasty wretched little Brits.

即一部分罗马人口中所指的 卑鄙下流的小不列颠人

Almost certainly, he didn't mean it as an impermeable barrier against barbarian onslaught from the north.

当然 他从未有意 将此作为抵御北方蛮族侵袭的坚实战壕

The wall was studded with milecastles and turrets and forts like this one at Housesteads.

长城上设有众多烽火台 炮塔 以及类似豪斯戴斯的堡垒

But as Britain settled down in the second century AD,

但当不列颠人于公元二世纪在此定居

these places became up-country hill stations more like social centres and business centres

这些地方便成为了远离喧嚣的避暑胜地 更像是社交与商业的中心

than really grim, heavily-manned barracks.

而非重兵驻扎的军营所在

So the purpose of these forts became not to prevent people going to and fro so much as to control and observe them.

所以这些堡垒的作用就变为 并非用于阻止人们穿行 而更大程度上起到了监控作用

The forts in particular,became a place where a kind of customs scam was imposed on those trying to do business on one side or the other.

这些堡垒的作用 就成了对往来其间的商人 收取赋税的关卡

It's better to think of the wall not so much as a fence but rather a spine around which control of northern Britain toughened, hardened and prospered.

与其说这是防护墙 不如说是一条中枢脊柱 控制着顽强 坚韧与繁荣的不列颠北部

词汇解析

1、conceive

想象;相信

I just can't even conceive of that quantity of money.

那么多钱，我根本都无法想象。

He was immensely ambitious but unable to conceive of winning power for himself.

他雄心勃勃，但是想不出自己能如何赢得权力。

认为

The ancients conceived the earth as afloat in water.

古人认为地球飘浮在水里。

We conceive of the family as being in a constant state of change.

我们认为家庭处于不断变化之中。

构思;设想;想出

She had conceived the idea of a series of novels.

她萌生出撰写系列小说的想法。

He conceived of the first truly portable computer in 1968.

1968年，他构想出第一台真正的便携式计算机。

2、impose

强制实行;强加

Britain imposed fines on airlines which bring in passengers without proper papers.

英国会对运载证件不齐全的乘客进入国内的航空公司课以罚款。

Many companies have imposed a pay freeze.

许多公司已经强制冻结了工资。

使遭受，使承受(压力、痛苦等)

The filming imposed an additional strain on her.

拍摄任务使她承受了格外大的压力。

the pressures imposed upon teachers by ceaseless curriculum reforms.

无休止的课程改革使教师承受的压力