BBC英国史

There was young Henry, officially the next king of England,

首先是小亨利 英格兰的法定继承人

but in reality still having to apply to his father for pocket money.

事实上仍是寄人篱下 衣食住行还得靠其父

He rebelled, only to end up dying of dysentery.

他参与了叛变 最终却死于痢疾

Then there was Geoffrey, as bright and devious as his namesake grandfather,

其次是杰弗里 继承了祖父之名 同时也继承了其才智和诡计多端

given Brittany,but then trampled to death by a horse.

封地为布列塔尼 却死于马蹄的践踏之下

This left Richard Coeur De Lion, the Lionheart,physically brave, chivalrous and brutally ambitious.

接着是狮心王理查 鲁莽勇敢 仗义行侠 野心勃勃

And the youngest, John. Vindictive, self-serving,but undoubtedly clever.

最后是幺子约翰 心胸狭窄 自私自利 却无疑地相当聪明

Henry saw in him perhaps the only prince who could properly inherit the government.

在亨利看来 也许只有他 才是继承王位的合适人选

Between them Richard and John managed to undo, in their own spectacular ways,

理查和约翰各自以令人惊叹的方式

not only the prospects of the kingdom,but, in the space of 15 years,the entire empire their father had so skilfully constructed.

不仅瓦解了王国的未来 还毁掉了其父花费十五年 而精心建造的帝国

It was on Richard that Eleanor pinned her hopes.

埃莉诺寄希望于理查

She was even prepared to go as far as to encourage an alliance between Richard and her husband's bitterest enemy, the king of France.

她甚至准备鼓动理查 与其丈夫的死敌法国结盟

So, in 1189, Richard declared war on his father.

1189年 理查向他的父亲宣战

This time, Henry faced defeat,forced to watch as his barons defected to Richard.

这一次 亨利遭到了失败 被迫看着自己的贵族倒戈向理查

The beleaguered Henry had no choice but to negotiate and agree terms which humbled him before his own son.

腹背受敌的亨利别无选择 只能屈膝向自己的亲生儿子妥协

词汇解析

1、manage

管理;经营;掌管

Within two years he was managing the store.

不出两年他就开始管理这家店了。

Most factories in the area are obsolete and badly managed.

这个地区的绝大多数工厂都十分陈旧，经营状况也非常糟糕。

谨慎地使用，好好地利用(时间、金钱等)

In a busy world, managing your time is increasingly important.

在忙碌的世界里，善于利用时间变得越来越重要。

Josh expects me to manage all the household expenses on very little.

乔希指望我对每笔家庭支出都精打细算。

设法做到;成功完成

Somehow, he'd managed to persuade Kay to buy one for him.

不知用了什么方法，他成功说服凯给他买了一个。

I managed to pull myself up onto a wet, sloping ledge.

我终于爬上了一块潮湿倾斜的暗礁。

2、construct

建筑;建造;修建

The French constructed a series of fortresses from Dunkirk on the Channel coast to Douai.

法国人在从敦克尔刻到杜埃的英吉利海峡沿岸修筑了一系列要塞。

The boxes should be constructed from rough-sawn timber.

这些箱子应该用粗锯木料来做。

构想，构筑，构思(思想、作品、体系等)

You will find it difficult to construct a spending plan without first recording your spending.

你会发现不先把自己的开销记录下来就很难制订支出计划。

He eventually constructed a business empire which ran to Thailand and Singapore.

他最终构筑起了一个延伸至泰国和新加坡的商业帝国。

复杂的构想(或思想);观念

the underlying constructs (beliefs, philosophy, etc.) which influence action and behaviour.

影响行动和行为的根本思想(信仰、处世哲学等)

It was a re-enactment of the same mental construct under which slavery was justified.

这是为奴隶制辩护的同一思想观念的再现。