字神帝國英語天地

 今日主題：Witches  女巫

 凱妃老師&派老師共同推薦：雅思聽力最好的課外教材：BBC
 康康精選雅思會考的主題，堅持每天精聽一定會進步的哦!!

 建議方法：
1. 先聽兩三遍 (不看文稿)
2. 再一句一句聽寫 (每句都要聽寫數遍，直到寫出85%以上的字)
3. 最後check文稿，看哪聽不出來，單字沒背過，還是發音不熟。
4. 堅持天天聽，就能每天進步哦。

 MP3音檔 (按右鍵可下載聽)：喜歡的同學，幫忙推或按讚哦~~
http://static.iyuba.com/sounds/minutes/13.mp3

 只有音檔怎夠，聽不懂地方，不用怕，康康幫你準備好中英文稿了：

 中英文稿：
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Michelle and joining me today is Neil.
歡迎來到6分鐘英語BBC英語學習欄目。我是蜜雪兒，今天參與我們節目的還有尼爾。
Hello there.
大家好。
Now it may be well past Halloween but our topic today is a tale of the strange and supernatural. We’re talking about witches. But before we start on our mysterious journey, I’ve got a quiz question for you Neil. Are you ready?
雖然現在萬聖節已經過去了，但我們今天的話題仍是一個奇異、超自然的事情。我們談談女巫。但在我們的神秘之旅開始之前，我有個測驗問題想提問尼爾。你準備好了嗎？
Yes come on then.
準備好了。
How many people across Europe do you think were executed for witchcraft that’s the practice of magic - between the years 1500 and 1800? Was it: a) 10,000 people b) 20,000 people c) 50,000 people
在1500年到1800年之間，在歐洲有多少人由於巫術而遭受處決呢？有：a)10000人b)20000人c)50000人
Well, you’d hope it was none of them really – that sounds awful to be executed for making magic. But let’s go with a) 10,000 because I hope it’s nobody really.
你應該希望答案都是錯誤的，的確由於巫術而遭受處決聽起來很可怕。我選擇a)10000吧，但我真希望沒有人因此受害。
OK, well you’ll find out the answer at the end of the programme. Our scene is set in Pendle Hill in the north-west of England. Engineers doing maintenance work there were extremely surprised to find the remains of a seventeenth century house, which some people believe may be linked to a group of witches.
好的，我們將在節目的最後公佈答案。我們的場景發生在位於英格蘭西北部的彭德爾山。在那裡做維修工作的工程師非常驚訝地發現了17世紀房子的殘骸，有些人認為這可能與一群女巫有關。
Yes, the Pendle witches were a group of people who were famously tried for murder for witchcraft in the seventeenth century. Ten of them were found guilty and they were hanged.
彭德爾女巫是一群在17世紀因謀殺罪受審的人們。十人被判有罪，並施以絞刑。
So Pendle Hill has strong links with witchcraft and folklore. And the history of the area remains a tourist attraction today.
所以彭德爾山與巫術和民間傳說有著密切的聯繫。此歷史遺跡現在仍是一個旅遊景點。
There’s even a special traffic sign warning witches not to fly low on their broomsticks or any faster than 30 miles per hour!
那裡甚至有一個特殊的交通標誌警示女巫們在掃把上飛的時候位置不要太低且速度不能超過每小時30英里！
And now some people think that the hidden cottage discovered by engineers may have belonged to one of the Pendle witches.
現在有些人認為這座被工程師發現的隱蔽小屋可能屬於一位彭德爾女巫。
But what’s the real story behind these people who were so treated unfairly – or persecuted - for being witches?
但是隱藏在這些遭遇迫害、並被如此不公平對待的人們背後真正的故事究竟是什麼？
Let’s listen to local tourist guide Simon Entwistle talking about the story behind the Pendle witches. What does he say was their real crime?
有請當地導遊西蒙•唐謝恩德為我們講述彭德爾女巫背後的故事。他認為真正的罪行是什麼？
Their only crime in life was to be poor really, and they would beg off local people. And if local people wouldn’t cough up any money, they would curse them and some of them actually believed they did in fact have witches’ powers. Ten villagers were hanged. Simon believes the house just dug up is where they’d met. For a historian tour guide like me, it’s like finding Tutankhamen’s tomb, it’s of such great significance.
他們真正的罪行是他們的貧窮，他們需要向當地人乞討。如果當地人不給他們錢，他們就會進行詛咒，他們中的一些人真的相信他們確實會巫術。十位村民被絞死。西蒙認為所挖出的房子就是他們的。對於一名像我這樣的歷史學家導遊，這就像是發現了圖塔卡蒙墓葬一樣有重大意義。
So did you catch what he said the witches’ only real crime was?
所以你聽清他所說的女巫的真正罪行了嗎？
Yes. He said their only real crime was to be poor.
是的。他說他們的真正罪行是貧窮。
So it’s a really sad story really isn’t it?
這真是一個很悲傷的故事。
The so-called witches may have begged people for money. And then if people didn’t give them any, they would curse them. This means to use supernatural powers to hurt someone.
所謂的女巫們可能曾向人們乞討。如果人們不給他們錢，他們便會施以詛咒。這便意味著使用超自然的力量去傷害別人。
Tourist guide Simon Entwistle said they would curse local people if they wouldn’t ‘cough up any money’.
導遊西蒙•唐謝恩德說如果當地人們不給他們錢，他們就會進行詛咒。
To cough up is a way of saying to produce something, normally money.
“cough up”是一種表達付出某種東西的方式，通常是指金錢。
But he certainly sounds very excited about the discovery of what could be a witches’ house. He even says that to him, it’s like finding Tutankhamen’s tomb!
但聽起來他因發現了可能是女巫的房子而異常興奮。他甚至說對他而言這就像是發現了圖坦卡蒙墓葬一樣！
And he might be right, because when an archaeologist was brought in, he found the bones of a cat which had apparently been mummified.
他或許是正確的，因為當一名考古學家過來的時候，他發現了已經成為木乃伊了的貓骨。
Mummification is a way the ancient Egyptians preserved a person’s, or in this case animal’s body, after they had died.
木乃伊是古埃及人保存人的屍體，或像這種情況下保存動物屍體的方式。
And even more strangely, the mummified cat was found hidden in one of the walls of the house.
更奇怪的是，木乃伊貓被發現隱藏在房子的外牆處。
And of course witches are often associated with magical animals, especially cats.
當然，女巫常常與神奇的動物相聯繫，尤其是貓。
Let’s hear from archaeologist Frank Giecco. Does he think that the evidence points to a witch having lived in the house centuries ago?
讓我們聽聽考古學家弗蘭克的解說。他是否認為這一證據表明數百年前曾有位女巫住在這座房子裡呢？
So here’s the cat, in all its glory. When an archaeologist was brought in, he found the remains of a mummified cat sealed into a wall. How old is that? Well the hallway was blocked about two hundred years ago, judging by the bricks in it. The building’s definitely going back to the 17th Century so that fits in with the period. But we’ve got no evidence to actually concrete connect this up with the witches; that’s just a stab in the dark.
這便是這只貓的榮耀了。當一名考古學家進來的時候，他在牆邊發現了隱藏的木乃伊貓遺骨。它有多少年了？從走廊上的磚推斷它大約被封鎖了200多年。這一建築物可以被清晰地追溯到17世紀，這也正與那個時代吻合。但我們沒有世紀證據將這與巫婆相聯繫，這只是個任意的猜測。
So what do you think Neil? Does it sound like there’s much evidence for the cottage having belonged to witches?
尼爾，你是怎樣認為的呢？他是說有很多證據可以證明那個小屋是屬於女巫的嗎？
Well, he said there’s no real evidence connecting the house to witches. But he did say that the building goes all the way back to the seventeenth century, which is around the time of the witches’ trial in Pendle Hill. And of course there’s that mummified cat found hidden in a wall. Very strange!
他說的是沒有真實證據證明小屋與女巫有聯繫。但他確實說這個建築可以追溯至17世紀，即在彭德爾山受到審判的女巫的時代附近。當然，還在一堵牆附近發現了隱藏的木乃伊貓。太奇怪了！
It all sounds very intriguing doesn’t it? But you’re right, the archaeologist thinks there’s no real evidence connecting the house to the Pendle witches. And he uses an interesting expression. He says it’s a stab in the dark, meaning it’s a guess or speculation.
這一切聽起來很耐人尋味不是嗎？但你是正確的，考古學家認為沒有真實證據證明這座房子與彭德爾女巫有關。他使用了一個有趣的表達方式。他使用“a stab in the dark”來表示猜想或是推測。
But whether the new discovery is connected to witches or not, Pendle Hill still has an eerie story to tell.
但無論新發現是否與女巫相關，彭德爾山都流傳著一個怪異的故事。
Absolutely. Now Neil it’s time to find out if you got your quiz question right. I asked you how many people across Europe were executed for witchcraft between 1500 and 1800? And what was your answer?
是的。尼爾，現在讓我們看看你的答案是否正確吧。我的問題是，在1500年到1800年之間，在歐洲有多少人由於巫術而遭受處決呢？你的答案是什麼呢？
I said a) 10,000.
我選擇的是a)10000。
Well, I can tell you that unfortunately you were wrong. The answer is c) 50,000 people, which is quite shocking really.
我可以告訴你不幸的是你錯了。答案是c)50000人，真的十分駭人聽聞。
That’s awful! 50,000!
太可怕了！50000!
Could you remind us of today’s words please Neil?
尼爾，你能提示一下今天我們節目中提及的詞彙嗎？
We had:
我們有：
supernatural 超自然的
witchcraft 巫術
tried for murder 因謀殺罪受審
folklore 民俗
persecuted 迫害
curse to 咒駡
cough up 拿出
a stab in the dark 猜測
eerie 怪誕的
Thanks very much Neil. And thank you for listening. Bye.
謝謝你，尼爾。感謝大家的收聽。再見。
Goodbye.
再見！