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罗马圆形大剧场
罗马是繁荣历史的一个伟大见证，是艺术杰作的聚集地，它展现出了最完整的、无可匹敌的人类成就。罗马的瑰宝散发着永恒的大家气质，使它在全世界的众多城市中显得无与伦比。它壮丽雄伟的古代建筑与今天丰富的现代都市生活方式融合在一起，是形态与色彩、过去与现在、神圣与安全的和谐共存。
宏伟的弗拉维圆形大剧场，也称竞技场，是罗马永恒的象征，也是罗马帝国时期最伟大的纪念碑。由韦斯巴西安皇帝在公元72年开始建立，但是由他的儿子提图斯在八年后完成的。根据传统，用了四万名奴隶来修建圆形大剧场。庞大的剧场能容纳下大约五万名观众，瓦莱里安皇帝在中央支起的帆布天花篷恰到好处地起了遮阳的作用。剧场是用来做角斗表演和猎捕野兽的。通常剧场会按真实场景布置，以使残忍的表演更逼真，以唤起众多观众在观看时的激情，唤醒他们嗜血寻乐的性情。在进行角斗前要先行仪式向皇帝致敬。（意大利语）“恺撒万岁。臣子以死亡向您致敬！” 战败的人得到拇指朝下的手势。大剧场除了用做捕猎和角斗士之间格杀之外，也见证了无数基督殉难徒遭分尸的惨剧。
竞技场的演出用途到了公元608年才告结束。它在中世纪成为要塞，既而成为许多建筑的采石场。剧场肉眼可辨的孔眼是蓄意被破坏所为。凿孔为的是要拔出连接石块的金属镣铐。直到19世纪初期，破坏才被停止下来，教皇下令进行修整回复的工作。剧场的外圈完全是由石灰华建成的，高度将近有50米，分成四层，每层的壁柱间以拱门相连。八十道入口的拱门以罗马数字标出。该数字与观众手中所持的当季门票上的序列号是一致的。
注释:
1) witness n. 目击者，证人
2) artistic a. 艺术的
3) unmatchable a. 不能匹敌的
4) imposing a. 壮丽的
5) integrate into 使并入
6) metropolitan a. 主要都市的
7) symbiosis n. 共生现象
8) sacred a. 神圣的，庄严的
9) amphitheatre n. 圆形露天剧场
10) Vespasian韦斯巴西安，古罗马皇帝（69-79），弗拉维王朝创立者。
11) spectator n. 观众
12) Valerian即瓦莱里安（?-260），罗马皇帝。
13) multitude n. 多数
14) ritual a. 宗教仪式的
15) hail int. 万岁
16) martyr n. 殉难者
17) fortress n. 堡垒，要塞
18) successively adv. 接连着，继续地
19) vandalism n. 蓄意破坏艺术的行为
20) extract v. 拔出，榨取
21) metallic a. 金属的
22) bond n. 镣铐
23) travertine n. （矿）石灰华
24) pillage n. 掠夺
25) restoration n. 重建
26) Pope n. 罗马教皇
27) pilaster n. 壁柱
★★《2003年03月号-第39期-Disc01-11》★★
A Century of Memories (1910-1919)
Roosevelt's design included linking the Pacific and Atlantic oceans by building a canal through the 1)Isthmus of Panama in northern Columbia, construction of the era's 2)engineering wonder began in 1904. Alfred Bingham visited the canal site as a child.
"I can remember riding along in this car on the bottom of the canal, a lot of big machinery and a lot of trains going up and down taking the 3)diggings out. And there were marvelous big structures that were to be the locks."
"The building of the canal itself was the greatest engineering feat that had ever been done up to that time. It's all of the great power and technology and energy of this age 4)harnessed there."
Across the Atlantic in a Belfast 5)shipyard, another technological 6)marvel of the age was being completed -- the largest moving object ever made by man. The Titanic was said to be the fastest, most 7)luxurious and safest ocean liner the world had ever seen. On April 10, 1912, with more than 2,200 people on board, the ship left Southampton in England on its maiden voyage.
"My mother wanted to see the 8)purser before we went to our 9)cabin. Mother said to the purser, 'I am not one bit happy about going on the Titanic to New York City.' And the purser said, 'Why?' She said, 'Because the Titanic is new, it's never crossed an ocean,' and she said, 'I'm afraid something might happen.' And he said, 'Madam, nothing was going to happen, but if it does,' he said, 'the Titanic has 10)watertight 11)compartments that'll keep it up.'"
On its fifth day at sea, the Titanic received a series of radio warnings about icebergs ahead. The captain, Edward Smith, under pressure to make record time from his employer, the White Star Lines, ignored the messages and 12)proceeded at full speed. Shortly before midnight, Ruth Vecker and her mother were awakened by a cabin 13)steward.
"He said, 'The Titanic has struck an iceberg,' and he said, 'I want you to go back in your room, get your family ready and go on up to the boat deck and get in the lifeboats.' And mother says, 'Do we have time to dress?' And he says, 'No, madam, you have time for nothing.'"
The ship sank within 3 hours. In an era that had put such faith in technology, the Titanic would become a 14)stark 15)reminder of man's limitations.
In mid-August of 1914, Americans celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, a triumph of both technology and man's will over nature. An engineering feat as impressive as the pyramids, the canal would also become the symbol of America's entrance into the international 16)arena at a time when the world was becoming more dangerous. The tensions fed by an arms race and 17)rivalry among the major European powers finally came to a head in June of 1914 when 18)Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was 19)assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo.
"There was no reason why the assassination of Francis Ferdinand would signal the 20)collision of fundamental interests. It was a matter of choice, and that choice was made in Vienna and in Berlin to make it more than an assassination."
In late July with Germany's support, the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia. And within days, all the great powers of Europe bound by their various 21)alliances were at war with each other.
"I was at a camp, a boys camp, in New Hampshire in 1914 when war was declared, and it was a shock to a very peaceful world, but nobody took it too seriously. It was bad, of course, but it was also something that would be temporary and would not have a far-reaching effect."
But this war would be more catastrophic than any which had gone before, one in which technology, the engine of progress, would be used in the 22)slaughter of millions. A war that would sow greater hatred and result in far greater consequences than anyone could imagine in that summer of 1914.
光阴的故事（1910-1919年）
在罗斯福的设计下，经过哥伦比亚北部的巴拿马地峡修建起一条连接太平洋与大西洋的运河--建造始于1904年，是那个时代的工程奇观。阿尔弗雷德·宾汉姆在童年时期参观了巴拿马运河。
“我还记得当年开着这辆车沿着运河底走。有许多大机器还有很多火车在上上下下地搬运挖出来的泥。还有一些大得惊人的建筑做封锁用。”
“运河本身是到当时为止最了不起的一个工程壮举。一切最好的人力、科技和当时代的能量都被集中调用在这上面。”
在大西洋另一边的贝尔法斯特造船所，完成了另一个当时代的科技奇迹--一艘最大的人造移动船只。据说，铁达尼号是全球最快、最豪华、最安全的远洋客轮。1912年4月10日，铁达尼号搭载2,200多人驶离英国南安普顿，开始了首航。
“我们进船舱之前，妈妈去找事务长。妈妈对事务长说：‘乘铁达尼号去纽约，我一点也高兴不起来。’事务长问：‘为什么？’她说：‘因为铁达尼号是新船，它从没有越洋航行过，’她还说，‘我担心有什么意外。”他就说：“夫人，不会有事的，就算有事，’他说，‘铁达尼号上有严密的隔水设施，船不会沉。”
航行到第五天，铁达尼号接连收到无线电警告，说前方有冰山。船长爱德华·史密斯在他的雇主--白星航线公司--迫切希望打破行船记录的压力下，不顾警告而仍然全速行驶。午夜过后不久，露丝·威克和她母亲被一名船上服务生摇醒。
“他说：‘铁达尼号撞到冰山，’他说，‘我希望你们回房间去，让家人做好准备，然后到甲板上救生船。’妈妈问：‘我们还有时间穿衣服吗？’他说：‘不，夫人，你们什么时间也没有。’”
三小时后船沉没了。在对科技抱有极度信心的那个年代，铁达尼号为人类的局限性敲响了一道警钟。
1914年8月中，美国人为巴拿马运河开通而庆贺，该运河既是一个科技成功，也证明了人能胜天。巴拿马运河的工程壮举可与金字塔媲美，它也成为美国登上国际舞台的象征，当时全球局势危机四伏，愈演愈烈。1914年6月，奥匈帝国王储弗朗茨·斐迪南德大公在萨拉热窝被一名塞尔维亚民族主义者暗杀，终于使各欧洲大国之间因军事竞赛导致的紧张关系及敌对状态到达了极限。
“弗朗茨·斐迪南德被暗杀，毫无理由地成为根本利益冲突的导火线。那只是被选中的借口，地点被选在维也纳和柏林进行，事态被扩大得超出了暗杀范畴。”
七月底，在德国的支持下，奥匈帝国对塞尔维亚宣战。不出几日，所有的欧洲列强各自结盟开战。
“当时我在营地上--新汉普郡的童子营，那是1914年，战争开始了，扰乱了原本平静的世界，可并没人把此事看得很严重。人们觉得战争当然是坏事，可那不过是暂时性的，不会有什么长远影响。”
可这场战事远比过去的所有战争更惨烈，科技--人类进步的推动器--被利用来屠杀数以百万的人民。1914年夏季的这一场战争播下更多的仇恨，产生出人们想象不到的更严重的后果。
注释:
1) isthmus n. 地峡
2) engineering n. 工程
3) digging n. 挖掘物
4) harness v. 利用
5) shipyard n. 造船所
6) marvel n. 奇迹
7) luxurious a. 奢华的
8) purser n. 事务长
9) cabin n. 船舱
10) watertight a. 不透水的，防水的
11) compartment n. 间隔间，车厢
12) proceed v. 进行
13) steward n. 乘务员
14) stark a. 十足的
15) reminder n. 提醒，暗示
16) arena n. 舞台
17) rivalry n. 竞争，敌对状态
18) archduke n. 大公
19) assassinate v. 暗杀
20) collision n. 碰撞，冲突
21) alliance n. 联盟，联合
22) slaughter n. 屠杀
★★《2003年03月号-第39期-Disc01-12》★★
San Francisco
Vocal: Scott McKenzie
If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there
For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair
All across the nation, such a strange vibration
People in motion
There's a whole generation with a new explanation
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