用英语说中国商朝
学习英语的方法很多，掌握好方法自然能提高自己的英语水平。小编在此献上用英语来了解中国的文化，希望大家喜欢。
用英语说中国商朝：General 概况
Thousands of archaeological finds in the Huang He, Henan Valley, the apparent cradle of Chinese civilization----provide evidence about the Shang dynasty, which endured roughly from 1700 to 1027 B.C.
上千起在中国文明的摇篮——黄河河南流域的考古发现为商朝(大约从公元前1700年持续到公元前1027年)提供了证据。
The Shang dynasty (also called the Yin dynasty in its later stages) is believed to have been founded by a rebel leader who overthrew the last Xia ruler.
据信，商朝(在其后期也被称为商殷)是由一个造反的领袖推翻了夏朝的最后一任统治者而建立的。
Its civilization was based on agriculture, augmented by hunting and animal husbandry.
它的文明以农业为基础，以打猎和动物饲养而扩大。
Two important events of the period were the development of a writing system, as revealed in archaic Chinese inscriptions found on tortoise shells and flat cattle bones (commonly called oracle bones or ),
这段时期有两大重要事件，一个是文字系统的发展，表现为在乌龟壳和凭证的牛骨上发现的古老的中国文字(一般称为甲骨文)，
and the use of bronze metallurgy.
另一个是青铜冶金的使用。
A number of ceremonial bronze vessels with inscriptions date from the Shang period;
很多在庆典上使用的刻有铭文的青铜器皿都源于商朝。
The workmanship on the bronzes attests to a high level of civilization.
对于青铜器的技艺证实了其文明水平之高。
用英语说中国商朝：Political History 政治状况
The Shang Dynasty was the second monarchical state in Chinese history.
商朝是中国历史上第二个君主制国家。
Tang, the founder of Shang, having drawn lessons from the ruin of the previous dynasty,
汤——商朝的创立者，从前朝的覆灭中吸取了教训，
treated his people benevolently and employed many able and virtuous ministers.
仁慈地对待他的臣民，并任用有能力且有德行的官员。
The Shang made great progresses in its economy during the reign of Tang.
商朝在汤在位期间在其经济上取得了长足的进步。
While, due to political struggle for power in the imperial court and continuous wars with frontier tribes, Shang state moved its capital five times.
同时，由于朝廷内对于权力的政治斗争和与外部的不断战争，商朝曾五次迁都。
The most notable move was during the reign of King Pangeng, the seventeenth king of the Shang.
其中最著名的一次是在盘庚——商朝的第十七任君主在位期间。
He reestablished the capital at Yin, in the neighborhood of present Xiaotuncun, in Anyang City of Henan Province.
他将都城重新迁回殷，也就是今天的河南省安阳市小屯村附近。
The new capital contributed a lot to the stable government of the Shang Dynasty afterwards.
新的都城后来对于商朝政府的稳定起到了很大作用。
Once the successful new capital was established, it did not change throughout the remainder of the Shang Dynasty.
新都一旦确立，商朝就再也没有改变过都城。
Therefore, the Shang Dynasty is often called “the Yin” or “the Yin-Shang Dynasty”.
所以，商朝常常被称为“殷”或是“殷商”。
Another renowned Shang ruler was Wuding, the nephew of Pangeng.
商朝另一个著名的君主是盘庚的侄子，武丁。
He was an aspirant and benevolent king and always endeavored to make his kingdom strong.
他是一个有抱负的人也是一个仁慈地君主，他总是致力于让国家更加强大。
Under his leadership, the empire of Shang made great achievements in its economy, which laid a foundation for the continuous development of following dynasties.
在他的领导下，商朝在经济上取得累累硕果，这也为之后的朝代奠定了基础。
用英语说中国商朝：Economy and Society 社会与经济
From the findings on the site of Yin, the capital city of the Shang, archeologists found out that the productivity of the Shang Dynasty reached a relatively high level even during the former period.
从商朝都城殷的遗址所发现的东西看来，考古学家们发现商朝的生产力在其前期就已经但到了一个相对高的水平。
As far as agriculture was concerned, farm implements had been improved.
就农业而言，农耕工具已经得到改进。石犁、铁锹和镰刀被广泛运用。基本的作物包括粟和小麦。
Stone ploughs; spades and sickles were widely used. The primary crops included millet and wheat.
更重要的是，商朝的青铜器皿制造空前繁荣。
More important, the Shang Dynasty thrived in the manufacture of bronze vessels.
青铜器的历史在中国始于公元前3000年，在公元前13世纪左右达到顶峰。
Bronze culture has appeared in China before 3000 BC and achieved its zenith around the 13th century B.C.
青铜制品不仅影响着人们的日常生活还影响着国家的武器装备。
Bronze objects affected not only people’s daily life but the arms of the state.
它的广泛使用使商朝在政治、经济、文化和艺术方面取得了空前的成就。
Its wide use enabled unprecedented accomplishments of the Shang Dynasty in politics, economy, culture and art.
在武丁执政期间，铜、铅、锡合金的出现是一个里程碑。
In the reign of King Wuding, the landmark was the appearance of an alloy of copper, lead and tin.
人们大量生产青铜器。
Bronzewares were under mass production.
它们主要被分为两类：烹饪器皿和盛酒的容器。
They fell mainly into two classifications ： cooking vessels and alcohol containers.
在它们之中，司母戊鼎是最著名的工艺品，它重达732.84公斤，是世界上最大的青铜器。
Among them，the famous works of art include simuwu quadripod， which is 732.84kg in weight as the largest bronzeware ever found anywhere in the world.
它是献给商朝君主已故母亲的礼物。
It was made in tribute to the deceased mother of Shang king.
另外一个是四边都有山羊的一个盛酒的容器。
Another is a wine container that has four goats resting on its rim.
商朝标志着青铜时代的到来。
The Shang Dynasty marked the coming of Bronze Age.
在同一时期，其他工业也取得了很大的发展，
At the same time, great development came about in other industries as well.
手工业上，手工的操作被划分的更加精细。
In handicraft, the operation went under much subtler division of labor.
记载显示那时的手工业已有100种线存在。
It was recorded that a hundred lines emerged in handicraft at that time.
商朝的工匠们需要掌握镶嵌、打磨和华美装饰他们的玉制品、石器和象牙制品的技能。
Shang craftsmen acquired the skill of inlaying and carving and had their jade wares, stone wares and ivory wares brilliantly decorated.
纺织品工人发明了简单的提花织机，用这种织机可以织出高质量的带有隐藏图案的丝织品。
Textile workers invented the simple jacquard loom, which could produce high-quality silk fabric with a hidden pattern.
除此之外，商朝人民在医学、交通和天文学上也取得了巨大的进步。
Additionally, the Shang people also made significant progress in medicine, transportation and astronomy.
在这段时期，重要的事件由甲骨文记录在龟壳和动物骨头上，这是中国已知的最古老的文字交流。
During this period, important events were recorded on tortoise shell and animal bone using Oracle Script, which is the oldest known Chinese form of written communication.
祭祖的传统在中国有了很长的历史。
The tradition of ancestral worship has a long history in China.
考古学家们发现甚至在史前时期(公元前1700000年到公元前21世纪)祭祖就在被实行。
Archeologists have found it was practiced even in Prehistoric Times (1.7 million years to the 21st century B.C.).
随着农业的出现，人们怀着求得对作物来说的好天气而祭天。
With the emergence of farming，people worshipped the heaven in hope of favorable weather for crops.
另一种祭祀方式是祭祖，也被称为鬼魂崇拜。
It actually was a kind of nature worship.
人们为祖先供奉祭品，祈求祖先的保佑。
Another kind of worship was ancestor worship, also called soul worship.
从夏朝开始，君主被赋予了至高无上的权力。
People offered sacrifice to their ancestor, praying for blessings bestowed by their ancestors.
为了守护他的权力，君主会将祭祖与祭天结合起来，创造一个神或天庭，宣称自己是上天的代表和在凡间的后代。
From the Xia Dynasty onwards, Kings were endowed with supreme authority.
在商朝，奴隶制度盛行。
In order to secure his power, the king combined ancestral worship and nature worship to create the God or the Heaven, and proclaimed himself the agent or the descendent of the God.
贵族享受着荣华富贵，奴隶却过着狗一样的生活。奴隶属于他们的主人。
In the Shang Dynasty, slavery system prevailed.
当奴隶主去世之后，奴隶会被活埋，与牺牲一起作为活人祭品。
The aristocrats enjoyed all the luxuries while the slaves lived a dog's life. They belonged to their lord.
After the slave owner died, the slaves were often buried alive as human sacrifice together with animal offerings.
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