外研必修五Module4课文及翻译.docxVIP

Module 4 Carnival The Magic of the Mask Think of carnival, and you think of crowds, costumes, and confusion . 想到狂欢节你就会想到群众、服装和混乱。 The sounds and sights change from one country to another but the excitement is the same everywhere . 随着国家的变化听到的和看到的都是不同的，但是任何地方人们都是兴奋的。 “ Carnival ” comes from two Latin words, meaning “ no more meat “狂欢节 ”是由俩个拉丁词演变而来的，它的意思是 “不要吃肉 ”。  ” In Europe, where it began, carnival  was followed  by forty  days without  meat, as people prepared for  the Christian festival of Easter . 欧洲是狂欢节的发源地，在接近狂欢节的四十天里是不能吃肉的，人们准备迎接基督教的  “复活节 ’。 People saw Carnival as a last chance to have fun at the end of the winter season  . Having fun meant eating, drinking, and dressing up  . 人们把狂欢节做为冬天结束前最后的一个玩乐机会，尽情的吃喝玩了、打扮。 The most famous carnival in Europe was in Venice . 欧洲最著名的狂欢节是在威尼斯。 At the beginning, it lasted for just one day . People ate, drank, and wore masks. 刚开始的时候，狂欢节只持续了一天。人们会吃喝玩乐并且会带上面具。 As time passed, however, the carnival period was extended, so that it began just after Christmas . 随着时间的推移，狂欢节的时间被延长了，所以狂欢节在圣诞节过后就开始了。 For weeks on end people walked round the streets wearing masks, doing what they wanted without being recognised. 连续几个星期人们都会戴着面具在大街上四处走动，做他们想做的任何事并且不会被人们认出来。 Ordinary people could pretend to be rich and important, while famous people could have romantic adventures in secret. 普通人可以装扮成富有人和重要人物，然而有名的人可以密密的有一个浪漫的奇遇。 Many crimes went unpunished . The government realised that wearing masks had become a problem . 许多罪犯都不会被惩罚。政府意识到了戴面具成了一个问题了。 Their use was limited by laws, the first of which dates back to the fourteenth century . 面具的使用受到了法律的限制最早出现在十四世纪。 Men were not allowed to wear masks at night; and they were not allowed to dress up as women . 男人不允许在夜晚戴面具并且不被允许装扮成女性。 In later times more laws were passed . 在那以后有更多的法律出现了 People who wore masks could not carry firearms; and no one could enter a church wearing a mask . 戴面具的人不可以携带火器也不可以进入教堂。 If they broke the laws, they were put into prison for up to two years . 如果他们打破了这条法律，他们就会被关到监狱里长达两年的。