英语六级必读美文039：巴黎圣母院

　　As a testament to the correlation between glorious spaces and heavenly thoughts, the Notre Dame de Paris has stood for 750 years as the apex of European religious architecture.

　　作为荣光之地与神圣思想互相关联的证明，巴黎圣母院至今已有750年的历史了它是欧洲宗教建筑登峰造极之作。

　　Seeking to liberate their creation from the sepulchral atmos of the plague-ridden medieval era, the Notre Dame architects conceived of a design more spacious than that of their predecessors. New developments in arched doorways and supports allowed for thinner outer walls and larger windows, including the famous Rose Windows on the

　　cathedrals north, south, and west sides.

　　寻求把他们的创作从中世纪黑死病蔓延的死寂气氛中摆脱出来，圣母院的建筑师们构思出比他们的前人更宽阔的设计。而拱形门道和支柱的崭新设计，为较薄的外墙和较大的窗户，包括教堂北、南、西三面著名的 蔷薇花瓣小圆窗 的建造作了准备。

　　The west window is 9.75 meters in diameter and depicts the infant Jesus surrounded by 16 prophets, 32 0ld Testament kings, and 32 high priests, in concentric circles. With the added light and color provided by these windows, the architects created an ethereal ambience with structural integrity.

　　西窗直径长9.75米，上面描绘了16位先知、旧约全书里的32位列王以及32位大祭司，他们呈同心圆围绕着襁褓中的耶稣。借助这些窗户呈现的光线和色彩，建筑师营造出了天境般的氛围，同时也兼顾了结构上的完整性。

　　Since its fundamental completion in 1250, the cathedral has borne witness to many of the significant events of European history, as well as bearing the scars ofits violent periods. It was the scene of the coronahon of Henry VI of England in 1430, and later, that of Mary, Queen of Scots. It survived attempted destruction during the French Revolution to witness the crowning of Napoleon and Josephine. Since then, the Notre Dame de Paris has survived two world wars, and it remains a symbol of European history and resilience.

　　于1250年基本竣工后，这座大教堂见证了欧洲历史上的许多重大事件，也在动荡时代留下了累累伤痕。它也是1430年英王亨利六世和其后苏格兰玛丽皇后加冕典礼举行的地方。它幸免于遭受法国大革命时期的蓄意破坏，才得以为拿破仑和约瑟芬的加冕做见证。此后，巴黎圣母院在两次世界大战中保存了下来，它依然是欧洲历史与复苏的象征。