常用英语口语听力Topic222:宫廷传说 Tales of the Palace

故宫在美丽的建筑背后还有着非常悠久的历史和众多的宫廷传说，罗拉好像也有所了解，并且很感兴趣。这不，她和本杰明聊起了宫廷的传说。

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Laura: Uncle Ben. When was the Forbidden City built?

Benjamin: The construction began in 1407, the 5th year of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty. And, it was completed 14 years later in 1420.

Laura: Oh, it took such a long time.

Benjamin: Sure. That was why it became the world's largest palace complex.

Laura: It must be interesting to live in such a beautiful place.

Benjamin: Interesting? No, I'd rather say dangerous, for most of the people who used to live there.

Laura: Why? Were there any dangerous animals?

Benjamin: No. Well, except the royal family, most of the people were just maids. And the rules were extremely strict for them. One simple slight mistake could bring them death.

Laura: Oh, that's too bad! Luckily, it is just history. We are perfectly safe here. Look, here's a picture. Who is the lady in it?

Benjamin: It's Tzu Hsi. Have you ever heard of any stories about her?

Laura: Sure. I even read a book about her. Its name is “Dragon Lady”. The book tells many interesting stories about her.

Benjamin: “Dragon Lady”. That's an interesting and suitable name for her, a real dictator, powerful and cold-blooded.

Laura: Oh, there, they have costumes for photo shooting.

Benjamin: Wanna try? What do you want to be, the emperor, the queen, or the princess?

Laura: None of those. Just the “Dragon Lady”

Benjamin: Cool choice!

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罗拉：本叔叔，紫禁城什么时候建成的啊？

本杰明：它始建于1407年，也就是明朝第三任皇帝登基后的第五年。它是在14年后的1420年完工的。

罗拉：哦，花了那么长的时间啊。

本杰明：当然啊。这就是它成为世界上最大的皇宫建筑群的原因啊。

罗拉：住在这个美丽的地方一定是一件非常有趣的事情。

本杰明：有趣？不是的，对于大多数曾经在这里生活过的人来说，我宁愿说是危险的。

罗拉：为什么啊？这里以前有什么危险的动物吗？

本杰明：那倒没有。不过，除了皇族，大多数人都是仆人。管理他们的制度非常苛刻。一个小小的失误就可能给他们带来杀身之祸。

罗拉：哦，那太糟糕了。幸好，那只是历史。我们在这里绝对是安全的。看，这里有一幅画。那里面的女人是谁？

本杰明：她就是慈禧太后啊。你听说过有关她的故事吗？

罗拉：当然了。我还看过一本关于她的书呢，名字叫做《龙女》。那本书讲了很多关于她的有趣故事。

本杰明：《龙女》？对于她这样的独裁者，这倒是一个有趣并且贴切的名字，有权势又很冷酷。

罗拉：哦，那里，他们好像有供拍照用的戏服呢。

本杰明：想试试吗？你想当什么，皇帝、皇后还是公主啊？

罗拉：不想当那些，就想当“龙女”。

本杰明：很酷的选择嘛。