Beginnings英国起源(1)-英语听力

[00:05.81]From its early stages,Britan was an objective desire. [00:22.41]Tacitus declared it "pretium victoriae" - worth the conquest,
塔西佗称其为"值得征服的土地"， [00:27.30]the best compliment that could occur to a Roman.
在罗马人眼中，这无疑是最高的赞誉。 [00:33.12]He'd never visited these shores,
他从未踏足这片土地， [00:34.72]but was nonetheless convinced that Britannia was rich in gold.
尽管如此他仍坚信不列颠尼亚是一个黄金夹道的富庶之地。 [00:42.61]Silver was abundant there, too.
同样取之不尽的还有白银 与珍珠， [00:44.51]Apparently so were pearls,
尽管塔西佗听说那里的珍珠 [00:46.40]although Tacitus had heard they were grey,
就像那里常年阴霾笼罩的天空一般灰暗， [00:48.92]like the overcast rain-heavy skies,
却盈千累万， [00:51.78]and the natives only bothered to collect them
当地人都不需费心采撷， [00:54.31]when they were cast up on the shore.
等着珍珠冲上岸就好。 [00:59.57]As far as the Roman historians were concerned,
古罗马历史学家曾认为， [01:01.72]Britannia might well be off the edge of the world,
不列颠尼亚远在世界之端。 [01:04.89]but it was off the edge of their world,
但事实上，她只是在罗马世界的边缘， [01:06.69]not in some howling, barbarian wilderness.
且并非未开化的蛮夷之地。 [01:09.90]If the same writers had been able to travel in time
假使这些作家可以穿越时空， [01:13.11]as well as space to the northernmost of our islands,
游历至不列颠最北端 [01:16.83]to the Orcades - our modern Orkney,
如今的奥克尼群岛， [01:19.51]they would have seen something much more astonishing than heaps of pearls
令他们瞠目结舌的将不仅是金山银海， [01:23.67]The unmistakable signs of a civilisation thousands of years older than Rome.
还有这里无疑早于罗马数千年的文明的遗迹