英语听力：探索发现 2012-08-19 爱尔兰的故事 Story Of Ireland—16

 Irish monks² would carry their Gospel across the seas. Men like Brendan the Voyager, 

 

Colum Cille in the Irish kingdom of Dal Riata in Scotland, or Aidain at Lindisfarne in Northumbria.

 

“Now”, the Lord had said, “Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee.”

 

The words of Abraham, from the Old Testament³, and they would echo in the minds of Irish monks. At their heart, a simple concept, in the Latin potior peregrinatio, a lifelong pilgrimage for Christ. And it would bring some of those Irish clergy⁴ here to the lands at the heart of the old Roman Empire.

 

The monks arriving in northern Italy in 613 had already established monasteries⁵ in Gaul. Their zeal⁶ persuaded the powerful king of the Lombards to offer them land at Bobbio, in the Apennines. These Irish churchmen brought their own version of Christianity. They were told to avoid earthly temptation and Church power. “Fear women and bishops⁷”, their leader said. 

 

He was austere⁸ and querulous and a fierce disciplinarian. His name was Columbanus. It meant ''dove''- But this reforming Irish monk¹ railed against the abuse of power, sparing neither clergy nor princes from his censure⁹. Columbanus even had the temerity¹⁰ to confront the Pope. It was a complex dispute about the dating of Easter. 

 

To Columbanus, it wasn't simply spiritual pedantics, he felt he was standing¹¹ up for something he truly believed in. And when the Gallic bishops summoned him to account for himself, he simply refused to go. He saw them as an elite¹², ministering only to the chosen few.

1 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

2 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

4 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

5 monasteries   

修道院( monastery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In ancient China, there were lots of monasteries. 在古时候，中国有许多寺院。
• The Negev became a religious center with many monasteries and churches. 内格夫成为许多庙宇和教堂的宗教中心。

6 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

7 bishops   

（基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象

参考例句：

• Each player has two bishops at the start of the game. 棋赛开始时，每名棋手有两只象。
• "Only sheriffs and bishops and rich people and kings, and such like. “他劫富济贫，抢的都是郡长、主教、国王之类的富人。

8 austere   

adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的

参考例句：

• His way of life is rather austere.他的生活方式相当简朴。
• The room was furnished in austere style.这间屋子的陈设都很简单朴素。

9 censure   

v./n.责备；非难；责难

参考例句：

• You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
• His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。

10 temerity   

n.鲁莽，冒失

参考例句：

• He had the temerity to ask for higher wages after only a day's work.只工作了一天，他就蛮不讲理地要求增加工资。
• Tins took some temerity,but it was fruitless.这件事做得有点莽撞，但结果还是无用。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。