英语听力：探索发现 2012-09-05 爱尔兰的故事 Story Of Ireland—23

 Brian did not see himself as a king among equals but as high king of all Ireland, and with a mighty¹ army he set about trying to control the island. 

 

In the only statement of his that we know about, he describes himself as Imperator Scottorum, Emperor of the Irish. Imperator means a man who rules over many different peoples. And he saw himself as ruling equally over the Irish and the Vikings. He subjected Limerick to himself and made Limerick a dynastic capital. He subjected Cork² and Waterford to himself. Dublin was next on the list. 

 

In Dublin city hall, the legend of Brain is commemorated³ on the dome⁴. In the telling of Ireland’s story, he would become an icon⁵ of native resistance, the first nationalist hero--his soldiers, holy warriors⁶ who defeated a Viking invasion. But the truth is more complex. 

 

In 1014, after defeating the city of Waterford, Brian moved confront the Gaelic kingdom of Leinster and the Viking port of Dublin. Irish and Viking united in defense⁷ against Brian. They recruited Viking mercenaries from Britain. It’s thought Brian too had Vikings in his army. For both sides, Dublin was the glittering prize. 

 

The battle of Clontarf is not a battle between savage⁸ Vikings and the Irish. It’s not the saving of holy Ireland from the Pagans. It is a power struggle in which Brian Boru was finally going to get Dublin, because every king wanted to control the trading cities.

 

1 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

2 cork   

n.软木，软木塞

参考例句：

• We heard the pop of a cork.我们听见瓶塞砰的一声打开。
• Cork is a very buoyant material.软木是极易浮起的材料。

3 commemorated   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln commemorated the soldiers killed in the battle in his address. 林肯在演说中表扬阵亡将士。 来自辞典例句
• You'll be commemorated for killing a spy, and be specially discharged. 你们每杀一个间谍将会被记录到特殊档案。 来自电影对白

4 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

5 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

6 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。