English News – Fire on Cathedral of Notre-Dame

English News - Fire on Cathedral of Notre-Dame

Reading English News is good for intermediate English students, this is the biggest news in these days!

卡西莫多失去了心爱的姑娘,终究也失去了他心爱的钟楼。

当地时间15日下午6点50分左右,法国巴黎圣母院发生严重火灾,塔尖已倒塌,主体结构和两座标志性的塔楼所幸在大火中保存完好。

A major fire has engulfed the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, one of France’s most famous landmarks.

一场大火吞噬了建于中世纪的巴黎圣母院,这里是法国最著名的地标式建筑之一。

The 850-year-old Gothic building’s spire and roof have collapsed but the main structure, including the two bell towers, has been saved, officials say.

法国官方表示,这座已有850年历史的哥特式建筑的塔尖和屋顶已经倒塌,但包括两个钟楼在内的主体结构保存了下来。

spire [spaɪə]:n. [建]尖顶;尖塔

 玫瑰花窗。图片来源:新浪微博 《卫报》称,有未经证实的消息称,三扇玫瑰花窗因高温而炸毁。不幸中的万幸是,巴黎圣母院里最重要的文物都在大火中被抢救出来了!

据法国媒体Franceinfo报道,当地时间15日晚,巴黎圣母院主教帕特里克·肖维(Patrick Chauvet)表示,圣母院内最重要的文物——耶稣受难荆棘冠(Couronne d‘epine)已经被成功抢救出来。

 耶稣受难荆棘冠。图片来源:新浪微博 

Franceinfo报道称,除了荆棘冠,路易九世的一件长袍也已被成功抢救。“这两者对天主教徒来说非常重要,是在这场疯狂的悲剧中一个令人安慰的消息。”主教帕特里克·肖维说。

President Emmanuel Macron called it a “terrible tragedy”. The cause of the fire is not yet clear.

法国总统埃马纽埃尔·马克龙称之为“可怕的悲剧”。目前起火原因尚不清楚。

Officials say it could be linked to the renovation work that began after cracks appeared in the stone, sparking fears the structure could become unstable.

官方表示,起火可能与修缮工程有关,之前巴黎圣母院的石材出现裂缝,人们担心结构变得不稳。

Paris prosecutor’s office said it had opened an inquiry into “accidental destruction by fire”. A firefighter was seriously injured while tackling the blaze.

巴黎检察官办公室称,已经对“火灾导致的意外毁坏”展开调查。一名消防员在救火中严重受伤。

人们在祷告,在流泪,马克龙宣布要重建

Thousands of people gathered in the streets around the cathedral, observing the flames in silence. Some could be seen openly weeping, while others sang hymns or said prayers.

数千名民众聚集在巴黎圣母院附近的街道上,默默地看着熊熊燃起的烈火。一些人在哭泣,还有一些人在唱圣诗或祷告。

hymn [hɪm]:n.赞美诗;圣歌

 图片来源:推特 Several churches around Paris rang their bells in response to the blaze, which happened as Catholics celebrate Holy Week.

巴黎的数座教堂鸣钟表达人们对火灾的悲痛心情。本周,天主教徒正在庆祝圣周(复活节前的一周)。

Because of the fire, Mr Macron cancelled a speech on TV in which he was due to address the street protests that have rocked France for months.

由于这场火灾,马克龙取消了原定的电视讲话,他原本将对街头抗议者发表讲话,这次抗议活动已持续数月。

Visiting the scene, the president said the cathedral was a building “for all French people”, including those who had never been there.

马克龙在火灾现场说,巴黎圣母院是“所有法国人民”的建筑,不管是否到访过。

Visibly emotional, Mr Macron said the “worst had been avoided” and vowed to launch an international fundraising scheme to rebuild the cathedral.

马克龙非常激动地说,“已经避免了最坏情况的发生”,并决心展开国际筹款计划,重建巴黎圣母院。

“We’ll rebuild Notre-Dame together”, he said as he praised the “extreme courage” and “professionalism” of the firefighters.

他说:“我们将重建整个巴黎圣母院”。他还赞扬了消防员“巨大的勇气”和“专业精神”。

国内网友们也纷纷在社交媒体表达惋惜之情。

没有什么比巴黎圣母院更能代表法国

巴黎圣母院(法语:Notre-Dame de Paris),正式名称为巴黎圣母主教座堂(Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris),是位于法国巴黎西堤岛的天主教教堂,也是天主教巴黎总教区的主教座堂,约建造于1163年到1250年间。后因雨果的著作《巴黎圣母院》而闻名世界。

巴黎圣母院1345年全部建成,历时180多年,距今800多年了。

这座哥特式风格教堂,矗立在塞纳河畔,位于整个巴黎城的中心,不仅是古老巴黎的象征,也是全人类文明的象征。

 No other site represents France quite like Notre-Dame. Its main rival as a national symbol, the Eiffel Tower, is little more than a century old. Notre-Dame has stood tall above Paris since the 1200s.

巴黎圣母院最能代表法国,其作为国家象征的主要“竞争对手”埃菲尔铁塔只有100多年历史,而巴黎圣母院早在13世纪就屹立在巴黎了。

It has given its name to one of the country’s literary masterpieces. Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is known to the French simply as Notre-Dame de Paris.

它因法国的一部文学名著而闻名于世。雨果所著的《钟楼怪人》常被法国人简称为《巴黎圣母院》。

The last time the cathedral suffered major damage was during the French Revolution. It survived two world wars largely unscathed.

上次巴黎圣母院严重受损是在法国大革命时期。它历经两次世界大战,完好保留了下来。

unscathed[ʌn’skeɪðd]:adj.未受伤的

 Watching such an embodiment of the permanence of a nation burn and its spire collapse is profoundly shocking to any French person.

对任何一个法国人来说,眼看着国家持久的象征被火海吞噬、塔尖倒塌都令人震惊不已。

【小知识:巴黎圣母院】

The church receives almost 13 million visitors each year, more than the Eiffel Tower

巴黎圣母院每年接待近1300万游客,高于埃菲尔铁塔的游客量。

A Unesco World Heritage site, it was built in the 12th and 13th centuries

这里是联合国教科文组织世界遗产地,始建于12世纪到13世纪。

Several statues of the facade of the Catholic cathedral were removed for renovation

巴黎圣母院正面的几座雕像因修缮工程而被移走。

The roof, which has been destroyed by the blaze, was made mostly of wood

被大火烧毁的屋顶主要是木制结构。

国际各界纷纷表达悲痛心情

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has offered her support to the people of France, calling Notre-Dame a “symbol of French and European culture”.

德国总理安格拉•默克尔对法国人民表达了支持,称巴黎圣母院是“法国和欧洲文化的象征”。

UK Prime Minister Theresa May said in a tweet: “My thoughts are with the people of France tonight and with the emergency services who are fighting the terrible blaze at Notre-Dame cathedral”.

英国首相特蕾莎•梅在推特中写道:“今晚,我的心与法国人民同在,与在巴黎圣母院为灭火而战斗的消防员同在。”

Also on Twitter, US President Donald Trump said it was of course “horrible to watch” the fire and suggested that “flying water tankers” could be used to extinguish the blaze.

美国总统唐纳德•特朗普在推特上写道,看到巴黎圣母院着火“太可怕了”,还建议空中洒水灭火。

water tanker:洒水车;供水消防车

In an apparent response, the French Civil Security service said that was not an option as it might result in the collapse of the entire building.

法国民事安全部门对此回应称,不能进行空中洒水,因为这可能导致整座建筑倒塌。

 “时间和人使这些卓绝的艺术遭受了什么样的摧残?关于这一切,关于古老的高卢历史,关于整个哥特式艺术,现在还有什么存留给我们呢?”

——雨果 《巴黎圣母院》

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