Castles

Castles

城堡

Why did people build castles? Rich people built castles so they would have somewhere safe to live. Many castles in Britain were built between the years 1066 and 1400.

人们为什么要建造城堡呢？ 有钱人建造城堡，是为了有一个安全的居所。 英国的很多城堡都建于1066年到1400年之间。

Where were castles built? People built most castles on hills or near the sea. It was difficult for enemies to attack up steep hills or from the water. People built castles where it was easy to defend them. People piled up earths and stones where there were no hills or sea. They dug moats and filled them with water.

城堡都建在哪里呢？ 大多数城堡都建在山丘上或者海边。 敌人很难爬上陡峭的山丘发动进攻 也很难从水上进攻。 人们会把城堡建在易守难攻的地方。 如果没有山丘或者大海，人们就会 在当地堆起泥土和石块。 他们还会挖护城河，往里面灌满水。

Keeping safe. You could see a long way from the top of a castle, but it was windy and cold up there. Look! The enemy! It was safe inside the castle and people liked to shelter there from danger. It got very crowded if the animals went in too. Some castles only had space for soldiers.

守护安全。 站在城堡顶端能望到很远的地方，但那里风很大，也很冷。 快看！ 敌人来了！ 城堡里面很安全，人们都喜欢躲在里面躲避危险。 要是动物也躲进来，里面就会挤得不得了。 有些城堡只够容纳士兵居住。

The outside walls were often four meters thick. The towers stuck out so soldiers could see to shoot at the enemy at the bottom of the wall. At the top of the walls and towers were battlements. These had crenells which soldiers could shoot through in battles. Swinging wooden shutters in the crenells were useful in battle. Thanks for watching!

城堡的外墙通常有四米厚。 塔楼向外突出，这样士兵就能看清墙底的敌人，朝他们射箭。 城墙和塔楼的顶端都设有城垛。 城垛上有射击孔，打仗时士兵可以透过孔射箭。 射击孔里的活动木百叶窗在打仗时非常实用。 谢谢观看！

Attack! There were lots of ways of attacking a castle, but it was very difficult to break in. This castle is under attack. It wasn't easy to get into a castle.

进攻！攻打城堡的方法有很多，但要闯进去非常难。 这座城堡正遭受攻击。 想要进入城堡可没那么容易。