Colosseum

Colosseum written by Zazu Kirchner. Focus question. What is the Colosseum and why is it still popular today?

《罗马斗兽场》，作者：扎祖·基尔希纳。聚焦问题：什么是罗马斗兽场？为什么它至今仍广受欢迎？

What is the Colosseum? The Roman Colosseum was built almost 2 ,000 years ago. It still stands in the center of Rome, the capital of Italy. The Colosseum is about the size of a modern sports stadium. Romans went to the Colosseum to watch different types of games. Men called gladiators fought each other in some games. In other games, men fought wild animals. Sometimes wild animals were made to fight each other.

什么是罗马斗兽场？ 罗马斗兽场建于大约两千年前。 它至今仍矗立在意大利的首都罗马的市中心。 斗兽场的大小和现代的体育场差不多。 古罗马人会去斗兽场观看各种各样的比赛。 有一种叫做角斗士的人会在部分比赛中互相格斗。 还有些比赛里，人们会和野兽搏斗。 有时候人们也会安排野兽互相打斗。

the Romans and Rome. Rome once ruled a large empire. Romans fought many battles to defeat other countries and make their empire larger. One emperor of Rome built the Colosseum for the Roman people. He wanted them to enjoy games. He also wanted the building to stand for the power and glory of the Roman Empire.

古罗马人和罗马帝国。 罗马曾经统治着一个庞大的帝国。 罗马人打赢了很多场战争，征服了其他国家，不断扩大帝国的疆域。 有一位罗马皇帝下令建造了斗兽场，用来取悦罗马民众。 他希望大家能观赏到精彩的比赛。 他也想让这座建筑代表罗马帝国的权力与荣光。

Building the Colosseum First, large amounts of soil had to be removed from the ground to build the Colosseum. Then, workers began to build. Ancient Romans made wooden cranes to lift and move stones. Heavy stones were used at the bottom of the building. Lighter stones were used toward the top of the building.

建造斗兽场 首先，工人们要先挖出大量的泥土才能开始修建斗兽场。 之后，工人们就动工修建啦。 古罗马人制作了木制起重机，用来吊起和搬运石块。 建筑的底部用的是很重的石块。 越往建筑的上方，用的石块就越轻。

Important Parts The Colosseum was made in the shape of an oval. Seats rose in curved rows around an open space where the games took place. The Colosseum had four floors. Arches were built on three of the floors to help hold the weight of the stones above.

重要构造：斗兽场被建成了椭圆形。 比赛举办的空场周围，是一圈圈向上延伸的弧形观众席。 斗兽场一共有四层。 其中三层都修了拱门用来支撑上方石块的重量。

Beneath the Coliseum were rooms where people and animals waited to come out to the stadium floor. A cover gave shade to the people watching the games.

斗兽场的地下是很多房间，要上场的人和动物都在这些房间里等候出场。 斗兽场还有顶篷，能给观看比赛的人们遮挡阳光。