Petra

Petra, written by Curtis Thomas. Focus question. Where is the city of Petra, and why do people visit it?

《佩特拉》，作者：柯蒂斯·托马斯 思考问题 佩特拉城在哪里？人们为什么要去游览它？

Rock City More than 2 ,000 years ago, a group of people built an amazing city in the Middle East. They used special tools to carve buildings out of mountains. These people were the Nabataeans. Their beautiful rock city was Petra.

岩石之城 两千多年前， 有一群人在中东建造了一座了不起的城市。 他们用特殊的工具在山体上开凿出建筑。 这群人就是纳巴泰人。 他们建造的这座美丽的岩石之城就是佩特拉。

City in the Desert. Petra is in the country of Jordan, in one of Earth's driest deserts. Red sandstone cliffs and canyons are all that can be seen for many miles. A canyon called the Seek leads to Petra. It is the main way to reach the city.

沙漠里的城市 佩特拉位于约旦境内，坐落在地球上最干燥的沙漠之一里。 红色砂岩悬崖和峡谷绵延数英里，放眼望去随处可见。 一条名为西克的峡谷通向佩特拉。 这是进入佩特拉城的主要路径。

Buried City The city of Petra is 264 square kilometers 102 square miles The downtown area is six square kilometers two square miles The city has hundreds of tombs and other structures Most of Petra is still buried under the ground Scientists find more structures as they dig it up

被掩埋的城市 佩特拉城总面积为264平方公里，即102平方英里。市中心面积为6平方公里，即2平方英里。城里有数百座陵墓和其他建筑。佩特拉的大部分区域仍然被埋在地下，科学家们在挖掘过程中不断发现更多建筑。

The treasury is Petra's best known structure. The royal tombs are where they buried their kings. Other famous structures include the theater, Petra Museum, and the monastery. Many structures are over 30 meters, 100 feet tall. The Nabataeans also made many structures to collect, store, and carry water. They could not have lived in such a dry place without a way to get and hold water.

宝库是佩特拉最有名的建筑。 皇家陵墓是他们安葬国王的地方。 其他有名的建筑还有剧场、佩特拉博物馆， 以及修道院。 很多建筑的高度超过30米，也就是100英尺。 纳巴泰人还建造了很多设施来收集、储存， 以及输送水。 如果没有获取和储存水的方法，他们根本没法在这么干旱的地方生存。

A busy trade center. Long ago, people from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa crossed the desert to trade with each other. They traveled through the land where the Nabataeans lived. The Nabataeans took care of camels, goats, and sheep. At first, they wandered from place to place. Later, they grew rich, settled down, and built Petra. Scientists think the Nabataeans built the Rose City around 300 BCE. Over time, it became a busy trade center.

繁忙的贸易中心 很久以前，来自中东、亚洲和非洲的人们，会穿越沙漠互相交易商品。 他们会途经纳巴泰人居住的土地。 纳巴泰人饲养骆驼、山羊和绵羊。 最初，他们四处游牧迁徙。 后来他们变得富裕，定居下来，建造了佩特拉。 科学家认为纳巴泰人大约在公元前300年建造了这座玫瑰之城。 随着时间推移，它变成了一个繁忙的贸易中心。