【新科学家精读】花⽊兰究竟是哪⾥⼈？废除科举
原⽂译⽂
*注：本⽂来⾃4⽉14⽇《新科学家》。
Archaeology
考古
Mulan legend may be bad on ancient warriors
⽊兰传说可能是来⾃古代武⼠故事
1. ANCIENT remains found in the Mongolian steppesuggest that the story of the female warrior Mulan may have been inspired by real Xianbei women who rode horback and probably also ud bows and arrows.
在蒙古草原发现的古代遗迹表明，⽊兰的故事可能取材于古代鲜卑妇⼥的故事，这些鲜卑妇⼥会骑马射箭。
2. According to folklore, a powerful East Asian ruler demanded every family nd one man to swell the ranks of his army, and a girl named Mulan faced a difficult choice: either let her weak father go to war, or take his place. Now it ems there may be truth to this age-old Ballad of Mulan.
在民间传说中，古代统治者要求每家有⼀个⼈从军以扩⼤军队，因⽽这个名叫⽊兰的⼥孩⾯临着⼀个艰难选择：要么让她年⽼体衰的⽗亲参军打仗，要么代⽗从军。现在看来，古⽼的《⽊兰辞》所讲述的故事可能是真实的。
3. Christine Lee and Yahaira Gonzalez at California State University examined skeletonsfrom 29 ancient burials across Mongolia. The burials belonged to three groups of nomadicpeople: the Xiongnu, who began to occupy the region about 2200 years ago, the Xianbei, who took over around 1850 years ago, and the Turkic people, who displaced the Xianbei roughly 1470 years ago.
加州州⽴⼤学的Christine Lee和Yahaira Gonzalez研究了蒙古29个古墓⾥的骸⾻。这些古墓属于三个游牧民族：匈奴⼈，⼤约2200年前开始在这些地区⽣活；鲜卑⼈，⼤约1850年前取代匈奴；突厥⼈，⼤约1470年前取代鲜卑⼈。
4. Three of the skeletons belonged to Xianbei women – and two were potentially warriors. Lee and Gonzalez reached this conclusionpartly due to the nature of marks left on the bones where muscles
中国古代军事once attached. The marks are larger if the muscle was heavily ud, and the pattern of marks on both women’s skeletons suggests they had routinely worked the muscles someone on horback would u. There were also indications that they practid archery.
其中三具骸⾻属于鲜卑妇⼥，其中两具骸⾻主⼈可能是⼠兵。Lee和Gonzalez是根据肌⾁附着的⾻骼上的痕迹性质得出这⼀结论的。如果⼤量使⽤肌⾁，这些痕迹就会变⼤。⽽这两具⼥性骸⾻上的痕迹表明她们经常像骑马的⼈那样⼤量使⽤肌⾁。⽽且也有迹象表明她们会射箭。
5. Lee was surprid by the discovery. “The number of women allowed to participateinthe activities must have been really small,” she says, adding that Mongolian history suggests that it was rare for women to do either.
李对这⼀发现感到惊讶。“被准许参加骑马射箭的⼥性很少，”她说。她还补充说，蒙古的历史表明，⼥性很少参加这些活动。
6. Markings on three other skeletons indicate that Xiongnu women may also have engaged in archery and horback riding to a limited degree. Another three skeletons indicate that Turkic women apparently didn’t practi archery, although they em to have spent a limited amount of time riding hors.
其他三具骸⾻上的标记表明，匈奴⼥性在⼀定限度内可能也进⾏射箭骑马等活动。还有三具骸⾻表明，突厥民族妇⼥显然不会射箭，尽管有迹象表明她们会骑马。
然不会射箭，尽管有迹象表明她们会骑马。
7. There may be a simple reason why some Xianbei women may have become warriors: the political landscape was particularly unstablewhen they were alive. After the Han dynasty in China ended in AD 220, there wasintermittentviolence across the region for centuries.
鲜卑⼥性参军的原因很简单：在她们⽣活的时代，政治环境很不稳定。公元220年汉朝终结之后，该地区战乱时有发⽣。
工作负责人8. “Perhaps everybody was needed to defend the country,” says Lee, who was due to prent this work at a meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists that was cancelled.
“也许需要每个⼈都来保家卫国，”李说，他本来要在美国物理⼈类学家协会的⼀次会议上介绍这项⼯作，但会议取消了。
9. The finding is particularly significant becau Mulan is often thought to reprent a Xianbei woman. There are hints of this in her story, says Lee. For instance, nomadic men aged 15 to 55 wer
红参片怎么吃e considered of military age and might be called on to fight in the army – but in China there was no tradition of nding one man from each family to rve, she says.
这⼀发现意义重⼤，因为⼈们通常认为⽊兰代表的是鲜卑⼥性。李说，在关于她的传说中有这⽅⾯的暗⽰。李说，游牧民族男性的参军年龄是15到55岁，但在汉族从来没有每个家庭必须有⼀⼈参军的传统。
10. And although in this year’s cinematic retelling of the story Mulan joins the Imperial Chine army to fight against nomadic people from the Eurasian steppe, in the original tale she may have joined a Xianbei army’s fight against different invaders, says Lee.
李说，尽管在今年的电影版《花⽊兰》中，⽊兰加⼊了汉族军队，与欧亚⼤草原上的游牧民族作战，但在原著中，她可能加⼊了鲜卑军队，与不同的侵略者作战。
11. Female warriors may also have existed elwhere on the Eurasian steppe over the past few millennia. Lee says recent excavations in Siberia and Kazakhstan have uncoveredevidence of women buried with swords and chariots.
在过去的⼏千年⾥，在欧亚⼤草原的其他地⽅也可能有⼥兵。李说，最近在西伯利亚和哈萨克斯坦进⾏的发掘⼯作发现妇⼥墓中有⼑剑和战车。
精读解析
篇章结构
三色蒸蛋P1：有迹象表明花⽊兰的故事可能取材于鲜卑妇⼥的故事。
P2：花⽊兰的故事可能是真实的。
P3-P8：花⽊兰的故事的真实性证据：古墓的⼥性骸⾻上的痕迹表明她们会骑马射箭（P3—P6）；鲜卑⼥性参军和当时的社会⽣活环境有关：战乱（P7—P8）。
P9—P10：花⽊兰不是汉族⼥性的原因：汉族没有每家必须有⼀⼈参军的传统；
P11：欧亚⼤草原上其他地⽅也是有⼥兵的，这进⼀步证实花⽊兰属于鲜卑族。
重点单词
steppe/step/ n. ⼤草原，⼲草原（特指西伯利亚⼀带没有树⽊的⼤草原）
Amid grey mounds of dusty rocks we were able to e Egyptian vultures and steppe eagles.
在布满尘埃的灰⾊岩⽯⼭丘上，我们看见了埃及秃鹫和草原鹰。
folklore/'fəʊklɔː/ n. 民间传统；民间故事；民俗
Both film-makers merrily plundered ancient mythology and folklore.
两⼤电影制作公司也钟情借⽤古代神话和民间传说。桃仁的功效
swell the ranks of his army扩充军队
skeleton/'skelɪt(ə)n/ n. ⾻架，⾻骼；纲要；⾻瘦如柴的⼈adj. ⾻骼的；概略的；⾻瘦如柴的
【短语】
a skeleton in the cupboardn. 不为⼈知的家丑
a walking skeleton
古代战场
n. ⾻瘦如柴的⼈
family skeleton
家丑
skeleton in the clot
家丑不可外扬；见不得光的秘密
skeleton staff
基⼲⼈员
A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
⼀具骷髅悬挂在我眼前。
nomadic/nəʊ'mædɪk/ adj. 游牧的；流浪的；游动的
Most of the Indians of the North American plains are nomadic.
北美平原上的印地安⼈⼤多居⽆定所。
reach the conclusion得出结论
archery/'ɑːtʃərɪ/ n. 箭术
Throughout the day, there is camel racing, archery on horback as well as traditional wrestling.持续⼀天的赛事包括赛骆驼、骑马射箭以及传统的摔跤。
participate in参与，参加
They're actually participating in this capital investment.
They're actually participating in this capital investment.
他们实际上正参与到这种资本投资中。
unstable/ʌn'steɪb(ə)l/ adj. 不稳定的；动荡的；易变的
This bookca is too unstable to hold so many books.
这书橱很不结实, 装不了这么多书。
He was the most unstable kind of fool I had ever en.
工程车辆他是我所遇见过的最反复⽆常的傻⽠。
intermittent/ɪntə'mɪt(ə)nt/ adj. 间歇的; 断断续续的
Sometimes there are intermittent thunderstorms all day in summer.
夏天有时整天有断断续续的暴风⾬。
invader/ɪnˈveɪdə/ n. ⼊侵者，侵略者；侵⼊物
The invaders occupied important coastal regions.
⼊侵者占领了沿海要地。
uncover/ʌn'kʌvə/ vt. 揭露；发现；揭开
In the process, they uncovered a number of skeletons.
在这个过程中，他们发现了许多⾻架。
chariot/'tʃærɪət/ n. 敞篷双轮马车(古代⽤于战争或竞赛)，战车
Chariots were ud in ancient times for fighting, racing, and in processions.
古时四轮马车常⽤于打仗，赛马和⾏进。
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