本篇文章共分 7 段，將羅馬帝國的成立與其對於歐洲甚至整個世界的影響作出整理。對包含民生建設、建築技術、道路橋梁的規劃與建造、重視自然與藝術，及宗教信仰的發展，做有系統的整理與說明。

本篇考題英文原文與對應之中文翻譯整理如下。練習作答解題時若有對語意不清楚之處，請仔細查閱對照，以提升閱讀理解能力。

The Roman Empire 羅馬帝國

1. 羅馬帝國成立與影響

   After the formation of the Roman Republic in 509 B C., the Romans expanded the borders of their realm through near-continuous warfare. At its greatest extent, in the early second century A.D., the Roman Empire reached from the Euphrates River in southwest Asia to Scotland in the West. The vast territory ringed the Mediterranean Sea—mare nostrum, or “our sea,” the Romans called it. As the Romans absorbed the peoples they conquered, they imposed on them a legal, administrative, and cultural structure that endured for some five centuries—in the eastern Mediterranean until the fifteenth century A.D.—and left a lasting mark on the civilizations that emerged in Europe.

   公元前 509 年羅馬共和國成立後，羅馬人透過近乎持續的戰爭擴大了其王國的邊界。公元二世紀初，羅馬帝國的版圖最大，從亞洲西南部的幼發拉底河延伸到西部的蘇格蘭。這片廣闊的領土環抱著地中海—羅馬人稱之為「我們的海」 (mare nostrum)。當羅馬人吸收他們所征服的民族時，他們將法律、行政和文化結構強加給他們，時間持續了大約五個世紀—而在東地中海地區甚至持續到公元 15 世紀—並對歐洲出現的文明留下了持久的印記。

2. 羅馬帝國的特色

   Conquering and maintaining a vast empire required not only inspired leadership and tactics but also careful planning, massive logistical support, and great administrative skill. Some of Rome's most enduring contributions to Western civilization—its system of law, its governmental and administrative structures, and its sophisticated civil engineering and architecture—reflect these qualities.

   征服和維持一個龐大的帝國，不僅需要鼓舞人心的領導和戰術，還需要精心的計劃、大規模的後勤支持和高超的行政技巧。羅馬對西方文明最持久的一些貢獻—它的法律體系、政府和行政結構，以及它複雜的土木工程和建築—反映了這些品質。

3. 公共建設與建築技術

   To facilitate the development and administration of the empire, as well as to make city life comfortable and attractive to its citizens, the Roman government undertook building programs of unprecedented scale and complexity, mandating the construction of central administrative and legal centers (forums and basilicas), recreational facilities (racetracks and stadiums), theaters, public baths, roads, bridges, aqueducts (bridge-like structures for carrying fresh water from the mountains), middle-class housing, and even new towns. To accomplish these tasks without sacrificing beauty, efficiency, and human well-being, Roman builders and architects developed rational plans using easily worked but durable materials and highly sophisticated engineering methods. The architect Vitruvius described these accomplishments in his Ten Books of Architecture.

   為了促進帝國的發展和管理，以及使城市生活變得舒適和對市民有吸引力，羅馬政府進行了規模和複雜性都前所未有的建設計劃，要求建造中央行政和法律中心（論壇和大殿）、娛樂設施（賽馬場和體育場）、劇院、公共浴室、道路、橋樑、水渠（從山上運送淡水的橋狀結構）、中產階級住屋，甚至新城鎮。為了在不犧牲美觀、效率和人類福祉的情況下完成這些任務，羅馬的營建者和建築師們制定了合理的計劃，使用容易加工但耐用的材料和高度複雜的工程方法。建築師維特魯威在《建築十書》中描述了這些成就。

4. 道路與橋樑

   To move their armies about efficiently, speed communications between Rome and the farthest reaches of the empire, and promote commerce, the Romans built a vast and sophisticated network of roads and bridges. Many modern European highways still follow the lines laid down by Roman engineers, and foundations dating from the Roman era underlie the streets of many cities. Roman bridges are still in use. and remnants of Roman aqueducts need only repairs and connecting links to enable them to function again. The Pont du Gard, near Nimes in southern France, for example, is a powerful reminder of Rome’s rapid spread and enduring impact. Entirely functional, the Roman aqueduct conveys the balance, proportion, and rhythmic harmony of a great work of art and fits naturally into the landscape, a reflection of the Romans’ attitude toward the land.

   為了有效地調動軍隊，加快羅馬與帝國最遠地區的通信，並促進商業發展，羅馬人建造了一個龐大而複雜的道路和橋樑網絡。許多現代的歐洲公路仍然沿用羅馬工程師鋪設的線路，許多城市的街道都有羅馬時代的地基。羅馬橋樑仍在使用。羅馬水渠的殘餘部分只需要修理和連接，就能再次發揮作用。例如，法國南部尼姆附近的加爾橋鮮活地提醒人們羅馬的快速和持久的影響。羅馬水渠完全是功能性的，它傳達了偉大藝術作品的平衡、比例和節奏的和諧，並自然地融入景觀，反映了羅馬人對土地的態度。

5. 對自然的喜愛

   Despite their sophistication as city-dwellers, Romans liked to portray themselves as simple country folk who had never lost their love of nature. The middle classes enjoyed their town-home gardens, wealthy city dwellers maintained rural estates, and Roman emperors had country villas that were both functioning farms and places of recreation. Wealthy Romans even brought nature indoors by commissioning artists to paint landscapes on the interior walls of their homes.

   儘管羅馬人作為城市居民很成熟，但他們喜歡把自己描繪成簡單的鄉下人，他們從未失去對自然的熱愛。中產階級享受著他們的城市花園，富裕的城市居民保持著農村莊園，而羅馬皇帝的鄉村別墅既是實用的農場又是休閒的地方。富裕的羅馬人甚至通過委託藝術家在其住宅的內牆上繪製風景畫，將自然帶入室內。

6. 重視藝術

   The Romans particularly admired Greek art. Historians have even suggested that although Rome conquered the Greek world, Greek culture conquered Rome. The Romans used Greek designs and Greek styles of columns in their architecture, imported Greek art, and employed Greek artists. In 146 B.C., for example, they stripped the Greek city of Corinth of its art treasures and shipped them back to Rome. Ironically, this love of Greek art was not accompanied by admiration for its artists. In Rome, as in Greece, professional artists were generally considered little more than skilled laborers.

   羅馬人特別推崇希臘藝術。歷史學家甚至認為，雖然羅馬征服了希臘世界，但希臘文化征服了羅馬。羅馬人在他們的建築中使用了希臘設計和希臘風格的柱子，進口了希臘藝術，並僱用了希臘藝術家。例如，在公元前 146 年，他們將希臘城市科林斯的藝術珍品拆除，並將它們運回羅馬。具有諷刺意味的是，這種對希臘藝術的熱愛並沒有伴隨著對其藝術家的欽佩。在羅馬，就像在希臘一樣，專業的藝術家通常被認為只是熟練的工人而已。

7. 宗教信仰

   Although the Romans had gods of their own, they also adopted many Greek gods and myths and assimilated Greek religious beliefs and practices into a form of state religion. To these gods they added their own deified emperors, in part to maintain the allegiance of the culturally diverse populations of the empire. Worship of ancient gods mingled with homage to past rulers, and oaths of allegiance to the living ruler made the official religion a political duty—increasingly ritualized, perfunctory, and distant from the everyday life of the average person. As a result, many Romans adopted the more personal religious beliefs of the people they had conquered. These unauthorized religions flourished, despite occasional government efforts to suppress them.

   雖然羅馬人有自己的神，但他們也採用了許多希臘的神和神話，並將希臘的宗教信仰和實踐吸收到一種國家宗教的形式中。除了這些神，他們還增加了自己的神化皇帝，部分原因是為了維持帝國內不同文化背景的人口的忠誠。對古神的崇拜與對過去統治者的敬意混雜在一起，對在世統治者的效忠誓言使官方宗教成為一種政治義務—越來越多的儀式化、敷衍了事，並與普通人的日常生活相距遙遠。因此，許多羅馬人採用了他們所征服的人民所信奉的更個人化宗教信仰。儘管政府有時會努力壓制這些宗教，但這些未經授權的宗教仍在蓬勃發展。