紅葉兔子窩

    The 3000-year span（全長、跨度）of ancient Egyptian history is traditionally divided into thirty-one royal dynasties, from the first, said to have been founded by Menes, the king who originally united（統一）Upper and Lower Egypt, to the last, established by Alexander the Great, who conquered（征服）Egypt in 332 B.C.E. Ptolemy, one of Alexander’s generals（將領）, founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty, whose last ruler was Cleopatra. In 30 B.C.E., the Romans defeated Egypt, effectively ending the independent existence of a civilization that had lasted three millennia（千年期）.

　　總長3000年的古埃及歷史習慣上被分為三十一個王朝，第一個王朝據說是由最先統一上、下埃及的國王Menes所建立，最後一個則是由在西元前332年征服埃及的亞歷山大帝所建立的王朝。亞歷山大帝旗下一名為托勒密的將領建立了托勒密王朝，埃及豔后克麗歐佩卓即是其最後一位統治者。西元前30年，羅馬擊敗了埃及，實實結束這一個獨立存在持續三千年的文明。

    The Nile alone made agriculture possible in Egypt’s desert environment. Each year the rains of central Africa caused the river to rise over its floodplain（洪泛區）, cresting（到達頂點）in September and October. In places the plain（平原）extends several miles on either side（每一方）; elsewhere the cliffs slope down to the water’s edge. When the floodwaters receded（退去）, they left a rich layer on organically（有機耕作地）fertile silt（泥沙）. The construction（建造）and maintenance（維修） of canals（渠道）, dams, and irrigation ditches（灌渠）to control the river’s water, together with careful planning and organization（組織）of planning and harvesting, produced an agricultural prosperity（繁榮）unmatched（無與倫比的）in the ancient world.

　　尼羅河使得埃及的沙漠環境得以發展農業。中非每年的降雨使河流在九、十月時高過其洪氾區而到達頂點，該區的平原往各方擴展數十里，別處的峭壁則斜倒至水邊。當洪水退去，其留下一層有機耕作地的肥沃泥沙。為控制河水，其集合精密的耕作計劃和組織來建造和維修渠道、水壩、灌渠，創造一個古代世界無與倫比的農業繁榮。

    As Mesopotamian civilization arose in the valley（流域） of the Tigris（底格里斯河）and Euphrates（幼發拉底河）, another great civilization emerged in Egypt, centered on the Nile River. From its sources in Lake Victoria and the Ethiopian highlands, the Nile flows north some 4000 miles to the Mediterranean（地中海）. Ancient Egypt included the 750-mile stretch of smooth, navigable（可航行的） river from Aswan to the sea. South of Aswan the river’s course（方向） is interrupted by several cataracts-rocky areas of rapids（急流） and whirlpools（漩渦）.