英汉对照阅读系列之“影响世界历史进程的九大武器”
Warfare has shaped the course of human history for thousands of years. As technologies improved, so did the effectiveness of killing, weapon after weapon reaping more carnage than the last.
几千年以来，战争塑造了人类历史的发展进程。随着技术的不断进步，杀戮的武器得以不断更新迭代，这些武器给人类带来越来越大的破坏性。
We take a look at 9 weapons that changed the nature of war and in doing so changed the nature of the world.
下面我们就来看看以下九种武器，它们改变了战争的性质，也因此改变了整个世界的本源。
1. The Spear（矛）
Dating back over 400,000 years, the humble spear is one of the earliest and most important tools developed by human beings. The simple sharpening of the end of a straight stick provided man with a weapon capable of bringing down big game for food. The spear would become the main weapon of choice for many great armies that followed.
矛的发明可以追溯到40多万年前，它是人类发明的最早也是最重要的工具之一。最早的矛，只是在一根笔直的木棍的末端，捆绑上了尖锐的石头，但这件武器却使得人类能够捕杀大型的猎物为食。在之后的发展历程中，矛成了很多伟大的军队的主要武器选择。
2. The Sword（剑）
It was during the Bronze Age that the creation of one of histories most common weapons occurred. The sword would feature in wars, conflicts and battles for thousands of years to come shaping the world with every slash, thrust and stab. The Roman Empire would not have existed if it weren't for the legendary gladius sword that each foot soldier was armed with.
剑作为人类历史上最为常见的武器发明，最早出现在青铜器时代。几千年以来，剑成了战争、冲突和战役的象征。当年的罗马帝国，如果不是因为它军队的步兵所配备的传奇般的短剑，恐怕都不会存在。
3. Bow and Arrow（弓箭）
Dating back over 10,000 years, the bow and arrow was an important weapon for both war and hunting before the invention of firearms. The effective use of archers helped to shape a number of societies from the ancient to the medieval. The development of the longbow with its ability to pierce armour, increased the effectiveness of long distance combat which began to take precedence over hand-to hand warfare.
弓箭最早出现在1万多年前，在发明枪炮之前，它既是战争中的重要武器，也是生活中狩猎的主要工具。弓箭手的诞生，对于古代直至中世纪时期的社会来说，起着决定性的作用。长弓的发明尤其如此，它能够穿透盔甲，大大提升了远距离作战的效率，从而成为了白刃战时代的主导武器。
4. Gunpowder（火药）
It was during the 9th century AD that Chinese alchemists accidentally discovered gunpowder whilst searching for an elixir of immortality. Out of the ashes of that discovery came the development of canons, grenades and guns, weapons that would immeasurably shape the course of human events. The world would be a very different place if the musket, howitzer or Colt revolver had never been invented.
火药的发明最早可追溯到公元9世纪时期的中国，当时的炼丹术士在寻找长生不老药的过程中，无意中发现了火药。而随着火药的发明，人类发明的武器就进入了火器时代，加农炮、手榴弹、枪支等，这些武器彻底改变了世界的格局。如果没有滑膛枪，没有榴弹炮，没有柯尔特式左轮手枪，整个世界将会大不同。
5. The Gatling & Maxim Guns（加特林和马克西姆式机枪）
Developed between the mid to later stages of the 19th century, these two rapid-repeating guns were the forerunners of the modern assault rifle and machine guns. Described as the ‘guns that changed everything’, the invention of continuous rapid-fire on the battlefield was devastating to say the least. These guns paved the way for the M2 Browning, the AK47, the Minigun and the M60 to name but a few; weapons that would heavily feature in almost any conflict of the 20th and 21st centuries.
十九世纪中叶到晚期，加特林和马克西姆式机枪诞生了，它们是现代攻击性的步枪和机枪的先驱武器，被称为是“改变一切的枪炮”。这种连续快速发射弹药的武器，在战场上的杀伤力极强，它们为后来的布朗宁M2机枪、AK47自动步枪、M60通用机枪等枪支的发明铺平了道路，而这些武器成了二十世纪和二十一世纪战争冲突中的主要武器。
6. Combat aircraft（战斗机）
It wasn't long after man learned to fly that they learned to militarise aircraft. The skies were no longer the fleeting domain of the cannon shell or mortar but were now the permanent home of the combat aircraft. War had been brought to the skies and dominance over that arena meant dominance over the battlefield. Ever since the Fokker E.I took to the skies during WWI, planes have taken on a variety of roles and helped shape the course of modern warfare.
当人类发明了飞机之后，很快就把它用到了军事上。天空不再是加农炮弹或是迫击炮弹的唯一领空，战斗机把它变成了自己永远的家园。战争被带上了天空，而且掌握了制空权就等于赢得了战争。自从第一架战斗机the Fokker E.I在一战期间飞上天空以来，飞机就扮演了各种各样的重要角色，并且塑造了现代战争的发展进程。
7. The Tank（坦克）
Initially designed as a weapon to break the stalemate of trench warfare during WWI, the tank came into its own during WWII. Trench warfare became a thing of the past as movement had been restored to the battlefield. The thick armour of the tank shielded the soldiers inside from enemy fire allowing it to charge through barbed wire and across the most challenging of terrains. The modern tank continues to play a significant role in almost every army, shaping the course of history with every turn of its turret.
在一战期间，为了打破当时堑壕战的僵局，一种新型的武器——坦克——应运而生。到了二战期间，坦克成了战场上的主角，堑壕战从此成为历史。坦克厚重的装甲保护士兵免于敌人炮火的袭击，能够穿越铁丝网等各种障碍壁垒。现代坦克继续在几乎所有军队中起着举足轻重的作用，继续塑造着人类历史的进程。
8. The Atomic Bomb（原子弹）
As soon as American forces dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII, the global political landscape was changed forever. An estimated 240,000 people were killed either through the initial blasts or through nuclear radiation poisoning. With their ability to wipe out human existence, the sheer destructive power of nuclear weapons continues to shape international relations.
当二战期间美国人把原子弹投到日本的长崎和广岛之后，整个世界的政治格局从此被永久改变。这次袭击，导致了大约24万人丧生，这些人要么死于当时的冲击破，要么死于后来的核辐射。凭借它们对人类生存的毁灭性打击能力，核武器的彻底破坏力从此一直影响着世界各国间的国际关系。
9. Drones（无人机）
They are the ultimate in impersonal conflict. With the ability to fly thousands of miles, drones can carry out surveillance or bombing missions whilst being controlled from safety. They represent the dehumanisation of warfare and the gradual shift towards machines on the battlefield.
无人机是所有非人力武器中的极品。它能够飞越几千英里，肩负着警戒或是轰炸的任务，但却可以在安全范围内对它进行人工操控。它代表了无人直接参与的新型战争时代的到来，使得战争逐步走向以机器参与为主的时代。
