UNit 3 Text B SS

1、Text B Conceit and Military Weakness during the Song Dynasty1. plunder plnd vt.劫掠财物，掠夺 2. nominally nminli adv.有名无实地,名义上地3. subjugate sbdugeit vt.使屈服4. amnesty mnsti n.大赦，特赦5. rickshaw rik: n.人力车6. brothel brl n.妓院1. In 960, amid the chaos in China, troops of the commander of the palace guard at the

2、 new capital at Kaifeng, surrounded him and demanded that he become emperor. The commander agreed that he would if they vowed to obey him and not plunder1, harm citizens or harm the ruling family they were overthrowing. The troops agreed, and they marched to the palace, overthrew the child-emperor w

3、ho nominally2 had been reigning, and they put their commander on the throne. The name of the new emperor was Taizu, and the dynasty he began was called the Song - not to be confused with the Liu-Song Dynasty of the fifth century.2. Taizu reigned for fifteen years. He and his heir (who became the emp

4、eror Taizong) reunified that part of China not ruled by foreigners subjugating3 one provincial kingdom after the other, their troops refraining from violence against local populations and giving amnesty4 to local military governors who fought him. Military governors - warlords - were retired with co

5、mforting pensions, and they were replaced by civilian officials. The politics of murder and war seemed to have ended.3. Political unity helped bring back prosperity. Revenues during the Song dynasty were three times what they had been during the Tang dynasty. Elegant living spread, and the arts flou

6、rished along with a growing population. Cities - the centers of culture - became more crowded. Landowners moved there, and the wealthy were transported about in rickshaws5. Gardens decorated the city. There were amusement centers, with tea or wine shops, brothels6, spectator entertainment such as th

7、eaters, puppetry7, acrobatics and juggling8 - while a few worried about the immorality of extravagance.7. puppetry ppitri n.木偶戏,傀儡8. juggle dgl v.玩杂耍；尽力应付；篡改(数字等)以掩盖9. pig iron 生铁10. bourgeoisie buw:zi n.中产阶级4. China built a massive iron industry - the foundation for a modern industrial society. Its

8、 annual production of pig iron9 was twice what Englands would be at the end of the 1700s. Chinas merchant ships were at an all time high in number, and increasing. The volume of trade was increasing. But China remained under Confucian influence, and the Confucians saw commerce as not respectable. In

9、 China, when someone accumulated a little extra money from trade, rather than invest in manufacturing he was tempted to buy land and become respectable. An independent and innovative bourgeoisie10 was not about to develop or acquire political power in China as it would in Britain. Neither would larg

10、e private commercial and industrial enterprises develop. During the Song dynasty, non-governmental economic enterprise broke free to a degree, but merchants remained dependent on the favors of governmental bureaucrats. Paying them a share of the take from enterprise in the form of contributions for

11、government operations and personal gifts was a part of doing business. Private enterprise developed in small farming and trading but not the kind of accumulation of wealth needed for the development of capitalism. China remained a peasant nation with a Confucian gentry elite and little upward mobili

12、ty for those from other families. The best road to advance for the sons of common folk was in the military. The road to government jobs - office work - continued to be blocked for those students who were not from wealthy families.5. As in most other civilized societies, women did not own property, a

13、nd they remained uneducated. Moreover, their ability to labor was declining. Footbinding was coming into fashion. It began among the aristocrats. Creating small, deformed feet was considered erotic12 by men, and the ability to support women who could not walk unaided was a sign of wealth. Soon men o

14、f lesser rank wanted women with such feet, and it was to become so common that grown women with normal feet would appear freakish12. Footbinding was a long and painful process that lasted during a girls growing years. And in addition to the trouble in creating deformed feet, it slowed a womans abili

15、ty to contribute labor, with women hobbling13 about as they did housework.6. China was at its height economically and culturally. It had paper, moveable type and printing. China had gunpowder, steel weapons and primitive rocketry14. But militarily China was no Sparta or early Rome. Confucian bureauc

16、rats were in charge of the military, and the Confucian elite was effete15 compared to the vigor of Chinas pastoral16 neighbors. The Confucianists tended to be pacifist. They saw soldiers as the lowest of all groups of people. Athletics and military skills were not esteemed. 11. erotic rtk adj色情的; 引起

17、性欲的12. freakish fri:ki adj.怪异的, 奇特的,反常的, 畸形的13. hobble hbl v.蹒跚, 跛行 14. rocketry rkitri n. 火箭研究15. effete ifi:t a.无生产力的，虚弱的16. pastoral p:strl a.田园生活的，游牧的17. mercenary m:sinri a.唯利是图的 n.雇佣兵China had a military but no warrior class, and its military was neglected, with little attention being given to

18、 the arts of warfare. Military exams and military rankings were regarded with disdain. China tried to meet its defense needs by hiring mercenary17 armies, but this was to prove inadequate.7. The conceit of Chinas elite led them to believe that they did not have to adjust to military realities. They

19、believed that their neighbors would be sufficiently awed by Chinas greatness and its favor from the heavens. Exercising their Confucianism they believed that if the Chinese nation merely behaved morally then neighboring kings would give China the respect it deserved, that they would recognize Chinas

20、 proper role as a superior nation and would provide China with the tribute (taxes) that China deserved.8. China failed to face up to realities as its military power was tested repeatedly by skirmishes18 launched by the Khitan19, an ethnicity that dominated much of Manchuria and were ruling Chinas fa

21、r north. After being defeated repeatedly by the Khitan, the Song emperor, Zhenzong, in 1004, signed a treaty with the Khitan, ceding20 permanently to the Khitan that part of China which they occupied, including Beijing, and he agreed to pay the Khitan annual taxes (tribute).9. In the northwest the C

22、hinese struggled against the Tangut21 - a Tibetan people - and the Chinese gave in to the Tangut as they had the Khitan, allowing the Tangut to occupy their territory. In 1044, China bought peace with the Tangut by agreeing to make tribute payments to them as well as to the Khitan.10. The Song emper

23、ors began to experience fiscal22 difficulties. Population growth in China had outdistanced economic growth. Military expenses associated with northern border wars had drained China economically, as did the cost of an ever growing governmental bureaucracy. The bureaucracy, moreover, was torn by facti

24、ons23 proposing different measures regarding tax reform and land distribution. These reforms failed, as they had during the Han dynasty, and for the same reason: opposition from the largely Confucianist gentry24, who put their individual economic interests 18. skirmish sk:mi n.小冲突19. Khitan 契丹20. ce

25、de si:d vt. 放弃,割让(领土, 权利)21. Tangut tngu:t 唐古特语, 唐古特人, 西藏人22. fiscal fiskl a.国库的，(政府)财政的23. faction fkn n.(政党，组织等内部的)派系24. gentry dentri n.上流社会人士，绅士ahead of the common good.11. The emperor from the year 1101 was Huizong, who was also a poet, a good calligrapher and a devoted Taoist. Huizong spent a

26、lot of money on extravagant Taoist pageants and on maintaining his palaces and gardens. He raised taxes. And, with government officials having a weak understanding of economics, their solution to a shortage of money was to print more of it. Inflation and raised taxes created rebellion, and Huizong c

27、rushed the rebellion as a part of his imperial, son-of-heaven, activity.12. Then Huizong decided to add to his successes by freeing Beijing from Khitan rule. Prompted by Chinas military weakness, he made an alliance with the Jurchen25, or Ruzhen, people of Manchuria. The Ruzhen were various ethnicit

28、ies within the Khitans Liao kingdom. The Jurchen rebelled against Khitan rule, and in 1125 the Jurchen accomplished what China, with its much larger population, had failed to do: defeat the Khitan. Then the Jurchen turned their army against the Song and drove farther into China, overrunning the 25.

29、Jurchen 女真26. clan kln n.氏族,部落;宗派Song dynastys capital, Kaifeng, in 1126. Huizong and other royalty were among around 3,000 that the Jurchen took away as prisoners, and Huizong died in captivity.13. From the Wanyan clan26 among the Jurchen, a dynasty called the Jin emerged and ruled Chinas northeast

30、. In Chinas northwest the Tangut ruled - in an area, like the northeast, that had long been ethnically diverse, with people of Chinese heritage being in places a minority. Ethnically China had no northern border - the result of migrations and invasions into China during centuries past and Chinese ha

31、ving migrated into areas north of China.14. Huizongs ninth son survived and continued the Song dynasty in southern China - from around the Yangzi River southward, and as far eastward as Sichuan province. Once again the Chinese ruled only in the south, the dynasty there called the Southern Song. And

32、the Southern Song looked forward to reconquering the north.Part I Understanding the textMultiple Choice questions1. Which of the following was true of the commander of troops of the palace guard in 960?A. He was requested by his troop to become the emperor.B. He vowed to overthrow the child-emperor.

33、C. He suggested that the ruling family be plundered first.D. He was unhappy to be put on the throne.2. Which of the following is NOT a measure taken to end the politics of murder and war in early Song Dynasty?A. To give amnesty to local military governors.B. To provide retired warlords with pensions

34、.C. To reunify the parts of China ruled by Chinese.D. To use violence against people of provincial kingdoms only.3. The economic prosperity in Song Dynasty was recovered mainly due to _. A. population growthB. unity in politicsC. spread of elegant livingD. flourish of arts4. The massive iron industr

35、y in Song Dynasty _.A. failed to lead to a modern industrial societyB. was twice that of UK in the late 18th centuryC. was three times that of Tang DynastyD. resulted in a booming manufacturing industry5. Large private commercial and industrial enterprises could not develop fully mainly because of _

36、.A. attitude of Confucians toward commerce B. political power acquired by independent bourgeoisie.C. unlimited investments in manufacturing D. failures in developing shipbuilding 6. Footbinding which came into fashion in Song Dynasty was then considered _.A. a painful process for a womanB. a sign of

37、 wealth for menC. womens ability to labourD. ownership of properties for women7. China, with gunpowder and steel weapons, was still weak in military because _.A. there was no warrior class then with soldiers as the lowest.B. Confucian elites in charge of military were not vigorous enough.C. China de

38、pended on mercenary armies for defense.D. All of the above.8. _ resulted in elites not adjusting to military realities in Song Dynasty.A. Chinas conceit about its greatness B. Treaties with ethnical groupsC. Worldwide recognition of China as a super nationD. Tributes paid by neighboring countries to

39、 China9. Which of the following statements is true of Beijing in Song Dynasty？A It was ceded to the Jurchen in a treaty.B It was ruled by the Tangut in northern China.C It was taken back when the Khitan was defeated.D It was purchased back by the Chinese government.10. The reforms on tax reform and

40、land distribution failed in the end mainly because of _.A. rapid population growthB. selfishness of the Confucianist gentry C. military expenses for the defense of northern ChinaD. increasing government bureaucracy11. To solve the problem of shortage of money, Huizong, the emperor from the year 1101

41、, decided to _.A. print more money B. stop the maintenance on gardens C. suspend the extravagant Taoist pageantsD. ally with the Jurchen12. Which of the following statements is true of the Southern Song Dynasty?A. It ruled the south and northwest of China only.B. It cherished the dream of taking bac

42、k the north of China.C. It was established with the aid from the Jin.D. It was under the control of the Wanyan clan. Part II Building your vocabularyFill in the blanks with the words given in the word bank.plunder amnesty juggle freakish hobble effete cede fiscal faction gentry clan 1. Take the fiel

43、d of architecture and engineering, for example, we are appalled by the ugly and _ buildings that are being put up.2. Their government has been _ with the figures to hide the latest rise in unemployment.3. The imperialist powers repeatedly forced the Qing government to _ territory and pay indemnities. 4. I hurt my foot while getting off the bus, and had to _ home5. We have lear