威尼斯有哪些不尋常的地方？圣馬可教堂的由來

今天的這段對話，在討論威尼斯，

威尼斯有哪些不尋常的地方？圣馬可教堂的由來

來聽今天的講解:

A: Have you decided where you are going on your honeymoon?

你決定去哪里度蜜月了嗎？

B: Steve wants to go to the Maldives, but I fancy Venice.

史蒂夫想去馬爾代夫，但我特別想去威尼斯。

A: Ah, Venice! Everyone knows Venice with its gondolas bobbing on the Grand Canal, a picturesquely decaying city sinking slowly into the water3 0f the Lagoon.

啊，威尼斯！人人都知道威尼斯有岡多拉（黑色乎底船）在大運河上穿梭。這是一個風景如畫的城市，但現(xiàn)在面臨逐漸沉入周圍礁湖水域的威脅。

B: But that's not all. It's a surprising place. One surprise is that you will spend most of your time walking-the pavements play as major a role in the city as the canals.

而且不止這些．它還是個不同尋常的地方。其中一怪是你大部分時間都要步行，人行道在城里就像運河一樣扮演著重要角色。

A: Yes, and there are no cars. Drivers have to leave their vehicles at the city gate, and that makes exploring the city very enjoyable.

是的，而且那里沒有汽車。人們得把車輛停在城門口，這樣去游覽這個城市感覺就會相當愉快。

B: I think it's better to go off the beaten track too, find some little alleys, churches and markets that most tourists don't know about.

我認為最好也去一些偏僻的地方看看，找一些大多數(shù)游客都不知道的小巷子、教堂和市場。

A: Good idea, most tourists will probably head for the Basilica di San Marco, the most exotic of European cathedrals and the Gothic marvel, the Doge's Palace.

好主意。大多數(shù)游客可能直奔圣馬可教堂，這是最富有異國情調的歐洲大教堂，還有哥特式建筑的奇跡總督官。

B: Isn't San Marco the patron saint?

圣馬可是個守護神吧？

A: Yes, that's why St. Mark's Church is named after him.

是的，這就是圣馬可教堂以它命名的原因。

B: It used to be a 6shing town, you know? 2, 000 years ago hunters and fishermen lived on the mudflats.  Also, many refugees escaped there to avoid Attila the Hun and later, from other wars.

你知道嗎？那里過去是個漁村。2000多年前，獵人和漁夫們住在泥灘上。還有很多難民逃廣到那里以躲避匈奴王阿提拉‘以及后來的其他戰(zhàn)爭。

A: Really? By the 1800s Venice, though a popular tourist destination, was poor and decaying. Saved by mass tourism-the Lido became a fashionable resort.

真的嗎？到了19世紀，盡管威尼斯已經(jīng)成了一個很受歡迎的旅游勝地，但那里還是很貧窮、很衰敗。多虧了旅游業(yè)，麗都島變成了一個時尚的度假勝地。

B: Before that it was a well-known trading city and was at war with Spain, the Pope and practically every European power.

在那之前它是一個有名的貿易城市，當時還在跟西班牙、羅馬教皇，實際上是跟每一個歐洲強國做戰(zhàn)。

A: I think it's got to be a unique place, it has 116 islands, 150 canals, and 409 bridges, this city is an intricate maze.

我認為威尼斯是個非常獨特的地方，它由116個島嶼．150條運河和409麈橋組成，整個城市就是一個復雜的迷宮。

B: And some of the most unexpected architectural delights can be found as you wander around. Heavenly！

當你在那里漫步時，會發(fā)現(xiàn)一些最意想不到的建筑美景。美如天堂！

A: Even though there are many tourists, you must do some of the touristy things. You can't go there and miss all of that history.  Don't forget to take a trip down the Grand Canal. A ride on a gondola will give you a fascinating view of Venice.

盡管那里游客很多，你也得游覽一些地方。不能到了那里卻沒機會了解它全部的歷史。別忘了在大運河上游覽一番。坐上岡多拉會讓你將威尼斯的迷人美景盡收眼底。