威尼斯有哪些不寻常的地方？圣马可教堂的由来

今天的这段对话，在讨论威尼斯，

威尼斯有哪些不寻常的地方？圣马可教堂的由来

来听今天的讲解:

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

你决定去哪里度蜜月了吗？

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

史蒂夫想去马尔代夫，但我特别想去威尼斯。

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冈多拉（黑色乎底船）在大运河上穿梭。这是一个风景如画的城市，但现在面临逐渐沉入周围礁湖水域的威胁。

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.

而且不止这些．它还是个不同寻常的地方。其中一怪是你大部分时间都要步行，人行道在城里就像运河一样扮演着重要角色。

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，而且那里没有汽车。人们得把车辆停在城门口，这样去游览这个城市感觉就会相当愉快。

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.

我认为最好也去一些偏僻的地方看看，找一些大多数游客都不知道的小巷子、教堂和市场。

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。大多数游客可能直奔圣马可教堂，这是最富有异国情调的欧洲大教堂，还有哥特式建筑的奇迹总督官。

B: Isn't San Marco the patron saint?

圣马可是个守护神吧？

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

是的，这就是圣马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.

你知道吗？那里过去是个渔村。2000多年前，猎人和渔夫们住在泥滩上。还有很多难民逃广到那里以躲避匈奴王阿提拉‘以及后来的其他战争。

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.

真的吗？到了19世纪，尽管威尼斯已经成了一个很受欢迎的旅游胜地，但那里还是很贫穷、很衰败。多亏了旅游业，丽都岛变成了一个时尚的度假胜地。

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

在那之前它是一个有名的贸易城市，当时还在跟西班牙、罗马教皇，实际上是跟每一个欧洲强国做战。

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.

我认为威尼斯是个非常独特的地方，它由116个岛屿．150条运河和409麈桥组成，整个城市就是一个复杂的迷宫。

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

当你在那里漫步时，会发现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.

尽管那里游客很多，你也得游览一些地方。不能到了那里却没机会了解它全部的历史。别忘了在大运河上游览一番。坐上冈多拉会让你将威尼斯的迷人美景尽收眼底。