常春藤解析英語 7 Venice and the Venice Carnival威尼
by Christine Newton
The historic city of Venice stretches across a shallow saltwater lagoon in northeast Italy. The city was once a major sea power and an important center for politics and trade. It has since faded from glory and declined in influence, but the "Queen of the Adriatic" remains rich in beauty, art, and tourism.
Built on a string of islands alongside the Adriatic Sea, Venice is famous for its canals, which serve as roads. The only transportation in the old city center has been by boat or on foot for centuries. Traditional Venetian boats still ferry tourists through the narrow canals, though nowadays most Venetians travel by motorized waterbus. Arched footbridges traverse the canals, adding to the picturesque charm of this fairytale city. Venice is Europe's largest car-free area and a World Heritage Site.
While its unique infrastructure is enough to make it a historic gem, Venice also boasts a rich cultural history. During the Renaissance, Venice was one of the most important musical centers in Europe. Countless books, plays, musical compositions, and works of art have been inspired by Venice. Presently, the city draws more than seven million tourists per year.
Sadly, the future of Venice is threatened. Since the 20th century, when wells began to draw water from the ground to support local industry, Venice has been sinking. In many old houses, lower level staircases are now flooded and former ground floors have become uninhabitable. Nevertheless, Venetian life goes on and the city continues to charm its many visitors.
單字小鋪
1. carnival n. 嘉年華會
2. lagoon n. 礁湖
3. fade vi. 逐漸消失
4. decline n. 下降，減低
5. canal n. 運河
6. transportation n. 交通工具
7. ferry vt. 以渡輪運送 & n. 渡船
8. motorized a. 裝有發(fā)動機的，機動的
9. arched a. 拱形的
10. picturesque a. 風景如畫的
11. infrastructure n. 基礎建設
12. Renaissance n. 文藝復興
13. composition n.(音樂、美術等)作品
14. presently adv. 現今
15. staircase n. 樓梯
16. uninhabitable a. 不適于居住的
17. nevertheless adv. 盡管如此
詞組小鋪
1. a string of... 一連串的……
2. on foot 步行
精解字詞詞組
1.stretch vi. 延伸 & vt. 伸展
例： The iceberg stretches for a few hundred kilometers.
(這座冰山綿延數百公里。)
例： You should stretch your legs and arms every half an hour.
(你應該每半個小時伸展一下手腳。)
2.serve as... 充當……，作為……之用
= act as...
= function as...
例： Your umbrella can serve as a cane if you feel weak.
(覺得虛弱的時候，你的傘可以充當拐杖。)
3.traverse vt. 橫跨，穿越
例： The caravan slowly traversed the desert.
(駱駝商隊緩緩地穿越沙漠。)
4.add to... 增添……
例： The explanation seemed only to add to his confusion.
(這解釋似乎讓他更加困惑。)
5.boast vt. 以擁有……而自豪 & vi. 夸耀，自夸
boast of/about... 夸耀∕自夸……
= brag of/about...
例： What hotel boasts the finest view of the city?
(哪家旅館擁有全市最好的景觀呢?)
例： Al always boasts about how he became a millionaire at the age of fifteen.
(艾爾總是吹噓他如何在十五歲時就成為百萬富翁。)
6.be inspired by... 受到……啟發(fā);由……得到靈感
例： The painter's greatest works of art were inspired by dreams.
(那位畫家最偉大的藝術作品是從夢中得到靈感。)
7.flood vt. 淹沒;涌進 & n. 水災
be flooded with... 大量涌進……
例： The company was flooded with complaint letters.
(大量的抱怨信函涌進這家公司。)
中文翻譯
歷史古城威尼斯橫跨意大利東北部淺海的咸水湖。這座城市一度是海上強權和重要的政治與貿易中心。雖然風光不再、影響力下滑，但是這『亞得里亞海之后』在美景、藝術與觀光方面依舊耀眼奪目。
威尼斯建筑在亞得里亞海沿岸一連串的島嶼上，以其作為道路的運河聞名于世。幾世紀以來，在舊市中心唯一的交通工具就是搭船和步行。雖然現今大多數威尼斯人搭乘電動水上巴士往返，傳統的威尼斯小船依然在狹窄的運河中接送觀光客。拱形的陸橋橫跨運河之上，為這座童話般的城市增添如畫般的魅力。威尼斯是歐洲最大的無車區(qū)，也是世界遺產保護區(qū)。
雖然獨特的基礎建設已足以讓威尼斯成為歷史珍寶，她還以豐富的文化史睥睨全球。文藝復興期間，威尼斯是歐洲重要的音樂中心之一。威尼斯啟發(fā)了無數的書籍、戲劇、音樂作品與藝術品的創(chuàng)作?，F在，這城市每年吸引七百萬觀光客來訪。
可惜的是，威尼斯的未來正受到威脅。從20世紀自地底抽取井水以支持當地工業(yè)開始，威尼斯就開始下沉。很多老房子的低樓層樓梯都已經淹水，以前的一樓現在都無法居住。不過，威尼斯的生活方式將繼續(xù)存在，也繼續(xù)讓眾多觀光客驚艷。
