英语小达人 446 Romantic Venice(2)

 St. Mark's Basilica stands at one end of St. Mark's Square.  圣马可大教堂耸立在圣马可广场的一端。

Napoleon called the square the finest drawing room in Europe.  拿破仑称此广场为欧洲最美的客厅。

Tourists have been going there for centuries to visit its celebrated¹ cafe and get a taste of the party atmosphere. 几个世纪来，游客们纷沓而至，领略此地著名的咖啡馆，感受欢乐的派对气氛。

The best time to visit Venice is during the clear spring days of March and April.  3月和4月晴朗的春日最适合前往威尼斯。

From June to August, the city is hot, sticky, and crowded with tourists.  从6月到8月，这儿潮湿闷热，挤满了游客。

Autumn is quite pleasant, but winters are cold.  秋天气候宜人，冬天则寒冷刺骨。

Floods are common in November and December,  11月和12月常有水灾，

presenting Venetians with one of their most difficult and ongoing² problems. 至今仍是威尼斯人最难解决的问题。

It is well-known that Venice faces an uncertain future.  众所周知，威尼斯的前途未卜。

The city is sinking into the sea,  这座城市逐渐沉向大海，

its historic buildings are falling to pieces,  历史建筑日渐破败，

and the famous lagoon³ is badly polluted.  著名的泻湖遭到严重污染。

Unless solutions are found soon for these complex problems,  除非尽快解决这些复杂的问题，

the Queen of the Adriatic, as Venice is sometimes called, will not be able to sit on her watery⁴ throne for very much longer. 否则这座被称为亚得里亚海皇后的威尼斯城不用多久就保不住它的水上宝座了。

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

4 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。