2007年VOA标准英语-Beach Resort Plays Host to G8 Leaders

By Ivana Kuhar
Heiligendamm, Germany
07 June 2007
 

Leaders of the world's leading industrial nations (G8) are arriving/have arrived at the German resort town Heiligendamm for their annual three-day summit.  As the leaders gather, VOA's Ivana Kuhar and Valer Gergely take a look at the historic retreat on the Baltic Sea where the meetings are taking place. 

G8 summit site, Heiligendamm resort

Founded in 1793, Heiligendamm is the oldest sea spa in Germany.

Also known as the "White City by the Sea" for its classic white buildings lining¹ the beach promenade², the Baltic resort was built as an elegant summer getaway for nobility and high society.

German Kaisers were regular guests of the bathing resort.

After the Second World War the area became part of East Germany. Under communist rule, the refined tradition of luxury vanished.  Some of Heiligendamm's famous buildings were demolished³.  The others were unattended for years, or were converted to utilitarian⁴ structures. 

After the German unification in 1990, restoration of their old glory began.  Today's Heiligendamm represents a synergy of history and modernity. The latest technology is coupled with the grandeur⁵ of the past.   

Tourism is booming on the German coastal⁶ area. Unlike the North Sea, the Baltic is a calm body of water that has seen a tenfold increase in the number of tourists over the last 15 years.  

A narrow-gauge steam railway, known as Molli, has been connecting Heiligendamm to nearby towns since 1886.  Locals boast that one can set his watch by this train: they say over its 120 years of operation, Molli has always left on time for its 12 kilometer run.  The original size tickets -- not much bigger than a postage stamp -- are sold by a man in an old fashioned uniform who sits at the 19th century wooden sales counter.

President George Bush stayed at Heiligendamm during last year's state visit to Germany.

Tuesday Mr. Bush was the first foreign leader to arrive to the G8 summit.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered at the nearby Rostock airport, where the G8 leaders arrrived before being taken to the summit site by helicopters.   Another group of anti-globalization protestors converged⁷ Tuesday at the media center in Kuehlungsborn.  After heated, but peaceful, street demonstrations⁸, the protestors took their message to the beach. 

More demonstrations are underway throughout the area, as anti-globalists vow⁹ to push their way towards the site of the G8 summit.  Police have sealed off the area by a 12 kilometer long steel fence around Heiligendamm.

President Bush met Wednesday with the German Chancellor¹⁰ Angela Merkel for a working lunch.  Ms. Merkel greeted all G-8 heads of state and governments Wednesday night at a nearby 18th century Hohen Luckow estate.

1 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

2 promenade   

n./v.散步

参考例句：

• People came out in smarter clothes to promenade along the front.人们穿上更加时髦漂亮的衣服，沿着海滨散步。
• We took a promenade along the canal after Sunday dinner.星期天晚饭后我们沿着运河散步。

3 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

4 utilitarian   

adj.实用的，功利的

参考例句：

• On the utilitarian side American education has outstridden the rest of the world.在实用方面美国教育已超越世界各国。
• A good cloth coat is more utilitarian than a fur one.一件优质的布外衣要比一件毛皮外衣更有用。

5 grandeur   

n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华

参考例句：

• The grandeur of the Great Wall is unmatched.长城的壮观是独一无二的。
• These ruins sufficiently attest the former grandeur of the place.这些遗迹充分证明此处昔日的宏伟。

6 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

7 converged   

v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Thousands of supporters converged on London for the rally. 成千上万的支持者从四面八方汇聚伦敦举行集会。
• People converged on the political meeting from all parts of the city. 人们从城市的四面八方涌向这次政治集会。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

9 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

10 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。