常春藤解析英语【7】Venice and the Venice Carnival威尼

by Christine Newton

The historic city of Venice stretches across a shallow saltwater lagoon¹ 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" remains² 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 picturesque³ charm of this fairytale city. Venice is Europe's largest car-free area and a World Heritage Site.

While its unique infrastructure⁴ is enough to make it a historic gem⁵, Venice also boasts a rich cultural history. During the Renaissance⁶, Venice was one of the most important musical centers in Europe. Countless⁷ 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.

单字小铺

1. carnival⁸ n. 嘉年华会

2. lagoon n. 礁湖

3. fade vi. 逐渐消失

4. decline n. 下降，减低

5. canal n. 运河

6. transportation n. 交通工具

7. ferry vt. 以渡轮运送 & n. 渡船

8. motorized a. 装有发动机的，机动的

9. arched a. 拱形的

10. picturesque a. 风景如画的

11. infrastructure n. 基础建设

12. Renaissance n. 文艺复兴

13. composition n.（音乐、美术等）作品

14. presently adv. 现今

15. staircase n. 楼梯

16. uninhabitable a. 不适于居住的

17. nevertheless adv. 尽管如此

词组小铺

1. a string of...　　一连串的……

2. on foot　　步行

精解字词词组

1.stretch vi. 延伸 & vt. 伸展

例： The iceberg⁹ stretches for a few hundred kilometers.
（这座冰山绵延数百公里。）
例： You should stretch your legs and arms every half an hour.
（你应该每半个小时伸展一下手脚。）

2.serve as...　　充当……，作为……之用
= act as...
= function as...
例： Your umbrella can serve as a cane¹⁰ if you feel weak.
（觉得虚弱的时候，你的伞可以充当拐杖。）

3.traverse vt. 横跨，穿越
例： The caravan¹¹ slowly traversed the desert.
（骆驼商队缓缓地穿越沙漠。）

4.add to...　　增添……
例： The explanation seemed only to add to his confusion.
（这解释似乎让他更加困惑。）

5.boast vt. 以拥有……而自豪 & vi. 夸耀，自夸
boast of/about...　　夸耀∕自夸……
= brag¹² of/about...
例： What hotel boasts the finest view of the city?
（哪家旅馆拥有全市最好的景观呢？）
例： Al always boasts about how he became a millionaire at the age of fifteen.
（艾尔总是吹嘘他如何在十五岁时就成为百万富翁。）

6.be inspired by...　受到……启发；由……得到灵感
例： The painter's greatest works of art were inspired by dreams.
（那位画家最伟大的艺术作品是从梦中得到灵感。）

7.flood vt. 淹没；涌进 & n. 水灾
be flooded with...　　大量涌进……
例： The company was flooded with complaint letters.
（大量的抱怨信函涌进这家公司。）

中文翻译

历史古城威尼斯横跨意大利东北部浅海的咸水湖。这座城市一度是海上强权和重要的政治与贸易中心。虽然风光不再、影响力下滑，但是这『亚得里亚海之后』在美景、艺术与观光方面依旧耀眼夺目。

威尼斯建筑在亚得里亚海沿岸一连串的岛屿上，以其作为道路的运河闻名于世。几世纪以来，在旧市中心唯一的交通工具就是搭船和步行。虽然现今大多数威尼斯人搭乘电动水上巴士往返，传统的威尼斯小船依然在狭窄的运河中接送观光客。拱形的陆桥横跨运河之上，为这座童话般的城市增添如画般的魅力。威尼斯是欧洲最大的无车区，也是世界遗产保护区。

虽然独特的基础建设已足以让威尼斯成为历史珍宝，她还以丰富的文化史睥睨全球。文艺复兴期间，威尼斯是欧洲重要的音乐中心之一。威尼斯启发了无数的书籍、戏剧、音乐作品与艺术品的创作。现在，这城市每年吸引七百万观光客来访。

可惜的是，威尼斯的未来正受到威胁。从20世纪自地底抽取井水以支持当地工业开始，威尼斯就开始下沉。很多老房子的低楼层楼梯都已经淹水，以前的一楼现在都无法居住。不过，威尼斯的生活方式将继续存在，也继续让众多观光客惊艳。
 

1 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。

2 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

3 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

6 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

7 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

8 carnival   

n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演

参考例句：

• I got some good shots of the carnival.我有几个狂欢节的精彩镜头。
• Our street puts on a carnival every year.我们街的居民每年举行一次嘉年华会。

9 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

10 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

11 caravan   

n.大蓬车；活动房屋

参考例句：

• The community adviser gave us a caravan to live in.社区顾问给了我们一间活动住房栖身。
• Geoff connected the caravan to the car.杰弗把旅行用的住屋拖车挂在汽车上。

12 brag   

v./n.吹牛，自夸；adj.第一流的

参考例句：

• He made brag of his skill.他夸耀自己技术高明。
• His wealth is his brag.他夸张他的财富。