Prague's Old Town 布拉格小区

As you leave the castle area, you can stroll through the Malá Strana or Lesser¹ Quarter tucked at the foot of the hill.


The neighborhood, one of the best preserved in the city, prospered² when upper-class family settled here, hoping no doubt that a little of the royal flourish would rub off on them. Later most of the homes were abandoned when the ruling powers moved to Vienna. Thankfully, the area escaped any major restorations.

This is like a stroll through history down the ornate streets of baroque Europe. Mozart stayed in the neighborhood for a time and some scenes from the film Amadeus were shot here.

We are back in the old town square, just in time to hear the famous astronomical³ clock announce the hour. The square, an architectural showpiece lined with Romanesque and Gothic houses crowds with spectators awaiting the top of the hour. The five-hundred-year old wooden clock and the old town hall is a Mediaeval engineering marvel⁴. Still in working order, the middle part is the actual clock, showing the movement of the sun and moon. Underneath⁵ is a calendar with signs of the zodiac. When death rings the death knell⁶ and the 12 Apostles proceed along the windows, we know our time has come


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tuck:fold
rub off on sb.: to be learned or obtained without any effort
ornate:elaborately, heavily, and often excessively ornamented⁷.
zoidiac:黄道带
knell:The sound of a bell knelling⁸; a toll
Apostle:one of the 12 disciples⁹ chosen by Jesus to preach the gospel.

1 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

2 prospered   

成功，兴旺( prosper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Mr. Black prospered from his wise investments. 布莱克先生由于巧妙的投资赚了不少钱。

3 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

4 marvel   

vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事

参考例句：

• The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.机器人是现代工程技术的奇迹。
• The operation was a marvel of medical skill.这次手术是医术上的一个奇迹。

5 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

6 knell   

n.丧钟声；v.敲丧钟

参考例句：

• That is the death knell of the British Empire.这是不列颠帝国的丧钟。
• At first he thought it was a death knell.起初，他以为是死亡的丧钟敲响了。

7 ornamented   

adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The desk was ornamented with many carvings. 这桌子装饰有很多雕刻物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She ornamented her dress with lace. 她用花边装饰衣服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 knelling   

v.丧钟声( knell的现在分词 )；某事物结束的象征

参考例句：

• The bell is knelling. 丧钟已经敲响。 来自互联网
• The old cat whose child has just been dead is knelling all the time. 那只刚刚失去孩子的老猫不停地发出悲哀的声音。 来自互联网

9 disciples   

n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一

参考例句：

• Judas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. 犹大是耶稣十二门徒之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "The names of the first two disciples were --" “最初的两个门徒的名字是——” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险