踏春哪里去？武大“樱花之旅”最美丽！

 　　Wuhan, located at the confluence¹ of the Yangtze River and Han River, is known as "the River City". But you may not know that it is also a flower city. In spring, plum flowers, peach blossoms, apricot blossoms and rape² flowers burst forth³ in succession with the most famous of all being cherry blossoms.

　　武汉地处长江汉水交汇之地，素有“江城”之称。但是你可能不知道武汉也是一座花城。春天，梅花、桃花、杏花、油菜花相继绽放，但其中最出名的还要数樱花。

　　"Take the high-speed rail to Wuhan for cherry blossoms" has become a tourism slogan of the city. In March, when you encounter tourists speaking different dialects in Wuhan, you will realize that the season for cherry blossoms has come.

　　“乘高铁到武汉赏樱花”已经成为该市一句旅游口号。每年三月，当你在武汉遇到操着各种方言的游客时，你就会意识到樱花绽放的季节已经到来。

　　Wuhan University, with a history of more than 120 years, is made up of the Cherry Garden, the Bay Garden, the Plum Garden and the Maple⁴ Garden, of which the Cherry Garden is the most famous. The Cherry Garden is quite small, but is the most beautiful spot on campus. Walking on the Cherry Blossoms Avenue, you can see nearly 200 pure Tokyo cherry trees blossoming along the 300-meter-long avenue like a white jade⁵ belt floating in the air. Looking down from the roof platform of Laozhaishe (students’ dormitory building), one would find the cherry blossoms like flying clouds amidst the green in the garden.

　　武汉大学是一座拥有120多年悠久历史的名校，校内有樱花园、海湾园、梅园和枫树园，但是最有名的还是樱花园。樱花园很小，但是却是校园里最美的风景。漫步在樱花大道上，你可以看到在这条300米长的大道上，近200棵纯种东京樱花树竞相绽放，开出的花朵就好像浮在空中的一条白玉带一样。从老斋舍(学生宿舍)屋顶上向下看，人们会发现绽放的樱花就像飞舞在绿色花园上的云朵一样。

　　The prime flowering season of the cherry trees is about a week around March 20, during which about 100,000 visitors flock to the university and enjoy the blossoms each day. Although Wuhan University has been carrying out some measures to limit the number of visitors, such as charging money for admission, they do not seem to be very effective in reducing the crowds.

　　樱花绽放的最佳花期大约在3月20日前后一周内，在此期间每天将有大约10万名游客涌入武大欣赏樱花盛开的美景。尽管武大一直在采取措施限制游客人数(例如收取入场费)，但是游人数量仍然不减。

　　Why is there an area of gorgeous cherry blossoms in Wuhan University in central China? It indeed has something to do with the Chinese people’s war of resistance against Japan. In 1938, the Japanese invaders⁶ occupied Wuhan，making Wuhan University a field hospital. In the spring of 1939, cherry trees were introduced from Japan to Wuhan University, and these were the first cherry trees on the campus of Wuhan University. After the diplomatic relations between China and Japan noramlized, Wuhan University received more cherry trees from Japan as a gift.

　　为什么处于华中的武汉大学会有这么一个樱花绚烂的地方?其实这和抗日战争有关。1938年日本侵略者占领了武汉，把武大当做了野战医院。1939年春，日军在武大栽下了从日本移植而来的樱花树——这是武大校园的第一批樱花树。在中日邦交正常化之后，武大收到了更多日本礼赠的樱花树。

1 confluence   

n.汇合，聚集

参考例句：

• They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.他们建造了城市的汇合两条河流。
• The whole DV movements actually was a confluence of several trends.整个当时的DV运动，实际上是几股潮流的同谋。

2 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

3 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

4 maple   

n.槭树，枫树，槭木

参考例句：

• Maple sugar is made from the sap of maple trees.枫糖是由枫树的树液制成的。
• The maple leaves are tinge with autumn red.枫叶染上了秋天的红色。

5 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

6 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。