美国“鸡脸教堂”引围观

 　　A church has become an internet sensation after hundreds of people have flocked to see the face of a chicken within its walls.

　　一座教堂因为外形酷似一张小鸡的“脸”而成为网络热点，引来许多游客蜂拥而至，只为一睹这张萌脸。

　　With its large round windows resembling two eyes and roof tiles appearing as a beak¹, the so-called 'chicken church' is attracting an expanding fan club online.

　　教堂的圆形窗户就像是两只大眼睛，屋檐的瓦片形状有些像尖嘴，这个教堂被大家戏称为“鸡仔教堂”，吸引了很多网友关注，还为它组成了粉丝团，而且数量还在不断扩大。

　　The congregation at the Church by the Sea in Tampa Bay, Florida, say they regularly see passers-by stopping to get a memento² of the unusual-looking building.

　　这座教堂坐落于美国佛罗里达州的坦帕湾，教堂会众表示，经常看到路过的人驻足欣赏这个外型特别的建筑。

　　Its birdlike appearance is completed by the roof that spreads out like red wings.

　　教堂的屋顶延伸出去，看上去仿佛红色的翅膀，让这种教堂的整体外观更像一只小鸟。

　　Threads have appeared online dedicated³ to the building with hundreds of users wanting to find out more about the 'Chicken Church'.

　　在网络上已经出现了前往这座教堂的浏览路线，很多用户都想了解更多关于“鸡仔教堂”的事情。

　　Dee Dee Parker, a long term member of the Church by the Sea said the congregation is delighted that the building makes people happy but did not realise that they had become so popular online.

　　迪迪-帕克是教堂的长期成员，她表示对于这座建筑给人们带来欢乐，当地居民也表示很开心，不过大家都没有意识到这座教堂会在网络上如此受欢迎。

　　She said: 'It's so funny - we were completely unaware⁴ that it had become a hit on the internet. We see lots of people coming to take pictures of the church.'

　　她表示：“真的很有趣，我们都完全没有意识到教堂会在网络上火起来，我们经常看到许多人来教堂这边拍照。”

　　The church on Madeira Beach was founded in in 1944 by a group of fishermen. It's light up cross has been used as a nautical⁵ landmark⁶ for the fisherman to guide them back to land.

　　这座位于马德拉岛海滩的教堂是在1944年由一群渔民建造的。渔民们把教堂的灯火当做航海路标，指引他们回家的路。

　　The church's bird-like features are used as a compass to direct sea workers - its wings represent East and West, while its beak and tail symbolise North and South.

　　教堂的鸟类外形也是海上工人们的指南针：翅膀代表东西方向，喙和尾巴象征着南北方向。

1 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

2 memento   

n.纪念品，令人回忆的东西

参考例句：

• The photos will be a permanent memento of your wedding.这些照片会成为你婚礼的永久纪念。
• My friend gave me his picture as a memento before going away.我的朋友在离别前给我一张照片留作纪念品。

3 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

4 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

5 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

6 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。