This pagoda is called the Shwe Dagon Pagoda. 这个塔叫“大金宝塔”。

It looks like a giant ice cream cone turned upside down and is nearly as high as the Washington Monument. 它看起来就像一个倒置的巨大的冰激凌蛋卷，几乎和华盛顿纪念碑一样高。

It is built of brick, but the outside is covered with sheets of solid gold—a glorious, dazzling sight in the sunlight. 此塔用砖建成，但是外面覆以片片纯金——阳光下，金碧辉煌，耀眼夺目。

Around the bottom of the pagoda are little cell-like rooms in each of which is an idol, 塔的底座四周有一些像单人间的小房间，每个房间里都有一尊佛像。

and underneath the center of the pagoda is a box in which, it is said, there are eight hairs from the head of Buddha. 在塔的中心下面有一个盒子，据说里面装有佛陀的八根头发。

On the tip top of the pagoda is—what do you suppose? 你猜猜塔的顶上有什么东西？

A church would have a cross, a mosque a crescent, but the pagoda has an umbrella!—with little tinkling bells hanging to it. 教堂上面有一个十字架，清真寺上面有一弯新月，但是塔顶上却是一把伞！——上面挂有一些叮当响的小铃铛。

Rice is the chief and almost the only food of most of the people in Asia. 大米是亚洲大多数人主要的、也几乎是唯一的食物，

They eat boiled rice just so, without sugar or cream, and they eat it for breakfast, luncheon, and dinner. 他们吃煮熟的大米，不放糖也不放奶油，早餐吃米，中餐、晚餐还吃米。

Rangoon is the chief rice market of the World. 仰光是世界上主要的大米市场。

The people in Burma and Thailand are more like the Chinese than like the people in India. 缅甸人和泰国人长得不像印度人，而像中国人。

Burma is a republic but Thailand is a kingdom. 缅甸是共和国，泰国是王国。

Until after World War II, Thailand was named Siam. Then the people changed the name of this country of Siam to Thailand. 第二次世界大战之前，泰国被称为暹罗，“二战”结束后才改名为泰国。

If a man suddenly changed his name from Mr. Jones to Mr. Baker 如果一个人突然将自己的名字从琼斯改成贝克，

some people would still think of him as Mr. Jones and call him Mr. Jones instead of Mr. Baker. 一些人仍然认为他就是琼斯，还叫他琼斯先生，而不是贝克先生，

Many people still call Thailand, Siam. 所以，现在很多人仍然称泰国为暹罗。

Once, the King of Siam could do anything he wanted with his people. 过去，暹罗的国王可以对他的人民为所欲为，

That is what is called an absolute monarchy. 这就是所谓的君主专制。

When-I-was-a-boy, if any one acted very "bossy" or ordered others around, we used to say, "Who do you think you are? The King of Siam?" 我小时候，如果有人非常专横或者以命令的口气叫别人干这干那，我们就会说，“你以为你是谁啊？是暹罗的国王吗？”

But now the King of Thailand has to rule according to the laws of the country  但是，现在泰国的国王必须按照法律统治国家，

and cannot do just as he pleases the way his ancestors used to do. 不能像他的祖先那样为所欲为了。