What images come to mind when you think of a trip to Venice?  想到威尼斯一游，你的脑海中会浮现出什么画面？

No doubt you imagine yourself taking a romantic gondola ride along narrow canals and under delicate bridges.  毫无疑问你一定会想象自己乘坐浪漫的平底船，沿着窄窄的运河航行，从一座座别致的桥下穿梭而过。

Perhaps you picture the beautiful old buildings and famous works of art that have made the city one of Europe's leading tourist spots. 也许你还会在脑海中勾勒出那些让威尼斯成为欧洲一流旅游胜地的美丽古老建筑和艺术名作。

Venice was built on more than 100 islands and has about 150 canals.  威尼斯建在100多个小岛上，拥有大约150条运河。

The best-known of these, the Grand Canal,  最有名的运河就是大运河，

functions as the main street in the part of the city most popular with visitors.  它位于市区游客最多的地方，并发挥大街的功能。

The canal winds through each of the six districts that comprise this historic city center before reaching Venice Lagoon. 这条运河在构成这个历史上的市中心的六个行政区间蜿蜒穿流，最后流入威尼斯湖。

One of these districts, San Marco, is home to many of Venice's main attractions, including St. Mark's Basilica.  行政区之一的圣马可是许多威尼斯主要旅游景的中心，包括圣马可大教堂。

This spectacular church has five main arches and some extraordinary onion-shaped domes.  这座雄伟的大教堂有五道大拱门和数座壮观的洋葱形圆顶。

It is decorated with priceless treasures,  教堂用很贵重的珠宝装饰，

many of which were stolen from other countries when medieval Venice was a leading sea power. 其中许多是在中世纪威尼斯称霸海权时从其它国家掠夺来的。