This church to Mary Magdalene is called simply “The Madeleine,” which is the French for Magdalene. 这个为抹大拉的玛莉亚而建的教堂被简称为“玛德琳教堂”，法语中用“玛德琳”表示“抹大拉”。

It is a much newer church than Notre Dame but it is much older-looking, 这个教堂比巴黎圣母院建得晚，但看起来更古老。

It is built like the old temples they used to build before Christ was born—before they had any churches. 建筑风格像基督诞生以前人们建的那种寺庙——那时还没有教堂。

The Madeleine has stone columns all around the outside, but it has no windows, no towers, no flying buttresses, no spire, no dome. 玛德琳教堂四周有石柱，但是没有窗户，没有塔，没有扶拱垛，没有尖顶，也没有圆屋顶。

Once upon a time France had kings and queens and princes and princesses, and along the Seine are many beautiful palaces in which they lived. 法国从前有国王、王后、王子和公主，塞纳河畔有很多美丽的宫殿供他们居住。

Now, however, France has no more kings and queens or princes. 然而法国现在再没有国王、王后或王子了。

It has a President as we have, for France is a republic as we are. 法国和美国一样有总统为国家元首，因为法国和美国一样是个共和国。

So the old palaces are now used for museums or art galleries or libraries. 因此以前那些宫殿现在成了博物馆、美术馆或者图书馆。

One of the greatest of these palaces is the Louvre, and in the Louvre are many famous pictures and statues. 这些宫殿中最大的一个是卢浮宫，里面收藏了很多著名的绘画和雕像。

A photograph is never worth much—even though it may be a good likeness and the person famous. 一张照片从不会值很多钱——即使拍得很逼真，拍的人也是名人。

But a painting, even though not a good likeness and the person unknown, may be worth a fortune. 但是，一幅画，即使画得不太像，画的人也不出名，却可能价值连城。

One of the great pictures in the Louvre is the painting of a smiling woman called Mona Lisa. 卢浮宫著名绘画中有一幅是一个微笑的女人的肖像画，叫做蒙娜丽莎。

It is one of the most valuable paintings , but it was once upon a time stolen right off the wall in the Louvre where it was hanging. 它是世界上最值钱的绘画之一，但是这幅画曾经被人直接从卢浮宫的墙上取下，偷走了。

It was a foolish thing to steal, for the thief could not sell it nor even show it to any one. 偷这幅画真是愚蠢，因为窃贼不敢卖这幅画，甚至不敢展示给别人看。

All the World looked for the picture, but it was a long time before it was found in another country and put back again in the Louvre, 全世界都在寻找这幅画，但过了很长时间以后人们才在另外一个国家找到了这幅画，让它重新回到卢浮宫，

where it is once more. 卢浮宫再一次收藏了这幅画。