The orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge probably the most beautiful， certainly the most photographed bridge in the world are visible from almost every point of elevation in San Francisco. The only cleft in Northern California's 600-mile continental wall， for years this mile-wide strait was considered unbridgeable. As much an architectural as an engineering feat， the Golden Gate took only 52 months to design and build， and was opened in 1937. Designed by Joseph Strauss， it was the first really massive suspension bridge， with a span of 4200ft， and until 1959 ranked as the world's longest. It connects the city at its northwesterly point on the peninsula to Marin County and Northern California， rendering the hitherto essential ferry crossing redundant， and was designed to withstand winds of up to a hundred miles an hour and to swing as much as 27ft. Handsome on a clear day， the bridge takes on an eerie quality when the thick white fogs pour in and hide it almost completely.
You can either drive or walk across. The drive is the more thrilling of the two options as you race under the bridge's towers， but the half-hour walk across it really gives you time to take in its enormous size and absorb the views of the city behind you and the headlands of Northern California straight ahead. Pause at the midway point and consider the seven or so suicides a month who choose this spot， 260ft up， as their jumping-off spot. Monitors of such events speculate that victims always face the city before they leap. In 1995， when the suicide toll from the bridge had reached almost 1000， police kept the figures quiet to avoid a rush of would-be suicides going for the dubious distinction of being the thousandth person to leap.
Perhaps the best-loved symbol of San Francisco， in 1987 the Golden Gate proved an auspicious place for a sunrise party when crowds gathered to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. Some quarter of a million people turned up （a third of the city's entire population）； the winds were strong and the huge numbers caused the bridge to buckle， but fortunately not to break.
2008年2月4日星期一
Disneyland
Walt and Roy Disney began their partnership on October 16， 1923 when they signed a contract to produce the Alice Comedies， a series of six- to eight-minute animated films， or "shorts，" combining live-action and animation. What began as the Disney Brothers Studio evolved into The Walt Disney Company.
Throughout the decades， the company has expanded worldwide from shorts to feature-length animated and live-action films and television production； character merchandise licensing； consumer products retailing； book， magazine and music publishing； Internet activities； television and radio broadcasting； cable television programming； and the operation of theme parks and resorts.
From the creation of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927 and the debut of Mickey Mouse in 1928 to the premiere of Tarzan in 1999， animation has remained the defining signature of the company. Along the way， Disney has added successful TV shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire， opened theme parks in California， Florida， France and Japan， launched more than 700 Disney Stores and added brands such as Touchstone， Miramax， ABC and ESPN to the fold.
To make the most of Disneyland the ultimate escapist fantasy and the blueprint for imitations worldwide throw yourself right into it. Don't think twice about anything and go on every ride you can. The high admission price （$36） includes them all， although during peak periods each one can entail hours of queueing. Remember， too， that the emphasis is on family fun； the authorities take a dim view of anything remotely anti-social and eject those they consider guilty.
Over four hundred "Imaginers" worked to create the Indiana Jones Adventure， Disneyland's biggest opening in years. Two hours of queueing are built into the ride， with an interactive archeological dig and 1930s-style newsreel show leading up to the main feature a giddy journey along 2500ft of skull-encrusted corridors in which you face fireballs， falling rubble， venomous snakes and， inevitably， a rolling boulder finale. Disney claims that， thanks to computer engineering， no two Indiana Jones rides are ever alike. Judge for yourself.
Among the best of the older rides are two in Adventureland： the Pirates of the Caribbean， a boat trip through underground caverns， singing along with drunken pirates； and the Haunted Mansion， a riotous "doom buggy" tour in the company of the house spooks.
Tomorrowland is Disney's vision of the future， where the Space Mountain roller coaster zips through the pitch-blackness of outer space， and the Star Tours ride simulates a journey into the world of George Lucas. The Skyway cable-car line that connects Tomorrowland with the clever but cloyingly sentimental Fantasyland is the only spot in the park from which you can see the outside world.
As for accommodation， try to visit Disneyland just for the day and spend the night somewhere else. Most of the hotels and motels nearby cost well in excess of $70 per night.
You're not permitted to bring your own food to the park； you can only consume the fast food sold on the premises.
Disneyland is at 1313 Harbor Blvd， Anaheim， 45 minutes by car from downtown using the Santa Ana Freeway. In summer， the park is open daily between 8am and 1am； otherwise opening hours are weekdays 10am to 6pm， Saturday 9am to midnight， and Sunday 9am to 10pm. Arrive early； traffic quickly becomes nightmarish， especially in the summer. For further information
Throughout the decades， the company has expanded worldwide from shorts to feature-length animated and live-action films and television production； character merchandise licensing； consumer products retailing； book， magazine and music publishing； Internet activities； television and radio broadcasting； cable television programming； and the operation of theme parks and resorts.
From the creation of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in 1927 and the debut of Mickey Mouse in 1928 to the premiere of Tarzan in 1999， animation has remained the defining signature of the company. Along the way， Disney has added successful TV shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire， opened theme parks in California， Florida， France and Japan， launched more than 700 Disney Stores and added brands such as Touchstone， Miramax， ABC and ESPN to the fold.
To make the most of Disneyland the ultimate escapist fantasy and the blueprint for imitations worldwide throw yourself right into it. Don't think twice about anything and go on every ride you can. The high admission price （$36） includes them all， although during peak periods each one can entail hours of queueing. Remember， too， that the emphasis is on family fun； the authorities take a dim view of anything remotely anti-social and eject those they consider guilty.
Over four hundred "Imaginers" worked to create the Indiana Jones Adventure， Disneyland's biggest opening in years. Two hours of queueing are built into the ride， with an interactive archeological dig and 1930s-style newsreel show leading up to the main feature a giddy journey along 2500ft of skull-encrusted corridors in which you face fireballs， falling rubble， venomous snakes and， inevitably， a rolling boulder finale. Disney claims that， thanks to computer engineering， no two Indiana Jones rides are ever alike. Judge for yourself.
Among the best of the older rides are two in Adventureland： the Pirates of the Caribbean， a boat trip through underground caverns， singing along with drunken pirates； and the Haunted Mansion， a riotous "doom buggy" tour in the company of the house spooks.
Tomorrowland is Disney's vision of the future， where the Space Mountain roller coaster zips through the pitch-blackness of outer space， and the Star Tours ride simulates a journey into the world of George Lucas. The Skyway cable-car line that connects Tomorrowland with the clever but cloyingly sentimental Fantasyland is the only spot in the park from which you can see the outside world.
As for accommodation， try to visit Disneyland just for the day and spend the night somewhere else. Most of the hotels and motels nearby cost well in excess of $70 per night.
You're not permitted to bring your own food to the park； you can only consume the fast food sold on the premises.
Disneyland is at 1313 Harbor Blvd， Anaheim， 45 minutes by car from downtown using the Santa Ana Freeway. In summer， the park is open daily between 8am and 1am； otherwise opening hours are weekdays 10am to 6pm， Saturday 9am to midnight， and Sunday 9am to 10pm. Arrive early； traffic quickly becomes nightmarish， especially in the summer. For further information
Chinatown in New York
On the surface， Chinatown is prosperous a "model slum，" some have called it with the lowest crime rate， highest employment and least juvenile delinquency of any city district. Walk through its crowded streets at any time of day， and every shop is doing a brisk and businesslike trade： restaurant after restaurant is booming； there are storefront displays of shiny squids， clawing crabs and clambering lobster； and street markets offer overflowing piles of exotic green vegetables， garlic and ginger root. Chinatown has the feel of a land of plenty， and the reason why lies with the Chinese themselves： even here， in the very core of downtown Manhattan， they have been careful to preserve their own way of dealing with things， preferring to keep affairs close to the bond of the family and allowing few intrusions into a still-insular culture. There have been several concessions to Westerners storefront signs now offer English translations， and Haagen Dazs and Baskin Robbins ice-cream stores have opened on lower Mott Street but they can't help but seem incongruous. The one time of the year when Chinatown bursts open is during the Chinese New Year festival， held each year on the first full moon after January 19， when a giant dragon runs down Mott Street to the accompaniment of firecrackers， and the gutters run with ceremonial dyes.
Beneath the neighborhood's blithely prosperous facade， however， there is a darker underbelly. Sharp practices continue to flourish， with traditional extortion and protection rackets still in business. Non-union sweatshops their assembly lines grinding from early morning to late into the evening are still visited by the US Department of Labor， who come to investigate workers' testimonies of being paid below minimum wage for seventy-plus-hour work weeks. Living conditions are abysmal for the poorer Chinese mostly recent immigrants and the elderly who reside in small rooms in overcrowded tenements ill-kept by landlords. Yet， because the community has been cloistered for so long and has only just begun to seek help from city officials for its internal problems， you won't detect any hint of difficulties unless you reside in Chinatown for a considerable length of time.
Beneath the neighborhood's blithely prosperous facade， however， there is a darker underbelly. Sharp practices continue to flourish， with traditional extortion and protection rackets still in business. Non-union sweatshops their assembly lines grinding from early morning to late into the evening are still visited by the US Department of Labor， who come to investigate workers' testimonies of being paid below minimum wage for seventy-plus-hour work weeks. Living conditions are abysmal for the poorer Chinese mostly recent immigrants and the elderly who reside in small rooms in overcrowded tenements ill-kept by landlords. Yet， because the community has been cloistered for so long and has only just begun to seek help from city officials for its internal problems， you won't detect any hint of difficulties unless you reside in Chinatown for a considerable length of time.
Arlington National Cemetery
Across the Potomac River in Arlington， Virginia； closest Metro Arlington Cemetery. AprilSept daily 8am7pm； rest of year daily 8am5pm. 202/703/692-0931. Admission free.
A poignant contrast to the grand monuments of the capital is provided by the vast sea of identical white headstones on the hillsides of Arlington National Cemetery. The country's most honoured final resting place was first used during the Civil War， when the grand mansion at the top of the hill， and all the surrounding land， belonged to Confederate leader Robert E Lee. Nearly 200，000 US war dead lie here， and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier remembers thousands more whose bodies were never recovered or identified. An eternal flame marks the grave of President John F Kennedy， near his brother Robert and， as of 1994， next to his widow， Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Among other well-known names is Pierre L'Enfant， whose grave site offers a superb view over the Mall and the District he designed； while the new Women in Military Service Memorial， by the main gate， is just one of several high-profile memorials to celebrated personnel， like the doomed crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Unless you have strong legs and lots of time， the best way to see the vast cemetery is by Tourmobile， which leaves from the visitor center at the entrance. You can also walk here from the Lincoln Memorial across the Arlington Bridge.
A poignant contrast to the grand monuments of the capital is provided by the vast sea of identical white headstones on the hillsides of Arlington National Cemetery. The country's most honoured final resting place was first used during the Civil War， when the grand mansion at the top of the hill， and all the surrounding land， belonged to Confederate leader Robert E Lee. Nearly 200，000 US war dead lie here， and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier remembers thousands more whose bodies were never recovered or identified. An eternal flame marks the grave of President John F Kennedy， near his brother Robert and， as of 1994， next to his widow， Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Among other well-known names is Pierre L'Enfant， whose grave site offers a superb view over the Mall and the District he designed； while the new Women in Military Service Memorial， by the main gate， is just one of several high-profile memorials to celebrated personnel， like the doomed crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Unless you have strong legs and lots of time， the best way to see the vast cemetery is by Tourmobile， which leaves from the visitor center at the entrance. You can also walk here from the Lincoln Memorial across the Arlington Bridge.
2008年2月2日星期六
Rome (Italy)
There's no escaping it： Rome means history. There are layers of the stuff - Etruscan（伊特鲁里亚的） tombs， Republican meeting rooms， Imperial temples， early Christian churches， medieval bell towers， Renaissance（文艺复兴） palaces and baroque basilicas（长方形基督教堂）。 In this city a phenomenal concentration of history， legend and monuments coexists（共存） with an equally phenomenal concentration of people busily going about their everyday life. It's hard to say what you'll find most breathtaking（惊人的） about the eternal city - the arrogant opulence of the Vatican（梵蒂冈）or the timelessness（永恒） of the Forum（古罗马广场）。
Rome is halfway down Italy's western coast， about 20km inland. It's a vast city， but the historic centre is quite small. Most of the major sights are within a reasonable distance of the central railway station. It is， for instance， possible to walk from the Colosseum（罗马圆形大剧场）， through the Forum， up to Piazza di Spagna（西班牙广场） and across to the Vatican in one day， but you wouldn't really want to. All the major monuments are west of the train station， but make sure you use a map. While it can be enjoyable to get off the beaten track（平坦的路） in Rome， it can also be very frustrating and time-consuming.
Most of the budget（便宜的） places to stay are clustered around Stazione Termini； this area is rife with pickpockets（扒手） and gangs of thieving children， so beware - do your best to look like you know where you're going. It is only slightly more expensive and definitely more enjoyable to stay closer to the city centre.
Rome's mild climate makes it visitable year-round； however， spring and autumn are without doubt the best times to visit， with generally sunny skies and mild temperatures. Unfortunately， these times are also the peak tourist season， when the tour buses pour in（川流不息的涌入） and tourists are herded around like cattle. July and August are unpleasantly hot， and Romans traditionally desert the stiflingly hot city in August， with many businesses closing； try to avoid visiting at this time. From December to February there is briskly cold weather， although it's rarely grey and gloomy.
Events-wise， Italy's calendar bursts year-round with cultural events ranging from colourful traditional celebrations with a religious and traditional flavour， through to cultural events. Summer is definitely the best time to visit if you want to catch the best of the festivals； however， the Romaeuropa festival is now a feature of the autumn calendar， the Roma opera season runs from December until June and the classical and contemporary music scene is lively all year round.
Rome is halfway down Italy's western coast， about 20km inland. It's a vast city， but the historic centre is quite small. Most of the major sights are within a reasonable distance of the central railway station. It is， for instance， possible to walk from the Colosseum（罗马圆形大剧场）， through the Forum， up to Piazza di Spagna（西班牙广场） and across to the Vatican in one day， but you wouldn't really want to. All the major monuments are west of the train station， but make sure you use a map. While it can be enjoyable to get off the beaten track（平坦的路） in Rome， it can also be very frustrating and time-consuming.
Most of the budget（便宜的） places to stay are clustered around Stazione Termini； this area is rife with pickpockets（扒手） and gangs of thieving children， so beware - do your best to look like you know where you're going. It is only slightly more expensive and definitely more enjoyable to stay closer to the city centre.
Rome's mild climate makes it visitable year-round； however， spring and autumn are without doubt the best times to visit， with generally sunny skies and mild temperatures. Unfortunately， these times are also the peak tourist season， when the tour buses pour in（川流不息的涌入） and tourists are herded around like cattle. July and August are unpleasantly hot， and Romans traditionally desert the stiflingly hot city in August， with many businesses closing； try to avoid visiting at this time. From December to February there is briskly cold weather， although it's rarely grey and gloomy.
Events-wise， Italy's calendar bursts year-round with cultural events ranging from colourful traditional celebrations with a religious and traditional flavour， through to cultural events. Summer is definitely the best time to visit if you want to catch the best of the festivals； however， the Romaeuropa festival is now a feature of the autumn calendar， the Roma opera season runs from December until June and the classical and contemporary music scene is lively all year round.
Copenhagen (Denmark)
Copenhagen has been the capital of Denmark for 600 years and is also the largest city in Scandinavia， but it hasn't let these high-ranking geopolitical facts go to its urban head - the city maintains a refreshingly low-level approach to the modernisation of its historic skyline， while its high-spirited denizens party in the streets. The city's seemingly interminable（无止尽的）pedestrian mall， Stroget， supplies numerous options for shopping and entertainment， from street theatre to offstreet theatre， while the famous Tivoli fun park serves up amusement in more traditional forms and the cosmopolitan Latin Quarter will leave you covered in aromatic（芳香的；馨香的）coffee grounds.
There's plenty of the green stuff in the city centre， with a couple of large parks and gardens in which to doze（打盹）or ramble（闲逛；漫步）。 If even that sounds too energetic， try a cruise through the canals of Christianshavn， saving just enough adrenalin（兴奋）for a courteous（殷勤的，谦恭的，有礼貌的）nod in the direction of the Little Mermaid. Architecturally， Copenhagen has more than its share of interesting sights， from the administrative palace of Christiansborg Slot on the island of Slotsholmen to the scenic steeple of Vor Frelsers Kirke. The Danish capital pretty much covers all the needs of the international visitor， and does it with typical Scandinavian assurance and flair（天资）。
Many visitors enjoy taking boat rides through Copenhagen's canals.
Copenhagen got its name from the word k？ben-havn， which means "merchants' harbor." It grew in size and importance because of its position on the sound， the body of water between Denmark and Sweden， guarding the entrance to the Baltic.
From its humble beginnings， Copenhagen has become the largest city in Scandinavia， home to 1 1/2 million people. It's the seat of one of the oldest kingdoms in the world.
Over the centuries Copenhagen has suffered more than its share of disasters. In the 17th century the Swedes repeatedly besieged it， and in the 18th century it endured the plague and two devastating fires. The British attacked twice during the Napoleonic wars in the early 1800s. Its last major disaster occurred in 1940 when the Nazis invaded Denmark and held it in their grip until 1945 when the British army moved in again， this time as liberators.
Copenhagen still retains some of the characteristics of a village. If you forget the suburbs， you can cover most of the central belt on foot， making it a great place to visit.
There's plenty of the green stuff in the city centre， with a couple of large parks and gardens in which to doze（打盹）or ramble（闲逛；漫步）。 If even that sounds too energetic， try a cruise through the canals of Christianshavn， saving just enough adrenalin（兴奋）for a courteous（殷勤的，谦恭的，有礼貌的）nod in the direction of the Little Mermaid. Architecturally， Copenhagen has more than its share of interesting sights， from the administrative palace of Christiansborg Slot on the island of Slotsholmen to the scenic steeple of Vor Frelsers Kirke. The Danish capital pretty much covers all the needs of the international visitor， and does it with typical Scandinavian assurance and flair（天资）。
Many visitors enjoy taking boat rides through Copenhagen's canals.
Copenhagen got its name from the word k？ben-havn， which means "merchants' harbor." It grew in size and importance because of its position on the sound， the body of water between Denmark and Sweden， guarding the entrance to the Baltic.
From its humble beginnings， Copenhagen has become the largest city in Scandinavia， home to 1 1/2 million people. It's the seat of one of the oldest kingdoms in the world.
Over the centuries Copenhagen has suffered more than its share of disasters. In the 17th century the Swedes repeatedly besieged it， and in the 18th century it endured the plague and two devastating fires. The British attacked twice during the Napoleonic wars in the early 1800s. Its last major disaster occurred in 1940 when the Nazis invaded Denmark and held it in their grip until 1945 when the British army moved in again， this time as liberators.
Copenhagen still retains some of the characteristics of a village. If you forget the suburbs， you can cover most of the central belt on foot， making it a great place to visit.
Vienna (Austria)
This statue of the goddess Athena is an example of the Greek influence on Vienna's public architecture.
The Austrian capital of Vienna （Wien）， with a population of more than 1.6 million， is a city forever implanted into the international imagination as a dreamy place of cream-filled pastries（奶油馅饼）and angelic choir boys， of prancing white horses and swirling Strauss waltzes. It is a city where legend overrules reality —— the Danube River（多瑙河）， which flows through Vienna， may not be true blue， yet， the "Blue Danube" waltz（蓝色多瑙河华尔兹）has permanently painted the waterway that hue in the mind's eye.
The imperial seat of the Habsburg court since the 17th century， Vienna was one of the world's most powerful cities， both culturally and politically， until World War I， when the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire（奥匈帝国）left it humbled by the redefinition of Europe's political structure. Despite having the power plug pulled， the city has retained its cultural cache（文化蕴藏地）。This statue of the goddess Athena is an example of the Greek influence on Vienna's public architecture.
The world-famous Vienna Boys Choir
Music is the soul of Vienna —— the great composers of Europe， from Mozart to Beethoven， Haydn to Schubert， Strauss to Mahler， called the city home. And at every opportunity， from the grand Opera Ball to the smallest of musical gatherings， Viennese swoon（陶醉）together in the city's famously romantic waltz. Or they gather for dramatic musical stagings（上演的节目）at the Staatsopera （State Opera House）， one of the world's great opera venues.
Vienna celebrates its well-composed heritage with numerous festivals and concerts， as well as well-preserved landmarks such as Schubert's birthplace and the homes of Mozart and Beethoven. Another noteworthy Viennese note-taker， Sigmund Freud， is honored at a museum devoted to his life and work as the father of psychotherapy（精神疗法，心理疗法）。
Kunsthistorisches Museum （Museum of Fine Art） contains some of the world's greatest art.
Art and architecture are also Viennese trademarks， and with 90 museums， many devoted to art， the city is awash in great works. Art Nouveau （known locally as "Jungendstil，" or Young Style） took hold here， born of the Vienna Secession which straddled（跨越，横跨）the turn of the 20th century. The movement's most famous member was Viennese painter Gustav Klimt， and his work， as well as that of other secessionists， is showcased at the Secession Pavilion， designed by Josef Maria Olbrich. Vienna's most famous art museum， however， is the Kunsthistorisches， housing works by such greats as the Dutch master Pieter Brueghel the Elder.
As for Vienna's other cultural icons， they still thrive： from the Spanish Riding School， home of the world-famous， high-stepping Royal Lipizzaner Stallions， to the dulcet-toned Vienna Boy's Choir（维也纳男童合唱团）， which tours the globe when not singing morning mass at the Hofburgkapelle during the summer months.
The Austrian capital of Vienna （Wien）， with a population of more than 1.6 million， is a city forever implanted into the international imagination as a dreamy place of cream-filled pastries（奶油馅饼）and angelic choir boys， of prancing white horses and swirling Strauss waltzes. It is a city where legend overrules reality —— the Danube River（多瑙河）， which flows through Vienna， may not be true blue， yet， the "Blue Danube" waltz（蓝色多瑙河华尔兹）has permanently painted the waterway that hue in the mind's eye.
The imperial seat of the Habsburg court since the 17th century， Vienna was one of the world's most powerful cities， both culturally and politically， until World War I， when the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire（奥匈帝国）left it humbled by the redefinition of Europe's political structure. Despite having the power plug pulled， the city has retained its cultural cache（文化蕴藏地）。This statue of the goddess Athena is an example of the Greek influence on Vienna's public architecture.
The world-famous Vienna Boys Choir
Music is the soul of Vienna —— the great composers of Europe， from Mozart to Beethoven， Haydn to Schubert， Strauss to Mahler， called the city home. And at every opportunity， from the grand Opera Ball to the smallest of musical gatherings， Viennese swoon（陶醉）together in the city's famously romantic waltz. Or they gather for dramatic musical stagings（上演的节目）at the Staatsopera （State Opera House）， one of the world's great opera venues.
Vienna celebrates its well-composed heritage with numerous festivals and concerts， as well as well-preserved landmarks such as Schubert's birthplace and the homes of Mozart and Beethoven. Another noteworthy Viennese note-taker， Sigmund Freud， is honored at a museum devoted to his life and work as the father of psychotherapy（精神疗法，心理疗法）。
Kunsthistorisches Museum （Museum of Fine Art） contains some of the world's greatest art.
Art and architecture are also Viennese trademarks， and with 90 museums， many devoted to art， the city is awash in great works. Art Nouveau （known locally as "Jungendstil，" or Young Style） took hold here， born of the Vienna Secession which straddled（跨越，横跨）the turn of the 20th century. The movement's most famous member was Viennese painter Gustav Klimt， and his work， as well as that of other secessionists， is showcased at the Secession Pavilion， designed by Josef Maria Olbrich. Vienna's most famous art museum， however， is the Kunsthistorisches， housing works by such greats as the Dutch master Pieter Brueghel the Elder.
As for Vienna's other cultural icons， they still thrive： from the Spanish Riding School， home of the world-famous， high-stepping Royal Lipizzaner Stallions， to the dulcet-toned Vienna Boy's Choir（维也纳男童合唱团）， which tours the globe when not singing morning mass at the Hofburgkapelle during the summer months.
Paris (France)
Arc de Triomphe
The discovery of the City of Light and the experience of making it your own is and always has been the most compelling reason to visit. If you're a first-timer， everything in Paris， of course， will be new to you. If you've been away for a while， expect changes： Taxi drivers may no longer correct your French but address you in English——and that's tantamount to（同等的，相当于） a revolution. More Parisians（巴黎人） have a rudimentary（基本的，初步的）knowledge of English， and the country， at least at first glance， seems less hysterically（歇斯底里地，极端地）xenophobic（对外国人无理仇视的，排外的） than in past years. Part of this derives from Parisians' interest in music， videos， and films from foreign countries， and part is caused by France's growing awareness of its role within a united Europe.
Yet France has never been more concerned about the loss of its identity， as it continues to attract an increasing number of immigrants from its former colonies. Many have expressed concern that the country will lose the battle to keep its language strong， distinct， and unadulterated（无搀杂的，纯正的）by foreign （particularly American） slang or catchwords （le weekend， for example）。
Touring the Seine River by boat
Though Paris is in flux （巨变）culturally and socially， it lures travelers for the same reasons it always has.
Both the capital of the nation and of the historic Ile de France region， Paris is located in northern central France， 265km （165mi） south-west of Brussels， 295km （185mi） south-west of Luxembourg and 510km （315mi） west of Stuttgart. The city centre - known as Intra-Muros， or within the walls - is bisected by the River Seine. The area north of the river， the Rive Droite （Right Bank）， includes the tree-lined Avenue des Champs-élysées， running west to the Arc de Triomphe. East of the avenue is the massive Musée du Louvre， the Centre Georges Pompidou and a lively district of museums， shops， markets and restaurants. Immediately south of the Pompidou Centre on the Ile de la Cité is the world-famous Notre Dame. The area south of the river， the Rive Gauche （Left Bank）， is home to the city's most prominent landmark， the Eiffel Tower.
The discovery of the City of Light and the experience of making it your own is and always has been the most compelling reason to visit. If you're a first-timer， everything in Paris， of course， will be new to you. If you've been away for a while， expect changes： Taxi drivers may no longer correct your French but address you in English——and that's tantamount to（同等的，相当于） a revolution. More Parisians（巴黎人） have a rudimentary（基本的，初步的）knowledge of English， and the country， at least at first glance， seems less hysterically（歇斯底里地，极端地）xenophobic（对外国人无理仇视的，排外的） than in past years. Part of this derives from Parisians' interest in music， videos， and films from foreign countries， and part is caused by France's growing awareness of its role within a united Europe.
Yet France has never been more concerned about the loss of its identity， as it continues to attract an increasing number of immigrants from its former colonies. Many have expressed concern that the country will lose the battle to keep its language strong， distinct， and unadulterated（无搀杂的，纯正的）by foreign （particularly American） slang or catchwords （le weekend， for example）。
Touring the Seine River by boat
Though Paris is in flux （巨变）culturally and socially， it lures travelers for the same reasons it always has.
Both the capital of the nation and of the historic Ile de France region， Paris is located in northern central France， 265km （165mi） south-west of Brussels， 295km （185mi） south-west of Luxembourg and 510km （315mi） west of Stuttgart. The city centre - known as Intra-Muros， or within the walls - is bisected by the River Seine. The area north of the river， the Rive Droite （Right Bank）， includes the tree-lined Avenue des Champs-élysées， running west to the Arc de Triomphe. East of the avenue is the massive Musée du Louvre， the Centre Georges Pompidou and a lively district of museums， shops， markets and restaurants. Immediately south of the Pompidou Centre on the Ile de la Cité is the world-famous Notre Dame. The area south of the river， the Rive Gauche （Left Bank）， is home to the city's most prominent landmark， the Eiffel Tower.
Kos (Greece)
Kos （Greece）
Hippocrates Statue
The third largest island in the Dodecanese（希腊的多德卡尼斯群岛）， after Rhodes and Karpathos （喀帕苏斯岛）， Kos （科斯岛）lies between Kalimnos （卡利姆诺斯岛）and Nissiros . It is mainly flat with a mountain chain -Mts. Dikeos （875 m.） and Simpatras—— running along （绵延）the south coast.
Famous as the birthplace of Hippocrates （希腊名医希波克拉底）， the father of medicine， Kos is also known for its lovely， gentle scenery. It is both lush （繁荣的）and fertile（富饶的）， with an abundance of （大量的）springs and streams， gorgeous beaches and a marvelous climate.
Inhabited since prehistoric times， Kos， like Rhodes and the other Dodecanese， has known periods of great prosperity but also times of great hardship over the centuries.
During the Mycenaean （迈锡尼文明的）period （15th - 12th century B.C.）， the island was densely settled and took part in （参与）the Trojan War （特洛伊战争）。 In the 7th and 6th century B.C.， it was the sixth city-state —— along with （除……以外）Halicarnassus， Knidos， Lindos， Ialyssos and Kameiros- in the Dorian （多里斯的）hexapolis.
After the end of the Persian Wars it became a member of the First Delian （爱琴海中的得洛斯岛）or Athenian Confederacy（联盟）。
In the 2nd century A.D.， however， Kos fell under the sway （受到……的统治）of Rome and sank into （陷入）obscurity.
landscape of Kos
The long centuries under Byzantine（东罗马帝国的）rule were beneficial to the island， but by the 11th century， it was under constant threat from Saracen （撒拉逊人）and pirate raids before passing into the hands of the Venetians， the Genoese and， eventually， the Knights of the Order of St. John in 1315.
In 1522， the Turks finally conquered it after a series of unsuccessful attempts. The Turks held it until 1912， when the Italians occupied it and the other Dodecanese， and Kos did not become united with Greece until 1947.
Kos today has developed into a cosmopolitan resort（世界性的旅游胜地）， which is becoming more and more in demand （非常需要的）for apart from（除了）its physical beauty， it possesses some remarkable archaeological sites and important monuments —— leftovers （残留物）of various eras - excellent facilities for tourists and， furthermore， it is easy to get to whether by boat or by plane.
Hippocrates Statue
The third largest island in the Dodecanese（希腊的多德卡尼斯群岛）， after Rhodes and Karpathos （喀帕苏斯岛）， Kos （科斯岛）lies between Kalimnos （卡利姆诺斯岛）and Nissiros . It is mainly flat with a mountain chain -Mts. Dikeos （875 m.） and Simpatras—— running along （绵延）the south coast.
Famous as the birthplace of Hippocrates （希腊名医希波克拉底）， the father of medicine， Kos is also known for its lovely， gentle scenery. It is both lush （繁荣的）and fertile（富饶的）， with an abundance of （大量的）springs and streams， gorgeous beaches and a marvelous climate.
Inhabited since prehistoric times， Kos， like Rhodes and the other Dodecanese， has known periods of great prosperity but also times of great hardship over the centuries.
During the Mycenaean （迈锡尼文明的）period （15th - 12th century B.C.）， the island was densely settled and took part in （参与）the Trojan War （特洛伊战争）。 In the 7th and 6th century B.C.， it was the sixth city-state —— along with （除……以外）Halicarnassus， Knidos， Lindos， Ialyssos and Kameiros- in the Dorian （多里斯的）hexapolis.
After the end of the Persian Wars it became a member of the First Delian （爱琴海中的得洛斯岛）or Athenian Confederacy（联盟）。
In the 2nd century A.D.， however， Kos fell under the sway （受到……的统治）of Rome and sank into （陷入）obscurity.
landscape of Kos
The long centuries under Byzantine（东罗马帝国的）rule were beneficial to the island， but by the 11th century， it was under constant threat from Saracen （撒拉逊人）and pirate raids before passing into the hands of the Venetians， the Genoese and， eventually， the Knights of the Order of St. John in 1315.
In 1522， the Turks finally conquered it after a series of unsuccessful attempts. The Turks held it until 1912， when the Italians occupied it and the other Dodecanese， and Kos did not become united with Greece until 1947.
Kos today has developed into a cosmopolitan resort（世界性的旅游胜地）， which is becoming more and more in demand （非常需要的）for apart from（除了）its physical beauty， it possesses some remarkable archaeological sites and important monuments —— leftovers （残留物）of various eras - excellent facilities for tourists and， furthermore， it is easy to get to whether by boat or by plane.
2008年2月1日星期五
THE LADIES OF THE IDYLL
Little Primrose dames of the English classic, the wife and daughters of the Vicar of Wakefield have no claim whatever to this name of lady. It is given to them in this page because Goldsmith himself gave it to them in the yet undepreciated state of the word, and for the better reason that he obviously intended them to be the equals of the men to whom he marries them, those men being, with all their faults, gentlemen. Goldsmith, in a word, meant them to be ladies, of country breeding, but certainly fit for membership of that large class of various fortune within which the name makes a sufficient equality.
He, their author, thought them sufficient. Having amused himself ingeniously throughout the story with their nameless vulgarities, he finally hurries them into so much sentiment as may excuse the convention of heroes in love. He plays with their coarseness like a perfectly pleased and clever showman, and then piously and happily shuts up his couples-the gentle Dr. Primrose with his abominable Deborah； the excellent Mr. Burchell with the paltry Sophia； Olivia—— but no, Olivia is not so certainly happy ever after； she has a captured husband ready for her in a state of ignominy, but she has also a forgotten farmer somewhere in the background——the unhappy man whom, with her father's permission, this sorry heroine had promised to marry in order that his wooing might pluck forward the lagging suit of the squire.
Olivia, then, plays her common trick upon the harmless Williams, her father conniving, with a provision that he urges with some demonstration of virtue： she shall consent to make the farmer happy if the proposal of the squire be not after all forthcoming. But it is so evident her author knew no better, that this matter may pass. It involves a point of honour, of which no one——neither the maker of the book nor anyone he made——is aware. What is better worth considering is the fact that Goldsmith was completely aware of the unredeemed vulgarity of the ladies of the Idyll, and cheerfully took it for granted as the thing to be expected from the mother-in-law of a country gentleman and the daughters of a scholar. The education of women had sunk into a degradation never reached before, inasmuch as it was degraded in relation to that of men. It would matter little indeed that Mrs. Primrose "could read any English book without much spelling" if her husband and son were as definitely limited to journeyman's field-labour as she was to the pickling and the gooseberry wine. Any of those industries is a better and more liberal business than unselect reading, for instance, or than unselect writing. Therefore let me not be misunderstood to complain too indiscriminately of that century or of an unlettered state. What is really unhandsome is the new, slovenly, and corrupt inequality whereinto the century had fallen.
That the mother of daughters and sons should be fatuous, a village worldling, suspicious, ambitious, ill-bred, ignorant, gross, insolent, foulmouthed, pushing, importunate, and a fool, seems natural, almost innocently natural, in Goldsmith's story； the squalid Mrs. Primrose is all this. He is still able, through his Vicar, in the most charmingly humorous passage in the book, to praise her for her "prudence, economy, and obedience." Her other, more disgusting, characteristics give her husband an occasion for rebuking her as "Woman！" This is done, for example, when, despite her obedience, she refuses to receive that unlucky schemer, her own daughter, returned in ruins, without insulting her by the sallies of a kitchen sarcasm.
She plots with her daughters the most disastrous fortune hunt. She has given them a teaching so effectual that the Vicar has no fear lest the paltry Sophia should lose her heart to the good, the sensible Burchell, who had saved her life； for he has no fortune. Mrs. Primrose begins grotesquely, with her tedious histories of the dishes at dinner, and she ends upon the last page, anxious, amid the general happiness, in regard to securing the head of the table. Upon these feminine humours the author sheds his Vicar's indulgent smile. What a smile for a self-respecting husband to be pricked to smile！ A householder would wince, one would think, at having opportunity to bestow its tolerance upon his cook.
Between these two housewifely appearances, Mrs. Primrose potters through the book； plots——always squalidly； talks the worst kinds of folly； takes the lead, with a loud laugh, in insulting a former friend； crushes her repentant daughter with reproaches that show envy rather than indignation, and kisses that daughter with congratulation upon hearing that she had, unconsciously and unintentionally, contracted a valid marriage （with a rogue）； spoils and makes common and unclean everything she touches； has but two really gentle and tender moments all through the story； and sets, once for all, the example in literature of the woman we find thenceforth, in Thackeray, in Douglas Jerrold, in Dickens, and un peu partout.
Hardly less unspiritual, in spite of their conventional romance of youth and beauty, are the daughters of the squalid one. The author, in making them simple, has not abstained from making them cunning. Their vanities are well enough, but these women are not only vain, they are so envious as to refuse admiration to a sister-in-law——one who is their rival in no way except in so much as she is a contemporary beauty. "Miss Arabella Wilmot," says the pious father and vicar, "was allowed by all （except my two daughters） to be completely pretty."
They have been left by their father in such brutal ignorance as to be instantly deceived into laughing at bad manners in error for humour. They have no pretty or sensitive instincts. "The jests of the rich," says the Vicar, referring to his own young daughters as audience, "are ever successful." Olivia, when the squire played off a dullish joke, "mistook it for humour. She thought him, therefore, a very fine gentleman." The powders and patches for the country church, the ride thither on Blackberry, in so strange a procession, the face-wash, the dreams and omens, are all good gentle comedy； we are completely convinced of the tedium of Mrs. Primrose's dreams, which she told every morning. But there are other points of comedy that ought not to precede an author's appeal to the kind of sentiment about to be touched by the tragic scenes of The Vicar of Wakefield.
In odd sidling ways Goldsmith bethinks himself to give his principal heroine a shadow of the virtues he has not bestowed upon her. When the unhappy Williams, above-mentioned, has been used in vain by Olivia, and the squire has not declared himself, and she is on the point of keeping her word to Williams by marrying him, the Vicar creates a situation out of it all that takes the reader roundly by surprise： "I frequently applauded her resolution in preferring happiness to ostentation." The good Goldsmith！ Here is Olivia perfectly frank with her father as to her exceedingly sincere preference for ostentation, and as to her stratagem to try to obtain it at the expense of honour and of neighbour Williams； her mind is as well known to her father as her father's mind is known to Oliver Goldsmith, and as Oliver Goldsmith's, Dr. Primrose's, and Olivia's minds are known to the reader. And in spite of all, your Goldsmith and your Vicar turn you this phrase to your very face. You hardly know which way to look； it is so disconcerting.
Seeing that Olivia （with her chance-recovered virtue） and Sophia may both be expected to grow into the kind of matronhood represented by their mother, it needs all the conditions of fiction to surround the close of their love-affairs with the least semblance of dignity. Nor, in fact, can it be said that the final winning of Sophia is an incident that errs by too much dignity. The scene is that in which Burchell, revealed as Sir William Thornhill, feigns to offer her in marriage to the good-natured rogue, Jenkinson, fellow prisoner with her father, in order that, on her indignant and distressed refusal, he may surprise her agreeably by crying, "What？ Not have him？ If that be the case, I think I must have you myself."
Even for an avowedly eccentric master of whims, this is playing with forbidden ironies. True, he catches her to his breast with ardour, and calls her "sensible." "Such sense and such heavenly beauty," finally exclaims the happy man. Let us make him a present of the heavenly beauty. It is the only thing not disproved, not dispraised, not disgraced, by a candid study of the Ladies of the Idyll.
He, their author, thought them sufficient. Having amused himself ingeniously throughout the story with their nameless vulgarities, he finally hurries them into so much sentiment as may excuse the convention of heroes in love. He plays with their coarseness like a perfectly pleased and clever showman, and then piously and happily shuts up his couples-the gentle Dr. Primrose with his abominable Deborah； the excellent Mr. Burchell with the paltry Sophia； Olivia—— but no, Olivia is not so certainly happy ever after； she has a captured husband ready for her in a state of ignominy, but she has also a forgotten farmer somewhere in the background——the unhappy man whom, with her father's permission, this sorry heroine had promised to marry in order that his wooing might pluck forward the lagging suit of the squire.
Olivia, then, plays her common trick upon the harmless Williams, her father conniving, with a provision that he urges with some demonstration of virtue： she shall consent to make the farmer happy if the proposal of the squire be not after all forthcoming. But it is so evident her author knew no better, that this matter may pass. It involves a point of honour, of which no one——neither the maker of the book nor anyone he made——is aware. What is better worth considering is the fact that Goldsmith was completely aware of the unredeemed vulgarity of the ladies of the Idyll, and cheerfully took it for granted as the thing to be expected from the mother-in-law of a country gentleman and the daughters of a scholar. The education of women had sunk into a degradation never reached before, inasmuch as it was degraded in relation to that of men. It would matter little indeed that Mrs. Primrose "could read any English book without much spelling" if her husband and son were as definitely limited to journeyman's field-labour as she was to the pickling and the gooseberry wine. Any of those industries is a better and more liberal business than unselect reading, for instance, or than unselect writing. Therefore let me not be misunderstood to complain too indiscriminately of that century or of an unlettered state. What is really unhandsome is the new, slovenly, and corrupt inequality whereinto the century had fallen.
That the mother of daughters and sons should be fatuous, a village worldling, suspicious, ambitious, ill-bred, ignorant, gross, insolent, foulmouthed, pushing, importunate, and a fool, seems natural, almost innocently natural, in Goldsmith's story； the squalid Mrs. Primrose is all this. He is still able, through his Vicar, in the most charmingly humorous passage in the book, to praise her for her "prudence, economy, and obedience." Her other, more disgusting, characteristics give her husband an occasion for rebuking her as "Woman！" This is done, for example, when, despite her obedience, she refuses to receive that unlucky schemer, her own daughter, returned in ruins, without insulting her by the sallies of a kitchen sarcasm.
She plots with her daughters the most disastrous fortune hunt. She has given them a teaching so effectual that the Vicar has no fear lest the paltry Sophia should lose her heart to the good, the sensible Burchell, who had saved her life； for he has no fortune. Mrs. Primrose begins grotesquely, with her tedious histories of the dishes at dinner, and she ends upon the last page, anxious, amid the general happiness, in regard to securing the head of the table. Upon these feminine humours the author sheds his Vicar's indulgent smile. What a smile for a self-respecting husband to be pricked to smile！ A householder would wince, one would think, at having opportunity to bestow its tolerance upon his cook.
Between these two housewifely appearances, Mrs. Primrose potters through the book； plots——always squalidly； talks the worst kinds of folly； takes the lead, with a loud laugh, in insulting a former friend； crushes her repentant daughter with reproaches that show envy rather than indignation, and kisses that daughter with congratulation upon hearing that she had, unconsciously and unintentionally, contracted a valid marriage （with a rogue）； spoils and makes common and unclean everything she touches； has but two really gentle and tender moments all through the story； and sets, once for all, the example in literature of the woman we find thenceforth, in Thackeray, in Douglas Jerrold, in Dickens, and un peu partout.
Hardly less unspiritual, in spite of their conventional romance of youth and beauty, are the daughters of the squalid one. The author, in making them simple, has not abstained from making them cunning. Their vanities are well enough, but these women are not only vain, they are so envious as to refuse admiration to a sister-in-law——one who is their rival in no way except in so much as she is a contemporary beauty. "Miss Arabella Wilmot," says the pious father and vicar, "was allowed by all （except my two daughters） to be completely pretty."
They have been left by their father in such brutal ignorance as to be instantly deceived into laughing at bad manners in error for humour. They have no pretty or sensitive instincts. "The jests of the rich," says the Vicar, referring to his own young daughters as audience, "are ever successful." Olivia, when the squire played off a dullish joke, "mistook it for humour. She thought him, therefore, a very fine gentleman." The powders and patches for the country church, the ride thither on Blackberry, in so strange a procession, the face-wash, the dreams and omens, are all good gentle comedy； we are completely convinced of the tedium of Mrs. Primrose's dreams, which she told every morning. But there are other points of comedy that ought not to precede an author's appeal to the kind of sentiment about to be touched by the tragic scenes of The Vicar of Wakefield.
In odd sidling ways Goldsmith bethinks himself to give his principal heroine a shadow of the virtues he has not bestowed upon her. When the unhappy Williams, above-mentioned, has been used in vain by Olivia, and the squire has not declared himself, and she is on the point of keeping her word to Williams by marrying him, the Vicar creates a situation out of it all that takes the reader roundly by surprise： "I frequently applauded her resolution in preferring happiness to ostentation." The good Goldsmith！ Here is Olivia perfectly frank with her father as to her exceedingly sincere preference for ostentation, and as to her stratagem to try to obtain it at the expense of honour and of neighbour Williams； her mind is as well known to her father as her father's mind is known to Oliver Goldsmith, and as Oliver Goldsmith's, Dr. Primrose's, and Olivia's minds are known to the reader. And in spite of all, your Goldsmith and your Vicar turn you this phrase to your very face. You hardly know which way to look； it is so disconcerting.
Seeing that Olivia （with her chance-recovered virtue） and Sophia may both be expected to grow into the kind of matronhood represented by their mother, it needs all the conditions of fiction to surround the close of their love-affairs with the least semblance of dignity. Nor, in fact, can it be said that the final winning of Sophia is an incident that errs by too much dignity. The scene is that in which Burchell, revealed as Sir William Thornhill, feigns to offer her in marriage to the good-natured rogue, Jenkinson, fellow prisoner with her father, in order that, on her indignant and distressed refusal, he may surprise her agreeably by crying, "What？ Not have him？ If that be the case, I think I must have you myself."
Even for an avowedly eccentric master of whims, this is playing with forbidden ironies. True, he catches her to his breast with ardour, and calls her "sensible." "Such sense and such heavenly beauty," finally exclaims the happy man. Let us make him a present of the heavenly beauty. It is the only thing not disproved, not dispraised, not disgraced, by a candid study of the Ladies of the Idyll.
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