书城外语英语PARTY——高地之邦·苏格兰
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第4章 城市导航City Guide(2)

Most tourists descend on Edinburgh in summer (between July and September) and particularly in August, for the worldfamous Edinburgh International Festival, when the city is abuzzabuzz adj.嗡嗡的, 嘁嘁喳喳的, 活泼的 with cultural activity. There is also a lively Fringe Festival, Military Tattoo and the Book, Film and Jazz Festivals running concurrently with the main event. However, it is also very crowded at this time, with accommodation booked up for months in advance...thus is you are thinking of visiting during these months; book early! Another influx of visitors occurs over the New Year period, when the popular Hogmanay Festival takes place. The quietest time to visit, therefore, is either in the spring or late autumn, when the attractions are less overrunoverrun n.泛滥成灾, 超出限度 vt.蹂躏, 超过, 泛滥 vi.泛滥, 蔓延 with tourists and getting around the place is easier.

Glasgow

商业中心——格拉斯哥

格拉斯哥是苏格兰最大的城市和经济中心。它位于克莱德河畔,西距入海口三十多公里,面积157平方公里,人口68.9万。包括郊区在内的大格拉斯哥则有居民160多万,几乎占苏格兰人口的三分之一。

格拉斯哥是一座幸存的维多利亚时代的城市,其建筑具有结构规模庞大、装饰精细、富丽堂皇的特点。市政大楼位于美丽的乔治广场中央,巨大的大理石楼梯、精细的镶嵌、宏伟的大屋顶构成了它的壮观和完美。广场另一端是着名的蒸汽机发明家詹姆斯·瓦特塑像,当年他就是在苏格兰揭开了英国工业革命的序幕。位于格拉斯哥波洛克公园的巴勒欧艺术馆是欧洲最精美的市政艺术收藏馆之一,其建筑本身荣获了工艺奖。这为吸引国内外游客,发展旅游业提供了得天独厚的条件。

近年来,格拉斯哥的旅游业有了更大的发展。乘火车由伦敦向北到格拉斯哥需要7个小时,沿途是一望无垠的绿野,大片大片黄色的油菜花簇伴随着吃草的牛羊,一派悠然惬意的苏格兰田园风光、1988年格拉斯哥举行了国际花园节,包括中国在内的一些国家的城市在格拉斯哥举行了园林艺术展览,吸引了大批国内外游客。1990年格拉斯哥被选为欧洲文化名城。它还被“预选”为1999年的欧洲建筑名城,届时将有更多的世界各地的游客涌向格拉斯哥。

格拉斯哥是高尔夫球的发源地,全市有百余个高尔夫球场。在这里,不论是贵族阶层、中产阶级还是一般家庭,都可以享受到高尔夫的乐趣。

坐落在格拉斯哥西部克莱德河畔的现代化苏格兰会展中心、苏格兰博物馆以及发达的商业购物中心等也都是格拉斯哥旅游业的良好资源。

格拉斯哥是一座商业城市。它是苏格兰最大的商业中心,英国第三大商业中心,仅次于伦敦和伯明翰。近年来,格拉斯哥为发展商业进行了大量投资。大型购物中心建筑结构独特,场内宽敞明亮,辅助设施齐全。市中心本来就具有特殊的魅力,加上部分街道限定为步行街,不准车辆行驶,使得商业更为繁荣。

格拉斯哥的交通运输和通讯设施很发达。机场离市中心只不过15分钟的高速公路车程,是苏格兰的主要机场,也是英国最重要的机场之一。从格拉斯哥有直达的定期班机飞往全英国和欧洲的重要商业城市。飞往伦敦只要一个小时左右。普雷斯威克机场距格拉斯哥市58公里。被认为是通向美国和加拿大的“门户”机场,可直接飞往美国纽约、波士顿和加拿大的温哥华、多伦多等城市。

格拉斯哥市中心离苏格兰中部高速公路网的汇合点不远,这个复式高速公路网使汽车可以几乎通行无阻地驶往英国大多数城市。格拉斯哥的一个专门为集装箱货轮建设的码头有两个深水港和一个货车站,离市中心不到一小时的车程。在市内的一个普通货运码头,能容纳吃水深达6米的船只,并有面积将近4.8万平方米的有盖存货场。

格拉斯哥在苏格兰的经济中起着重大作用。这里是苏格兰的金融中心,是苏格兰皇家银行、克莱德斯达尔银行以及国民储蓄银行的总部所在地。英国威斯敏斯特国家银行、标准渣打银行、米特兰银行、巴克莱银行等以及包括中国银行在内的海外银行在格拉斯哥设有分行或办事处,共有30多家。格拉斯哥是公司总部的集中地,英国许多最大和最成功的公司总部都设在这里。例如:帕顿公司、维尔集团公司、豪顿公司、不列颠石油公司等。

格拉斯哥人杰地灵,其劳动大军素以多才多艺、灵活变通和勤奋着称。两所着名的大学格拉斯哥大学和斯特拉斯克莱德大学都因其出色的机械工程等专业而着名,并且在商学和电子学方面声誉日隆。此外,由查尔斯·麦金托什策划的格拉斯哥美术学院也是全球着名的。另有十几所学院容纳将近4万名接受一般职业训练的学生——包括工商管理、建筑、印刷、食品科技等各种专业。

Glasgow is Scotland,s largest city, situated on the River Clyde in the country,s west central lowlands.

Known as the commercial capital of Scotland, the City of Glasgow is a bustlingbustling adj.熙熙攘攘的, 忙乱的, cosmopolitan city. It has a population of 612,000, down from its 1960s peak of 1.1 million, while approximately 2.1 million people live in Greater Glasgow : A 15 mile radius of the city centre known as the city of Glasgow and the greater metropolitanmetropolitan adj.首都的, 主要都市的, 大城市 area. The surrounding region of Strathclyde (from the Gaelic for “valley of the River Clyde”) has a population of over 2.6 million, over half of the whole Scottish population.

The city,s name comes from the older Gaelic glas cu (compare modern Gaelic Glaschu), meaning green hollow. The “dear green place” (Glaschu) has been misquotedmisquote v.错误地引用 as a Gaelic translation for the city, but this was actually Daniel Defoe,s description of the city when he visited in the early 18th century; he also claimed that Glasgow was “the cleanest and beautifullest, and best built city in Britain, London excepted”. At that time, the city was built with attractive, compact wooden buildings, none of which remain.

Glasgow is the second most popular foreign tourist destination in Scotland after Edinburgh and the third most popular in the UK after London. The city also boastsboast n.自夸, 值得夸耀的事物 v.自夸, 以有……而自豪 the UK,s second largest and most economically important shopping district after London,s West End.

Glasgow is hard to define. In recent years there has been a phenomenal amount of change in Glasgow. The city has endeavouredendeavour n.(英)尽力,竭力 to reinvent itself, both socially and culturally. This spontaneous freespirit has cast off its industrial past to become a modern, design conscious city with an energy and exuberance that is simply not found anywhere else in Scotland.

Here visitors will enjoy the trendytrendy n.新潮人物, 穿着时髦的人 adj.流行的 stores, stylish restaurants and a diverse cultural scene that help make this Scotland,s most exciting city and a refreshing alternative to the smaller, historic city of Edinburgh. From the awe inspiring Gothic masterpiece of Glasgow Cathedral to the city,s hoard of excellent art galleries, visitors will be amazed atamazed at 吃惊于…… how much Glasgow has to offer.

Visit the City

Glasgow is a good choice for a visit in this country. If you are a newcomer to the area or haven,t visited for a while, the information provided on this and related pages will prove invaluable in assistingassist v.援助, 帮助 you to make your holiday or business venture here, as simple as a stroll down your local street back home.

Popular with tourists, Glasgow has gone through a metamorphosis. From a dirty city, its slum docks the bane of it,s past, it,s blossomed into a city with style, poise and panachepanache n.羽饰, 华丽.

The city,s development has always been unashamedly commercial, tied up with the wealth of its manufacturers and merchants, who constructed a vast number of civic buildings throughout the 19th century. Many of these have been preserved, and Glasgow claims, with some justificationjustification n.认为有理, 认为正当, 理由, 辩护, 释罪, to be Britain,s greatest Victorian city.

Glasgow offers a wealth of cultural and leisure attractions; a plethora of galleries, museums and ancient buildings, operas, ballets, orchestrasorchestra n.管弦乐队, 乐队演奏处 and concerts. The city,s name comes from glas ghu Celtic for “dear green place” and still lives up to its name with more than 70 parks and gardens to explore.