书城外语英语PARTY——不列颠之狮·英格兰
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第14章 宜人风景Natural Scenery(2)

St. James,s Park is one of the Royal Parks of London in the City of Westminster, London, just east of Buckingham Palace and west of Downing Street. The St. James,s area, including St. James,s Palace, is just to the north.

It is bounded by The Mall to the north, Horse Guards to the east, and Birdcage Walk to the south. The park has a small lake, St. James,s Park Lake, with two islands, Duck Island (named for the lake,s collection of waterfowl) and West Island. A bridge across the lake affords views of Buckingham Palace framed by trees and fountains.

The closest tube stations are St. James,s Park, and Westminster.

It was bought as a marsh by Henry VIII, who had it turned into a deer chasechase n.追赶, 追击 vt.追赶, 追逐, 雕镂. It was opened to the public by Charles II.

The Park is the easternmosteasternmost adj.最东部的, 极东的 of an almost continuous chain of parks that also comprises (moving westward) Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.

St. James, Park is the grass area which lies between The Mall and Birdcage Walk, with Buckingham Palace at one end and Horse Guards Parade at the other. It,s smaller than many of the central London parks - only some 95 acres in area. It was created by Henry VII, who fenced in the area to create a deer park for his own benefit. In some ways it was always a more public Royal area than some - Elizabeth I held jousting contests and public fairs here during her reign, for example. It was laid out in its current state by George IV in the 1820s; this is when the lake was created and flower beds designed. Along with many other of Henry,s hunting grounds, it is now a Royal Park, open to the public.

The Mall is the road which leads from Admiralty Arch, at the side of Trafalgar Square, to Buckingham Palace. It,s a very wide road, lined with mature trees and a wonderful perspectiveperspective n.透视画法, 透视图, 远景, 前途, 观点, 看法, 观点, 观察 of the Palace at the far end - it,s the main route down which the Queen processes when she,s opening Parliament or attending other state occasions. Birdcage Walk, on the other side of the park, is the route from the Palace to Parliament Square, and is an equally pleasant walk.

The park itself is mostly grass, with a large, irregularly formed lake in the middle. The park used to be a swampy area, until the land was drained into the lake in the middle, where ducks are now overfed by children and other visitors; pelicans are also a highly visible feature. Around the edges especially, there are some gorgeous flower beds with lots of red and yellow tulips in particular. The architecture around the Park is stunning, and makes this a great place to relax and take in the view, apart from its advantage in being between some of the many tourist sites in London! Anyone walking from the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace on a pleasant day would be well advised to stop here for a while and rest. Along the Mall are various elegant neoClassical buildings, called “Barracks” but much more elegantelegant adj.文雅的, 端庄的, 雅致的, <口>上品的, 第一流的 than the image the word conjures up. There are three palaces boadering on the park - Westminster Palace (Parliament), Buckingham Palace (the Queen,s home) and St. James, Palace (the Queen,s offical residence - ambassadors to the UK are sent to the Court of St. James). Clarence House is also nearby - until March 2002 this was the home of the Queen Mother, and it,s not clear what will happen to it now; perhaps the Prince of Wales will move there.

In summer, it was fashionablefashionable adj.流行的, 时髦的 to drink warm milk, freshly drawn from herds of cows placidly grazing in the London parks, at a kind of milk bar provided for the purpose. The milk sellers would advertise their wares by calling: A can of milk, ladies, a can of red cow,s milk, sir!

Greenwich Park

格林威治公园

伦敦的公园很出名,又大又漂亮,但一般人熟悉的,都只是市中心的海德公园或者Green Park。其实,位于伦敦东部的格林威治公园(Greenwich Park),除了是伦敦最古老的皇家公园外,还是格林威治本初子午线,即地球零经度的所在地。大家常听的格林威治标准时间,亦是源于这里。

面积较小的格林威治公园没有海德公园的热闹人潮,平日来公园的,多是来散步的伦敦人。到了周末或假日,这里便挤满了国内外游人,来参观公园内三大历史建筑:皇后寓所、皇家海事博物馆及格林威治皇家天文台。

天文台内的本初子午线是东西半球的分界线,游人最喜欢走到分界线上,左脚踏东半球、右脚踏西半球拍照,象征站在时间线上的最头和最末位置,意义深远。天文台内还有很多关于时间和天文的展览,有趣而详尽,有兴趣者不妨多花点时间慢慢研究。

除了漂亮的古老建筑外,公园里缺不得的当然是绿油油的草地。每年到了4月初,伦敦天气开始变暖,当地人便纷纷涌到绿草坡上,或野餐、或午睡,悠闲消磨一个下午,惬意得叫人羡慕。此外,格林威治公园也是一年一度伦敦马拉松的起跑点。每逢比赛日,公园里挤满成千上万穿奇装异服的跑手。即使没参加比赛,来见识一下世界级的马拉松盛会,感受一下如节日般热闹的比赛气氛,也挺不错。

Greenwich Park is the oldest of the Royal Parks in London. The Park was originally designed in a clean French style, but today it is a lovely mixture of wilderness and formality.

The Park is laid out around a hilltophilltop n.小山顶 where the Royal Observatory Greenwich is located and from here you have a magnificent view towards central London. At the bottom of the hilltop towards Greenwich village you,ll find the formal buildings of the National Maritime Museum. On the other sides of the hilltop the park is surrounded by old trees and if you,re lucky you can get a glimpseglimpse n.一瞥, 一看 v.瞥见 of deer. Greenwich park is an ideal destination for a Sunday picnic.

This beautiful 163 acre park is set on a hill between Blackheath and the River Thames, and once formed the grounds of Greenwich Palace and the land is owned by the Crown to this day.

Greenwich was enclosed as a Royal Park in 1433, the first to be so. Greenwich Palace, birthplace of King Henry VIII and the first Queen Elizabeth stood on the site of what was until recently the Royal Naval College, and is now Greenwich University, with its pair of handsomehandsome adj.英俊的, 大方的, 慷慨的, 美观的, 堂皇的 towers designed by Christopher Wren, architect of the new London that rose from the ashes of the Great Fire of London in 1666.

Henry VIII was born at Greenwich Palace, then known as Placentia, in 1491. Deer were introduced in 1515, and a herd still grazes the 13 acre Wilderness. With its hunting grounds and proximity to his home fleet at anchor on the Thames, Greenwich Palace remained Henry,s favourite residence. His daughters Mary I and Elizabeth I were both born here. It was at Greenwich that Sir Walter Ralegh put his cloak over a puddle so Elizabeth I would not get her feet wet.