What to See in London

　　According to the London Development Agency, London has over 200 museums, 500 cinema screens, 108 music halls, and five symphony orchestras. There are three World Heritage Sites in London—the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and Maritime Greenwich. Every day there are at least 150 events in London. Needless to say, you can’t see it all in one day. Here are some major sights you can expect to tackle on the first visit to London:

　　根据伦敦发展署的调查显示, 伦敦拥有200多座博物馆, 500多家电影院, 108 家音乐厅和5支交响乐团. 伦敦还拥有3处世界遗产遗址, 即威斯敏斯特宫和威斯敏斯特修道院,伦敦塔以及格林威治海岸. 在伦敦, 每天都至少有150场活动. 不用说, 你没法在一天之内把所有的这些活动都看遍. 如果你初放伦敦,下面是一些你可能会想去的主要景点:

　　Buckingham Palace 白金汉宫(built 1705) One of the most recognizable buildings in the world and home of the royal family, Buckingham Palace has 661 rooms, 19 of which are open to the public. The Queen conducts royal ceremonies here where 50,000 people each year are invited to attend Palace functions. The Changing of the Guard lasts 45 minutes in front of the Palace and should not be missed.

　　Houses of Parliament 会议大厦(built 1840-1888) “Hear, hear.” The Houses of Parliament, also known as Westminster Palace, was designed in the Gothic (1) style. One of London’s famous landmarks—Big Ben, the clock tower named for its 13-ton bell—is also found here. Guided tours take visitors around the stately halls where the House of Lords and the House of Commons legislate (2) and debate (3). The Prime Minister’s Question Time tends to be the busiest and most interesting time to visit.

　　Note: "Hear, hear" is the expression used to open a parliament session, and when the house representatives get a little rowdy (4). It’s short for "Hear, all ye good people, hear what this brilliant and eloquent (5) speaker has to say."

　　London Eye 伦敦眼 (operational 2000) The “Eye” is a giant modern ferris wheel which weighs 1,600 tons and stands 450 feet (135 m) high on the South Bank of the River Thames across from the Houses of Parliament. The waiting lines, or “queues”, can be long, but up to 25 visitors can ride in each of the clear capsules for 30 minutes and gaze out over the vast city. A magical time to ride the “Eye” is at night.

　　Westminster Abbey威斯敏斯特教堂 (built 1245-1517) One of the most visited Christian churches in the world, this mainly Gothic cathedral is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs. The Abbey was built and rebuilt many times in different styles starting in 1045 and 1065 in the Norman (6) style and then progressing into the 14th century in the Gothic style. All English coronations except those of three monarchs have been conducted here since 1066, while most Kings and Queens of England before Charles I are buried here, including Mary Queen of Scots. Geoffrey Chaucer and other poets, such as Robert Br owning and Alfred Lord Tennyson, are buried in what is known as Poet’s Corner.

　　British Museum 大英博物馆(founded 1753) The oldest museum in the world is also the most visited site in London. Highlighted treasures include Assyrian and Egyptian artifacts, the 2000-year-old corpse found in a Cheshire bog (7), and Saxon (8) jewelry. The museum’s newly constructed £100 million (about $180 million) Great Court—a two-acre square, enclosed by a glass roof—is the largest covered public square in Europe.

　　Natural History Museum 自然历史博物馆 (built 1881) With over 68 million specimens, this museum, built in the Gothic Revival style, can only exhibit a fraction of its entire collection at one time. Fun exhibits include the Blue Whale exhibit, rainforest gallery, earthquake experience, and dinosaur displays.

　　Tate Britain Gallery泰特美术馆(built 1897) The Tate Britain displays over 600 years of British work (the largest collection in the world). Featured artists include Blake, Reynolds, Gainsborough, and the Pre-Raphaelite artists.

　　St. Paul’s Cathedral圣保罗大教堂 (built 1675-1710) The original site of the cathedral dates back to AD 604. The present structure, designed by Sir Christopher Wren after London’s Great Fire of 1666, has a domed roof. The Whispering Gallery, which runs around the interior, is famous for its acoustics; whispers on one side of the wall are audible 100 feet away on the opposite side. St. Paul’s, which remained intact despite heavy bombing in World War II, is also a symbol of the British resistance and war effort.

　　Tate Modern Gallery 泰特现代美术馆(opened 2000) This museum houses the Tate’s collection of modern and contemporary international art from 1900 to the present. The modern industrial building—a massive block with a huge central tower—has a glass structure, which brings in more light and provides spectacular views over London. The Millennium Bridge connects the Tate Modern to St. Paul’s Cathedral.

　　The Globe Theater 全球剧院(built 1995-97) The original Globe Theater, where actors performed William Shakespeare’s plays, burned down in 1613. The newly reconstructed Globe, however, copies original drawings of the 16th Century building’s details and uses many of the same techniques and materials. Theatergoers can see performances of Shakespeare’s plays, such as Romeo and Juliet and Much Ado About Nothing.

　　Word Key

　　1 Gothic adjective 哥德式的

　　2 legislate verb制定法律

　　3 debate verb辩论；讨论

　　4 rowdy adjective吵闹的

　　5 eloquent adjective雄辩的

　　6 Norman adjective诺曼底的

　　7 bog noun泥炭地

　　8 Saxon proper noun (原住德国、一部分于5-6世纪移居英国的)撒克逊人(的)