48. piccadilly circus

　　it is difficult to say what is the real center of england, but many people would choose piccadilly circus. this is because it is not only central but also the heart of london’s entertainment world. within a few hundred yards of it we find most of london’s best-known theatres and cinemas, the most famous restaurants and the most luxurious night-clubs.

　　in the middle of piccadilly circus there is a statue said to be of eros, the god of love. few people know that it really represents the angel of christian charity. this statue is the first that was ever cast in aluminum2 . on cup final3 night and new year’s eve it is boarded up to prevent over-enthusiastic revelers from climbing onto it.

　　the buildings around the circus are rather nondescript, though some of them are large and quite imposing. 4 many of them are decorated with bright neon signs advertising goods and entertainments; piccadilly circus at night is a colourful sight.

　　underneath piccadilly circus there is an important tube station with escalators leading down to two different lines. the ticket-hall, which is just below street-level, is a vast circular hall with showcases, hired by various stores, let into the walls. there are entrances from all the main streets that converge at the circus. 5

　　it is particularly in the evening that piccadilly circus is thronged with people going to the theatre or the cinema, or perhaps to a restaurant. many others have come for an evening stroll6 ; they will probably have a cup of coffee or a glass of beer before they go home . the crowd is a motley7 one , for it is composed of people of many nationalities. the peoples of the british commonwealth are well represented, as there are many indians, pakistanis, west indians and africans in london; they are either working here or studying. some of them wear their national dress. many foreign visitors mingle with the crowd, some from the continent, some from more distant places. it is interesting to try to identify different nationalities by their style and type of clothing. this is no longer as easy as it used to be. the atmosphere is distinctly cosmopolitan, and one hears a great variety of languages. it has been said that if you listen carefully, you may even hear english8 !

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. according to the passage , fill in th e bla nks with proper words:

　　1. in the middle of piccadilly circus, there is a statue, which represents the of christian charity. on cup final night and new year’s eve it is up to prevent over-enthusiastic fans from climbing onto it.

　　2. the buildings around the circus are large and quite .

　　3. underneath the circus there is a station with leading down to two different lines.

　　4. on the circus, many foreign visitors with the crowd. it is really a one.

　　Ⅱ. questions :

　　1. why is piccadilly circus called the center of london?

　　2. what is the interesting thing in piccadilly circus?

　　参考答案

　　Ⅰ. 1. angel / boarded 2. imposing 3. tube / escalators 4 . mingle / motley

　　Ⅱ. 1. because it is not only central but also the heart of london’s entertainment world. 2. ( 略)

　　参考译文

　　皮卡迪利广场

　　很 难说哪里是伦敦真正的中心, 但许多人都会认定是皮卡迪利广场, 这是因为它不仅 地处市中心而且是伦敦娱乐世界的中心。伦敦最有名的剧场和影院, 最著名的餐馆和最豪 华的夜总会都在距离广场几百码的地方。

　　皮卡迪利广场的中央有一座爱神厄洛斯的雕像。几乎没人知道这座雕像真正代表的 是基督教博爱天使。这是有史以来第一座由铝铸成的雕像。足协杯锦标赛决赛的当晚和 新年前夜, 为防止狂热的狂欢者爬上去, 人们会用木板围住雕像。

　　广 场周围的建筑的确难以描述, 但有些大楼还是非常宏伟壮观。许多大楼都饰有明亮 的霓虹灯。那是在为各种商品和娱乐节目做广告。皮卡迪利广场的夜晚是绚丽多彩的。

　　皮卡迪利广场的地下有个重要的地铁站。地铁站内的自动扶梯通向两条不同的地铁 线。地下售票厅是个宽敞的带有各种展品陈列窗的圆形大厅, 这些陈列窗嵌入墙内, 由各 店家租用。广场的各主要大街都有通往地铁的入口。

　　特别是在晚上, 广场上人头攒动, 有人去看戏或看电影, 有人去餐馆, 还有很多人来散 步, 回家前可能还会喝上一杯咖啡或啤酒。伦敦有来自五湖四海的人, 所以比较混杂。这 里有许多印度人、巴基斯坦人、西印度群岛的人以及非洲人, 几乎英联邦成员国各民族的代 表都有, 他们有的是在这里工作, 有的是来上学。他们中有些人穿着本国的民族服装。许 多外国游客夹杂在人群中, 有的来自欧洲大陆, 有的来自更远的地方。通过衣着打扮来识 别他们的国籍是挺有意思的事情。但这点不再像过去那么容易了。这里的一切都具有明 显的世界性, 人们可以听到许多种语言。据说, 如果仔细听, 你还会听到英语呢!

　　阅读导评

　　在英国的首都伦敦的正中心———皮卡迪利广场上, 要听英语竟得竖起耳朵才能听到! 只此一句话, 便将广场的现状描绘得活灵活现。

　　阅读导释

　　1. 皮卡迪利广场。自1819 年建成起, 皮卡迪利广场就是集会场所。它曾是英国的中心。皮卡迪利广场是个充满矛盾的地方。广场附近美丽的建筑物被霓虹灯广告所覆盖, 交通 的嘈杂声盘旋在厄洛斯像———基督教博爱大使的雕像周围。这个雕像是献给乐善好施 的沙夫茨伯里伯爵的礼物。piccadilly, 是指“ 英国伦敦的皮卡迪利大街”, 它以时髦的商 店、俱乐部、旅馆和住宅著称。circus 意为“环行广场, 环行交叉口, 环行建筑群”。

　　2. 铝。cast in aluminum 表示“ 用铝浇铸”。

　　3. cup final 指“足协杯锦标赛决赛”, 由英国足协每年在伦敦西北郊温布利体育场举行。

　　4. 这句话中有两个词语需要注意一下: nondescript 的意思是“因无特征而难以归类的, 难以 形容的”, 如: a nondescript mixture of feelings ( 难以名状的交织感情) 。imposing 的意思是 “ 壮观的, 气势雄伟的, 庄严的, 不凡的, 给人印象深刻的”, 如: an imposing building ( 一座 气势宏伟的建筑物) ; she made an imposing display of knowledge. ( 她显示出令人叹服的博 识多闻

　　5. 整个段落描写的是伦敦地铁站的情况, 现在上海地铁站内的布局也有许多和伦敦相似之 处。tube 是“地下铁道, 地铁列车”的意思, 美语用subway 表示, 法国巴黎和加拿大蒙特 利尔则用metro 指“地铁”。escalator 是“ 自动扶梯”。“升降电梯”英语中用lift 表示, 美 语是elevator。showcase 是指“商店里的玻璃陈列窗”。entrance 这里指“ 进地铁站的入 口”,“出口”则是exit。converge 的意思是“ 聚集, 集中, 汇合”, 如: thousands of spectators converged on the city for the horse race. ( 数以千计的观众从四面八方涌到这座城市观看 赛马。) converge 的反义词是diverge ( 分叉, 叉开) 。

　　6. 这里用作名词, 意思是“ 散步, 溜达, 闲逛”。该词用作动词, 作“ 沿⋯⋯散步, 在⋯⋯溜 达”解, 如: stroll the streets ( 逛大街) 。还可作“ 为求职或谋生而四处流浪, 辗转各地”解, 如: strolling gypsies ( 四处流浪的吉普赛人) 。

　　7. 这个词语的意思是“ 混杂的, 成分杂乱的”, 如: a motley collection of shells ( 一堆各色贝 壳) ; the crew of the ships were a motley one. ( 那几条船上的水手各色人都有。) 8. 幽默的说法, 以示广场的国际性。