[意大利]马可·波罗/Marco Polo

　　马可·波罗（1254-1324），出生于意大利威尼斯城的一个商人家庭，公元1275年随父亲和叔父到达中国，居留了17年，1295年返回故乡。不久，马可·波罗参加了对热那亚城的海战，兵败被俘入狱。他在狱中口述了其在东方的见闻，由同狱难友为之笔录，这就是举世闻名的《马可·波罗游记》。马可·波罗是中世纪的大旅行家，是使西方人了解中国的重要人物之一。他的游记不仅在西方世界产生了重大影响，也是中国和西方，特别是中国和意大利人民友好关系的历史见证。

　　Upon leaving Va-giu you pass（in the course of three days'journey）many towns, castles, and villages, all of them well inhabited and opulent. At the end of three days you reach the noble and magnificent city of Kin-sai, a name that signifies“the celestial city”。

　　There are within the city ten principal squares or market-places, besides innumerable shops along the streets. Each side of these squares is half a mile in length, and in front of them is the main street, forty paces in width, and running in a direct line from one extremity of the city to the other. There is an abundant quantity of game of all kinds, such as roebucks, stags, fallow deer, hares, and rabbits, together with partridges, pheasants, francolins, quails, common fowls, capons, and such numbers of ducks and geese as can scarcely be expressed.

　　At all seasons there is in the markets a great variety of herbs and fruits, and especially pears of an extraordinary size, weighing ten pounds each, that are white in the inside, like paste, and have a very fragrant smell. There are peaches also, in their season, both of the yellow and the white kind, and of a delicious flavour. From the sea, which is fifteen miles distant, there is daily brought up the river, to the city, a vast quantity of fish;and in the lake also there is abundance, which gives employment at all times to persons whose sole occupation it is to catch them.

　　On each side of the principal street, there are houses and mansions of great size, with their gardens, and near to these, the dwellings of the artisans, who work in shops, at their several trades. The inhabitants of the city use paper money as currency. The men as well as the women have fair complexions, and are handsome. The greater part of them are always clothed in silk, in consequence of the vast quantity of that material produced in the territory of Kin-sai. They are friendly towards each other, and persons who inhabit the same street, both men and women, from the mere circumstance of neighborhoods, appear like one family. In their domestic manners they are free from jealousy or suspicion of their wives, to whom great respect is shown, and any man would be accounted infamous who should presume to use indecent expressions to a married woman. To strangers also, who visit their city in the way of commerce, they give proofs of cordiality, inviting them freely to their houses, showing them hospitable attention, and furnishing them with the best advice and assistance in their mercantile transactions.

　　At the distance of twenty-five miles from this city, in a direction to the northward of east, lies the sea, near to which is a town named Gan-pu, where there is an extremely fine port, frequented by all the ships that bring merchandise from India.

　　途经吴州的这三天行程中，我看到了许多城镇、宫殿和村庄，这些地方人口密集，繁荣昌盛。第三天，我们到达了宏伟壮丽的临安城，意即“皇城”。

　　临安城内有十个主要的广场，或称市集，沿街还有许多店铺。广场每边各有半英里长，正前方是主街道，各有40步宽，从城的一端笔直地延伸到另一端。市集上野味的品种和数量丰富充足，有鹌鹑、雉鸡、鹧鸪、松鸡、家禽、阉鸡，还有雄獐、牡鹿、扁角鹿和野兔，除此之外，还有不计其数的鸭和鹅。

　　市集上，各种各样的药草和水果一年四季都在出售，尤其是大个梨，每个足有10磅重，果肉呈白色，像晶莹剔透的糨糊，还散发出一种浓郁的香味。当然，也有正当时令的桃子，有黄有白，味美可口。每天，从15英里以外的海中捕捞的大量鱼品，从河道运到城内。湖中渔产也很丰富，这就给那些专以打鱼为生的渔夫提供了常年的就业机会。

　　主街道两边都是带有花园的大豪宅、大官邸，而近旁就是依靠各自手艺开店铺的工匠屋舍了。市民用的都是纸币。这里的男男女女肤色白皙，俊朗漂亮。临安城盛产丝绸，因而人们大多都穿着丝制衣裳。人们相亲相爱，关爱有加，街坊邻居，不论男女，俨然一家人。家庭礼法中，丈夫不会猜忌妻子，反而对其十分尊敬；要是哪个丈夫对妻子出言不逊，他肯定会声名狼藉。对来城经商的外地人，人们也会礼貌相待，真诚地邀请他们常到家中做客，热情款待他们，并会提供经商的最好建议和帮助。

　　临安城25英里外的东南方有一片大海，海附近有一个叫澉浦的城镇，那是一个优良的港口城，停泊着从印度驶来的所有货船。

　　心灵小语

　　我们的国土曾经如此繁华，吸引全世界的目光。如今的中国将再度崛起，我们为自己是中国人感到骄傲！

　　词汇笔记

　　opulent['?pjul?nt]adj.富裕的，充足的

　　Maintain modesty, don't show opulent, don't create envy and enemies.

　　保持谦逊的作风，不要露富，以免引起嫉妒甚至树敌。

　　fragrant['freigr?nt]adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

　　The flowers gave off a fragrant odor.

　　花儿发出一阵幽香。

　　dwelling['dweli?]n.住处

　　Shelter is not only a dwelling place.

　　“避难所”并不是单纯的居住场所。

　　jealousy['d?el?si]n.嫉妒

　　Love is never without jealousy.

　　没有嫉妒就没有爱情。

　　小试身手

　　市集上，各种各样的药草和水果一年四季都在出售。

　　译______________________________

　　临安城盛产丝绸，因而人们大多都穿着丝制衣裳。

　　译______________________________

　　人们相亲相爱，关爱有加，街坊邻居，不论男女，俨然一家人。

　　译______________________________

　　短语家族

　　Near to these, the dwellings of the artisans……

　　near to：靠近，接近，在……近旁

　　造______________________________

　　The inhabitants of the city use paper money as currency.

　　use as：用做，把……当做……使用

　　造______________________________