苏格兰胜景 Mysterious Scotland

cities, Scotland proudly invites visitors to explore its 8,000 year-old culture.

Despite the country’s small size (mainland and island groups total 77,097 sq km), one may feel a bit overwhelmed (2) with all Scotland has to offer. Read on for English First’s guide to exploring the country’s greatest attractions.

群山绿意葱茏，诸岛乱石嶙峋，野地崎岖多趣，城市令人赞叹，这些都足以让苏格兰引以为豪，它籍此诚邀您来探访它那绵延8千年之久的悠久文化。

       尽管只是个蕞尔小国（其主要大陆和岛屿群的总面积仅为77,097平方公里），驻足苏格兰，目睹其人情风物，你却会赞叹不已。让《第一英语》带着你，去探访这个国家的种种胜景吧!

Amazing Architecture

爱丁堡：壮观建筑

Edinburgh’s mix of ancient and modern is sure to take your breath away (3).  Crowded buildings line sloping (4) streets where discos blend with quaint (5) shops. Most first-time visitors choose to explore the city’s old town, with its striking skyline and endless stores and restaurants. Walk down Royal Mile, lined with St. Giles Royal Cathedral, the Parliament House, and Holyrook Palace. But don’t just stay on the beaten path (6) – lose yourself among the area’s dozens of delightful and historic neighborhoods.

在爱丁堡，古色古香的建筑和现代建筑荟萃一处，足以让你看得目不转睛。在城里斜坡状的街道上漫步，随处可见迪厅和古雅的小店比肩而立。许多初次造访者都会去老城区一游，那儿有壮观的城市天际线，商铺和旅馆则比比皆是。沿着皇家大道走下去，沿途可见圣吉尔斯皇家教堂、议会大厦和霍利鲁克宫。但是别在这条古意悠然的道路上流连太久——否则这片街区迷人的历史风物足以让你沉迷忘返。

The central feature of the capital city is the Edinburgh Castle, which is high above the city atop an extinct (7) volcano. The Castle reminds everyone of its mighty presence daily, when the cannon fires at one o’clock.  The castle is home to the Stone of Destiny, the ancient coronation (8) stone of Scottish Kings, which was returned to Scotland in 1997 after centuries of absence.

爱丁堡古堡是该城的标志，它高高矗立在一座死火山的山颠，超拔于城市之上。每天下午1点，城堡就炮声轰鸣，似乎要让人别忘了它的巍然存在。苏格兰国王代代相传的加冕宝石——命运石就珍藏于此。在失踪了数世纪之后，命运石于1997年回归了苏格兰。

Keywords

1 moorland noun wild open countryside, covered in heather, grasses, or moss

2 overwhelmed (to overwhelm) transitive verb to affect somebody’s emotions deeply

3 to take your breath away (to take ones breath away) phrase to put in a state of awe

4 sloping (to slope) verb to slant, to incline slightly

5 quaint adjective attractively old-fashion, charming

6 beaten path informal phrase route taken by many others

7 extinct adjective no longer erupting, permanently dormant

8 coronation noun the ceremony of crowing a king or queen