08_A_Famous_Monastery

08 A Famous Monastery

原文译文

The Great St.Bernard Pass connects Switzerland to Italy. At 2,473 metres, it is the highest mountain pass in Europe. The famous monastery of St.Bernard, (which was founded in the eleventh century), lies about a mile away. For hundreds of years, St.Bernard dogs have saved the lives of travellers (crossing the dangerous Pass). These friendly dogs, which were first brought from Asia, were used as watchdogs even in Roman times. Now that a tunnel has been built through the mountains, the Pass is less dangerous, but each year, the dogs are still sent out into the snow whenever a traveller is in difficulty. Despite the new tunnel, there are still a few people (who rashly attempt to cross the Pass on foot).

During the summer months, the monastery is very busy, for it is visited by thousands of people who cross the Pass in cars. As there are so many people about, the dogs have to be kept in a special enclosure. In winter, however, life at the monastery is quite different. The temperature drops to -30 degrees, and very few people attempt to cross the Pass. The monks prefer winter to summer for they have more privacy. The dogs have greater freedom, too, for they are allowed to wander outside their enclosure. The only regular visitors to the monastery in winter are parties of skiers who go there at Christmas and Easter. These young people, who love the peace of the mountains, always receive a warm welcome at St.Bernard's monastery.

圣伯纳德大山口连接着瑞士与意大利，海拔2,473米，是欧洲最高的山口。11世纪建造的著名的圣伯纳德修道院位于离山口1英里远的地方。几百年来，圣伯纳德修道院驯养狗拯救了许多翻越这道山口的旅游者的生命。那些最先从亚洲引进的狗，待人友好，早在罗马时代就给人当看门狗了。如今由于山里开挖了隧道，翻越山口已不那么危险了。但每年还要派狗到雪地里去帮助那些遇到困难的旅游者。尽管修通了隧道，但仍有一些人想冒险徒步跨越圣伯纳德山口。

夏天的几个月里，修道院十分忙碌，因为有成千上万的人驾车通过山口，顺道来修道院参观。由于来人太多，狗被关在专门的围栏里。然而到了冬天，修道院里的生活则是另一番景象。气温下降到零下30度，试图跨越山口的人寥寥无几。修道士们喜欢冬天，而不太喜欢夏天。因为在冬天，他们可以更多地过无人打扰的生活。狗也比较自由，被放出围栏，四处溜达。冬天常来修道院参观的只有一批批滑雪者。他们在圣诞节或复活节到那儿去。这些热爱高山清静环境的年轻人每年都受到圣伯纳德道院的热忱欢迎。

Words

• Pass /pæs/ n. 圣伯纳德山口
  1. Tell the women and children to make for the mountain pass. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) N2
  2. They kept guard near the mountain pass all night last night. N2
• monastery /ˈmɑnəˌstɛri/ n. 修道院
  1. He lived in a monastery for most of his life.
  2. Not only did they go to the monastery, but they... as well.
  3. They are not allowed to enter the monastery for various reasons. N2
• rashly /ˈræʃli/ adv. 鲁莽地
  1. I may have acted rashly. N2
  2. I rashly agreed to look after the children. N2
• about /əˈbaʊt/ 在附近
• enclosure /ɛnˈkloʒɚ/ n. 围场
  1. Trust me, the watchdog is gonna love his new enclosure.
  2. We need to get the tiger into the special enclosure.
  3. She keeps a horse in a special enclosure.
• monks /mʌŋks/ n. 僧侣
  1. These monks rarely go to extremes.
  2. The monk (we saw last night) published an article on love.
  3. The monk provided us with a bed and hot meal last night.
• privacy /ˈpraɪvəsi/ n. 隐私
  1. Such is human nature, that everyone needs their privacy.
  2. He was amazed to find that no one has their privacy in the hospital.
• wander /ˈwɑndɚ/ 溜达
• skiers /ˈskiɚz/ n. 滑雪的人
  1. They spotted two skiers talking to each other last night.
  2. This convinced the skier that the watchdog was in a special enclosure.
  3. The skier claimed to have seen the watchdog near the mountain pass.
• Easter /ˈistɚ/ n. 复活节
• peace /pis/ 平静

Expressions

• Can I get some privacy? 能让我有点隐私吗？
• connect a to b 把 A 和 B 连接起来
• for hundreds of years 数百年
  1. Our family has lived around here for hundreds of years.
  2. That is what people have been doing for hundreds of years. The Last Word
  3. Some families have farmed in this area for hundreds of years.
  4. Now that + 从句 (原因状语从句)
  5. Now (that) can be used as a conj. In an informal style, that is often dropped.
  6. 既然; 由于; because now...
  7. Now (that) I’m here, I’d better stay.
  8. We can go swimming every day now that the weather is warm.
• Now that + 从句 由于
• attempt to do sth. 试图做某事
  1. Not only did he attempt to buy the house, but... as well.
  2. Do not attempt to keep the status quo.
  3. Despite the fact that he attempted to take a shower, he couldn’t raise his hand.
• be in difficulty 遇到问题或处于困境
  1. When you are in difficulty, you may ask for her help.
  2. She likes to help anyone who is in difficulty.
  3. If you are in difficulty, just give me a call.
• receive a warm welcome 受到热烈欢迎
  1. You will receive a warm welcome when you come to Beijing.
  2. I am sure that you will receive a warm welcome.
  3. They were amazed to find that they received a warm welcome from the villagers.