白金汉宫Aug & Sept daily 9.30am–4.15pm; ￡9.50; advance booking on tel 0171/930 4832. Victoria tube.

The graceless colossus of Buckingham Palace, popularly known as "Buck House", has served as the monarch's permanent London residence only since the accession of Victoria. Bought by George III in 1762, the building was overhauled by Nash in the late 1820s, and again by Aston Webb in time for George V's coronation in 1913, producing a palace that's about as bland as it's possible to be.

For two months of the year, the hallowed portals are grudgingly nudged open; timed tickets are sold from the tent-like box office in Green Park at the western end of The Mall. The interior, however, is a bit of an anticlimax: of the palace's 660 rooms you're permitted to see just 18, and there's little sign of life, as the Queen decamps to Scotland every summer. For the other ten months of the year there's little to do here, since the palace is closed to visitors – not that this deters the crowds who mill around the railings, and gather in some force to watch the Changing of the Guard, in which a detachment of the Queen's Foot Guards marches to appropriate martial music from St James's Palace (unless it rains, that is).

You can view a small selection of the Royal Collection – which is more than three times larger than the National Gallery's – at the Queen's Picture Gallery (daily 9.30am–4.30pm; ￡4), round the south side of the palace on Buckingham Palace Road. The exhibitions usually include some works by Reynolds, Gainsborough, Vermeer, Rubens, Rembrandt and Canaletto, which make up the bulk of the collection.

There's more pageantry on show at the Nash-built Royal Mews (April–Sept Tues–Thurs noon–4pm; Oct–Dec Wed only; ￡3.50), further along Buckingham Palace Road. The royal carriages, lined up under a glass canopy in the courtyard, are the main attraction, in particular the Gold Carriage, made for George III in 1762, smothered in 22-carat gilding and weighing four tons, its axles supporting four life-size figures.

珍珠港Almost the whole of Pearl Harbor, the principal base for the US Pacific fleet (just over one hour from Waikiki, beyond the airport, on TheBus #20), is off limits to visitors. However, the surprise Japanese attack of December 7, 1941, which an official US enquiry called "the greatest military and naval disaster in our nation's history", is commemorated by a simple white memorial set above the wreck of the battleship USS Arizona, still discernible in the clear blue waters. More than 1100 of its crew – who had earned the right to sleep in late that Sunday morning by coming second in a military band competition – are entombed there.

Free tours to the ship operate between 8am and 3pm each day, but it can be two or three hours after you pick up your numbered ticket at the Pearl Harbor visitor center (daily 7.30am–5pm) before you are called to board the ferry across the bay. Many of the 1.5 million annual visitors are Japanese; an even-handed twenty-minute film pays tribute to "one of the most brilliantly planned and executed attacks in naval history", and books and charts are on sale telling the Japanese side of the story. The USS Arizona memorial was partly financed by Elvis Presley's 1961 Honolulu concert, his first show after leaving the Army.

旧金山金门大桥The orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge – probably the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed bridge in the world – are visible from almost every point of elevation in San Francisco. The only cleft in Northern California's 600-mile continental wall, for years this mile-wide strait was considered unbridgeable. As much an architectural as an engineering feat, the Golden Gate took only 52 months to design and build, and was opened in 1937. Designed by Joseph Strauss, it was the first really massive suspension bridge, with a span of 4200ft, and until 1959 ranked as the world's longest. It connects the city at its northwesterly point on the peninsula to Marin County and Northern California, rendering the hitherto essential ferry crossing redundant, and was designed to withstand winds of up to a hundred miles an hour and to swing as much as 27ft. Handsome on a clear day, the bridge takes on an eerie quality when the thick white fogs pour in and hide it almost completely.

You can either drive or walk across. The drive is the more thrilling of the two options as you race under the bridge's towers, but the half-hour walk across it really gives you time to take in its enormous size and absorb the views of the city behind you and the headlands of Northern California straight ahead. Pause at the midway point and consider the seven or so suicides a month who choose this spot, 260ft up, as their jumping-off spot. Monitors of such events speculate that victims always face the city before they leap. In 1995, when the suicide toll from the bridge had reached almost 1000, police kept the figures quiet to avoid a rush of would-be suicides going for the dubious distinction of being the thousandth person to leap.

Perhaps the best-loved symbol of San Francisco, in 1987 the Golden Gate proved an auspicious place for a sunrise party when crowds gathered to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. Some quarter of a million people turned up (a third of the city's entire population); the winds were strong and the huge numbers caused the bridge to buckle, but fortunately not to break.

白宫White House
白宫

世界上最易识别的建筑，没有到过白宫，就没有到过华盛顿。

One of the most recognizable[1] structures in the world, one can 't say they're been to Washington D.C. until they have seen the White House. The home of the leader of the free world is open to the public five days a week from 10 – noon.

Originally known as the Executive Mansion[2], construction of the White House began in 1792 under the direction of George Washington. The structure was not completed until 1800, so ironically[3] Washington is the only President not to live there.

The executive mansion was torched by British troops in 1814, during the War of 1812. The structural damage caused by the fire was repaired but the exterior sandstone walls were still black with fire damage. The walls were then painted white, giving birth to the nick name "The White House". An act of Congress made this the official name in 1902.

Every President has left his mark upon the White House. Thomas Jefferson added terraces to the east and west wings, Andrew Jackson installed running water, and Harry Truman added a porch. Bill Clinton's addition to the White House was an indoor-running track(Used to relieve tension and cheeseburgers).

In order to visit the White House, you must first pick up a free ticket from the White House Visitor Center located at 1450 Pennsylvania Ave. During the height of tourist season, tickets are nearly impossible to get. Get in line by 7AM (the facility opens at 7:30) and you might have a chance. Ignore the scalpers that are selling free tickets.

Guided tours can be arranged by contacting your representative or senator. Be on the look-out for Wolf Blitzer or other famous White House correspondents. Due to recent developments in the news, the number of reporters that usually surround the White house have swelled dramatically.

The White House tour probably ranks high on a visitor's list of things to do while in Washington D.C., but the process to get tickets will definitely test your determination. The White House is open Tues. – Sat. from 10 AM – Noon, but you need to get one of the free tickets for admittance. Herein lies the problem, because tickets for that day's’ tours can only be picked up at the White House Visitors Center and they run out very quickly. Although the center opens at 7:30 AM, the line to get tickets starts to form sometime around five. Therefore most people have to be satisfied with seeing only the exterior of the White House. The Visitors Center has nice displays on the history of the White House to mollify the disappointed visitors who couldn't get tickets. Don't expect to get tickets for the tour if you arrive after 9 AM.

If you are lucky enough to get tickets, they will be stamped with the departure time of your tour. Bleachers have been set up on the Ellipse so visitors can sit until the tour staff collects them. The twenty minute tour consists of five rooms: The East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room and the State Dining Room.


The President's Garden

The lovely White House gardens of today and those that preceded[4] them are the theme of the President's Garden organized by the White House Historical Association, the White House Curator's Office, and the Superintendent of the Grounds fo rthe White House in cooperation with the National Park Service. The exhibit traces the history of the White House grounds from the 1790's to the present day and displays more than 60 historic black and white and color photographs, paintings, documents and other illustrations from the past and present.

White House Visitor Center, 1450 Pennsylvania Ave., NW. Open daily from 7:30am to 4pm. For more information cal the National Park Service at (202) 619-6350.



注释：

[1]recognizable
adj. 可认识的

[2]Mansion
n.官邸, 公寓

[3]ironically
adv. 说反话地, 讽刺地

[4]precede
v. 领先(于), 在...之前

剑桥大学The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world, and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. It has a world-wide reputation for outstanding academic achievement and the high quality of research undertaken in a wide range of science and arts subjects. The University pioneers work in the understanding of disease, the creation of new materials, advances in telecommunications and research into the origins of the universe. It trains doctors, vets, architects, engineers and teachers. At all levels about half of the students at Cambridge study arts and humanities subjects, many of whom have gone on to become prominent figures in the arts, print and broadcast media. The University's achievements in the sciences can be measured by the sixty or more Nobel Prizes awarded to its members over the years.


The University is a self-governing body: the legislative authority is the Regent House, which consists of the three thousand or so members of the teaching and administrative staff of the University and Colleges who have the MA (or MA status) or a higher degree. The principal administrative body of the University is the Council, which consists mainly of members of the academic staff elected by the Regent House. The General Board of the Faculties co-ordinates the educational policy of the University and the Finance Committee of the Council supervises its financial affairs.

As Cambridge approaches its eight hundredth anniversary in 2009, it is looking to the future. The modern University is an international centre of teaching and research in a vast range of subjects: about half of the students study science or technology. Members of the University have won over sixty Nobel Prizes.

It continues to change in response to the challenges it faces. The Vice-Chancellor, for instance, is no longer a Head of College, but is a full-time administrative appointment. A Development Office and associated charitable foundation is successfully seeking funds around the world for new ventures. The 1990s have seen a major expansion of University accommodation for teaching and research. There are many major new buildings either underway or already completed, including the Law Faculty building and the Judge Institute of Management Studies, in March 1996 opened by HM The Queen.

纽约唐人街On the surface, Chinatown is prosperous – a "model slum," some have called it – with the lowest crime rate, highest employment and least juvenile delinquency of any city district. Walk through its crowded streets at any time of day, and every shop is doing a brisk and businesslike trade: restaurant after restaurant is booming; there are storefront displays of shiny squids, clawing crabs and clambering lobster; and street markets offer overflowing piles of exotic green vegetables, garlic and ginger root. Chinatown has the feel of a land of plenty, and the reason why lies with the Chinese themselves: even here, in the very core of downtown Manhattan, they have been careful to preserve their own way of dealing with things, preferring to keep affairs close to the bond of the family and allowing few intrusions into a still-insular culture. There have been several concessions to Westerners – storefront signs now offer English translations, and Haagen Dazs and Baskin Robbins ice-cream stores have opened on lower Mott Street – but they can't help but seem incongruous. The one time of the year when Chinatown bursts open is during the Chinese New Year festival, held each year on the first full moon after January 19, when a giant dragon runs down Mott Street to the accompaniment of firecrackers, and the gutters run with ceremonial dyes.

Beneath the neighborhood's blithely prosperous facade, however, there is a darker underbelly. Sharp practices continue to flourish, with traditional extortion and protection rackets still in business. Non-union sweatshops – their assembly lines grinding from early morning to late into the evening – are still visited by the US Department of Labor, who come to investigate workers' testimonies of being paid below minimum wage for seventy-plus-hour work weeks. Living conditions are abysmal for the poorer Chinese – mostly recent immigrants and the elderly – who reside in small rooms in overcrowded tenements ill-kept by landlords. Yet, because the community has been cloistered for so long and has only just begun to seek help from city officials for its internal problems, you won't detect any hint of difficulties unless you reside in Chinatown for a considerable length of time.

夏威夷阳光沙滩大海冲浪--夏威夷，金色的沙摊，金色的人。

The Hawaii of Your Imagination Still Exists: And it's available right now... in Hawaii.

For most of us, Hawaii begins to weave[1] her spell with some little glimmer of awareness. A friend describes a sunset off Waikiki. We hear the twang of a steel guitar. Or we open a magazine and there it is... Golden beaches and golden people. Sun, sand, sea, and surf... And somewhere between the blue skies and the palm trees... we're hooked[2].

The Hawaiian Islands are one of the most beautiful places on earth. The weather is friendly. The temperature ranges from 60-90 degrees all year long. It's a little warmer in summer, and a little cooler in winter, but every day is a beach day for somebody.



The environment is friendly. The physical beauty of Hawaii is almost unparalleled[3]. Majestic mountains were created millions of years ago by volcanic activity that thrust these islands three miles from the ocean floor. Wave action across endless eons of time created coral reefs, and then battered [4] and broke them to create miles of white sand beach. Our position at the center of the Pacific ensured that almost every plant and animal who would find a home here would come as an invited guest.

There are no strangers in Paradise[5]. Perhaps the most beautiful part of Hawaii is the genuine warmth of our people. We call it the spirit of Aloha. It has allowed a melting pot of cultures from all over the world to find common ground, and a new home, in this most gentle of places. A local gal enjoying the sand and sun on one of Hawaii's many beautiful beaches.
注释：

[1]weave
vt. 编织, 组合

[2]hook
v. 钩住, 沉迷

[3]unparallel
adj. 无比的,空前的

[4]batter
v. 打坏, 猛击

[5]paradise
n. 天堂

温莎城堡Windsor Castle is an official residence of The Queen and the largest occupied castle in the world. A royal palace and fortress for over 900 years, the Castle remains a working palace today. Visitors can walk around the State Apartments, extensive suites of rooms at the heart of the working palace; for part of the year visitors can also see the Semi State rooms, which are some of the most splendid interiors in the castle. They are furnished with treasures from the Royal Collection including paintings by Holbein, Rubens, Van Dyck and Lawrence, fine tapestries and porcelain, sculpture and armour.

　　Within the Castle complex there are many additional attractions. In the Drawings Gallery regular exhibitions of treasures from the Royal Library are mounted. Another popular feature is the Queen Mary's Dolls' House, a miniature mansion built to perfection. The fourteenth-century St. George's Chapel is the burial place of ten sovereigns, home of the Order of the Garter, and setting for many royal weddings. Nearby on the Windsor Estate is Frogmore House, an attractive country residence with strong associations to three queens - Queen Charlotte, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary.

美国五角大楼Across the Potomac along I-395. Closest Metro Pentagon. Mon–Fri 9.30am–5pm, last tour 3.30pm. 703/695-1776. Admission free.
The headquarters of the US military establishment is one of the largest chunks of architecture in the world: though it's only five storeys tall, the total floor area of over 6.5 million square feet is three times that of the Empire State Building. Each of the five sides is over 900ft long, and the combined length of all the internal corridors totals up at over seventeen miles. These and other useless factoids are about all you get from visiting the behemoth building, apart from the opportunity to see at first hand the people responsible for spending billions of tax dollars on those proverbial $50,000 toilet seats. In the one novel departure from the norm, the service-personnel guides who accompany you walk backwards the entire time to ensure that disguised foreign agents don't slip off into the restrooms.

　　Ninety-minute guided tours leave every half-hour from the small waiting area inside the entrance; take photo ID.

意大利罗马大斗兽场The Colosseum or Flavian Amphitheater was begun by Vespasian, inaugurated by Titus in 80 A.D. and completed by Domitian. Located on marshy land between the Esquiline and Caelian Hills, it was the first permanent amphitheater to be built in Rome. Its monumental size and grandeur as well as its practical and efficient organization for producing spectacles and controlling the large crowds make it one of the great architectural monuments achieved by the ancient Romans.

　　The amphitheater is a vast ellipse with tiers of seating for 50,000 spectators around a central elliptical arena. Below the wooden arena floor, there was a complex set of rooms and passageways for wild beasts and other provisions for staging the spectacles. Eighty walls radiate from the arena and support vaults for passageways, stairways and the tiers of seats. At the outer edge circumferential arcades link each level and the stairways between levels.

　　The three tiers of arcades are faced by three-quarter columns and entablatures, Doric in the first story, Ionic in the second, and Corinthian in the third. Above them is an attic story with Corinthian pilasters and small square window openings in alternate bays. At the top brackets and sockets carry the masts from which the velarium, a canopy for shade, was suspended.

　　The construction utilized a careful combination of types: concrete for the foundations, travertine for the piers and arcades, tufa infill between piers for the walls of the lower two levels, and brick-faced concrete used for the upper levels and for most of the vaults.

　　Details

　　The Colosseum was designed to hold 50,000 spectators, and it had approximately eighty entrances so crowds could arrive and leave easily and quickly.

　　The plan is a vast ellipse, measuring externally 188 m x 156 m (615 ft x 510 ft), with the base of the building covering about 6 acres. Vaults span between eighty radial walls to support tiers of seating and for passageways and stairs.

　　The facade of three tiers of arches and an attic story is about 48.5 m (158 ft) tall — roughly equivalent to a 12-15 story building.