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The City of Festivals 艺术节之城：爱丁堡

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

As dawn breaks, the shrill note of a bagpipe cuts through the air. In the distance, a magnificent castle appears high upon a volcanic crag overlooking a city of half a million. Welcome to Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and home to the most incredible array of performing arts festivals in the world.

破晓时分，一道高亢的风笛乐声划破天际。远处，一座宏伟的城堡在火山造成的峭壁上高高耸立，俯瞰着一个拥有五十万人口的城市。欢迎来到苏格兰的首都爱丁堡，这里同时也是全世界表演艺术庆典种类多到最不可思议的所在地。

The fun has been taking place every August for fifty-eight years now. Though there was originally just one festival, the Edinburgh International, there are now nine dedicated to jazz, film, literature, children’s writing, and more. One popular festival for audiences and performers alike is the Edinburgh Fringe. No invitation is required to perform here, so thousands of professional and amateur artists from around the world come here to display their talents. Performances vary greatly in quality, but there are often some real diamonds in the rough to be found.

每年八月都会举行好玩的活动，至今已五十八年。虽然一开始只有爱丁堡国际艺术节这个节庆，但目前已有九个庆典，包括爵士乐、电影、文学、儿童文学创作等等的主题。有一项观众和表演者都喜爱的庆典叫做爱丁堡艺穗节，要在这个庆典上表演不需要任何邀请卡，所以成千上万来自世界各地的职业和业余艺术家都蜂拥而至，展露他们的才艺。表演素质良莠不齐，但是常常能够看到一些极具潜力的人才。

Another event audiences love is the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Spectacular sights and sounds are displayed, including military bands, dancers, pipes, and drums, which add a uniquely high-spirited feeling to the whole affair. This all happens in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, and this year, tickets were totally sold out four months in advance.

人们喜爱的另一个庆典是爱丁堡皇军乐队仪表演。军乐队、舞者、管乐器、鼓声等融合而成的壮观的景象和声音，为整个活动增添了绝无仅有的振奋感受。这一切都紧邻爱丁堡古堡的附近区域进行，而今年的门票在四个月之前就销售一空了。

With so many colorful and exciting happenings, as well as other festivals throughout the year, it’s no wonder that Edinburgh is called “The Festival City.” However, if you could choose to see only one festival there, it would have to be the granddaddy of them all, the Edinburgh International Festival.

一年又这么多又丰富又有趣的表演活动和其它节庆，难怪爱丁堡会被称为节庆之都。不过，如果你只能从中选择一项节庆来参与，一定得选当中的重量级首选，那就是爱丁堡国际艺术节。

Vocabulary

单词发音

magnificent [mægˋnɪfəsənt] adj. 壮丽的

incredible [ɪnˋkrɛdəb!] adj. 【口】难以置信的

array [əˋre] n. 一系列；大量

literature [ˋlɪtərətʃɚ] n. 文学

amateur [ˋæmə͵tʃʊr] adj. 业余的

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单词发音

shrill [ʃrɪl] adj. 尖声的，刺耳的

note [not] n. 音符

bagpipe [ˋbæg͵paɪp] n. 风笛

crag [kræg] n. 险崖，峭壁

dedicate [ˋdɛdə͵ket] v. 献（身）；把（时间，精力等）用于

fringe [frɪndʒ] n. 缘饰，流苏

diamond in the rough 未经琢磨的钻石 a person who has good qualities despite a rough exterior; a person with great potential

tattoo [tæˋtu] n.【军】归营号; 连续有节奏的敲击声

spectacular [spɛkˋtækjəlɚ] adj. 壮观的；壮丽的

high-spirited [ˋhaɪˋspɪrɪtɪd] adj. 兴奋的; 生气勃勃的

affair [əˋfɛr] n. 喜庆（或社交）活动

in the shadow of  在…附近(范围内)

be sold out  售罄的；（门票等）全部预售完的

in advance  预先

granddaddy of them all 德高望重的  the biggest or oldest of all; the patriarch

Reading Questions

1.  Which sentence is NOT true about Edinburgh?

A.  It now hosts many festivals, but it used to only have one.

B.  The city has a population of five hundred thousand people.

C.  Many festivals are held there in late summer.

D.  The city is located on a mountain above an old castle.

2.  What do we learn about the Edinburgh Fringe?

A.  Permission to perform at this festival is given by the government.

B.  Only musical acts are performed at the Edinburgh Fringe.

C.  Some of the performances may be good, but some may not.

D.  International performers aren’t allowed to perform at it.

3.  Which of the following ideas was discussed in the article?

A.  Why the Edinburgh Fringe is the oldest festival in Edinburgh.

B.  The international performers in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

C.  The history of Edinburgh castle

D.  Why Edinburgh is called “The Festival City.”

课文讲解

This year, the Edinburgh International Festival runs from August 14 to September 4. Over 2,000 internationally renowned performers from across the globe have been invited to stage operas, dances, plays, and musical performances. Many performers will also conduct workshops aimed at teaching and inspiring those interested in their arts.

今年爱丁堡国际艺术节会从八月十四日举办到九月四日。来自全球各地的两千名国际知名表演者，已受邀前来参与舞台剧、舞蹈、话剧及音乐表演的演出。许多表演者为了教导和启发对他们的表演艺术感兴趣的民众，也会举办专题研讨会。

The festival organizers hope to enrich the cultural life of all who attend. They’ve ensured that tickets to shows are available at all price levels and the shows appeal to everyone’s interests. There are deeply thought-provoking pieces as well as entertaining and bizarre skits. One thing that makes this festival really special, however, is that it is constantly evolving. In 2004, for example, there was a remarkable project involving a dance created by adults with learning disabilities.

艺术节的主办人员希望能够丰富所有参与者的文化生活，他们保证各种价位的门票都有，而且表演也会投每个人的喜好，当中有发人深省的作品，也有趣味十足的荒诞短剧。不过这个庆典的特殊之处在于，它一直不断在进化当中。举例来说，载2004年有一项很棒的舞蹈表演就是由有学习障碍的成人所编创的。

Most of the cost of the International Festival is covered by a combination of ticket sales, donations, and public grants. However, the festival, along with the other ones that are held at the same time in Edinburgh, generates a lot of revenue. They earn much more than they receive in funding and sponsorship. In fact, last year they added as much as 135 million pounds to the Scottish economy.

大部分国际艺术节的开销都是由售票所得、捐款以及政府补助合起来支付的。但是这个艺术节和其它同时间在爱丁堡举行的艺术节带来了很多收入，所赚的钱还远超过原先的资金和赞助。事实上，去年这些艺术节替苏格兰的经济多添了一亿三千五百万英镑的收入。

About half the visitors to the festival come from Edinburgh and surrounding areas, while about fourteen percent come from abroad. Many come to see special artists or performances while others deliberately seek out the novel and obscure. But no matter what the draw is, visitors to this marvelous festival almost never leave disappointed.

有半数左右的国际艺术节参观者来自爱丁堡和邻近地区，而约14%则来自英国以外的地区。许多人为了特定的表演者或是演出而来，有些人则专门要来看一些与众不同但却没什么名气的表演者或演出。不论吸引他们来此的原因是什么，参加这个超棒庆典活动的人几乎从未失望地离开过。

－by Ben Andrews

Vocabulary

单词发音

renowned [rɪˋnaʊnd] adj. 有名的；有声誉的

conduct [kənˋdʌkt] v. 引导; 举办

donation [doˋneʃən] n. 捐献，捐赠

grant [grænt] n. 补助金

revenue [ˋrɛvə͵nju] n. 收入，收益

deliberately [dɪˋlɪbərɪtlɪ] adv. 故意地，蓄意地

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单词发音

stage [stedʒ] v. 上演; 表演

workshop [ˋwɝk͵ʃɑp] n. 专题讨论会，研讨会

aim at 以...为目的; 针对

enrich [ɪnˋrɪtʃ] v. 使丰富

appeal to 吸引

thought-provoking [ˋθɔtprə͵vokɪŋ] adj. 令人深思的

skit [skɪt] n.〔通过模仿进行讽刺的〕滑稽短剧

evolving [ɪ'vɑlvɪŋ] adj. 不断发展的

seek out 找到

novel [ˋnɑv!] adj. 新的，新颖的，新奇的

obscure [əbˋskjʊr] adj. 无名的；微贱的

draw [drɔ] n. 吸引人的事物（或人）；

marvelous [ˋmɑrvələs] adj. 令人惊叹的；非凡的; 【口】妙极的；了不起的

Edgy Entertainment

The Massed Pipes and Drums - Edinburgh Military Tattoo - BBC One

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