重返英格兰_参考网

重返英格兰

2017-03-29ByChristineMcCaff

英语学习 2017年1期

By+Christine+Mc+Cafferty

I was on my trip around Europe， and about to leave Brussels1 for England where I was going to be meeting up with my school friend Shannon so we could do our European year of travel together.

There was just one problem. I had missed my bus due to being out late the previous night with Helga and her friends. Having missed a plane before， I had an idea what to do. Step one was to beg for the next available ticket， at no extra cost of course. Tears were useful in achieving that goal. Step two was to make the most of the situation， and thats what I did.

I managed to get a ticket on the bus leavin g that night. Now I had to entertain myself for 10 hours and， in the centre of Brussels， which I still had not yet seen， I should have no problem.

Top of my list was the “Grand Place”2， the central square of Brussels. Take note that that needs to be pronounced with a French accent， if you want to achieve a measure of French sophistication.3 In Flemish （Dutch）， it is known as the Grote Markt （large market）.4 It no longer is a market， but the neighbouring streets are named after5 the sellers of cheese， butter， fish， coal， and so on. In the Grand Place， you are surrounded by opulent halls， the citys Town Hall， and the Museum of the City of Brussels.6 Although the buildings are in a clashing combination of Gothic， Baroque and Louis XIV styles， the effect is harmonious.7 It has been voted the most beautiful city square in Europe and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site8. It is a great place to be.

It is traditional to stroke the statue of the dying Everard tSerclaes which is in one corner of the square， and make a wish.9 What better way to extend your moments in this beautiful place. Everard tSerclaes was a liberator of Brussels in the 1300s and he died as a result of injuries following a revenge attack on him by his enemies.10 The tradition of touching the statue started during World War I. The Nazi Germans had occupied Belgium， even hoisting their flag of the Swastika on the town hall at the Grand Place.11 Tormented by the occupation and longing for liberation，12 the people of Brussels started the tradition of touching his hand and making a wish for liberation. If you are wishing for a year of happiness， superstition has it that you should run your left hand from his forehead all the way to the head of the dog at his feet.13 Even though I do not believe in luck or follow superstitions， I did this hoping for a wonderful year of travel. It certainly had started well.

Some lovely old streets then led me to the“Manneken Pis” （little boy urinating）.14 There has been a statue in that spot of a little boy doing what little boys should not do in public since 1388. There are many different legends15 behind the statue. The most famous is of Duke Godfrey III of Leuven16. The Duke was only two years old in 1142 when his troops17 went to battle against an enemy. The Duke was said to have been hung in a basket in a tree to encourage his men. From there， the boy urinated on the enemys troops， who lost the battle. It is believed that the statue was erected in his honour.18

The statue is dressed in different outfits19 several times each week. Some of the outfits are very old and they include the uniforms of different trades and professions， and of the government， civil， and military services.20

The statue has been stolen a few times. The last time was in 1963. Some students of Antwerp University “hijacked” the Manneken Pis for five days.21 The students demanded money which they donated to two orphanages22. It was then handed back to the authorities. As a result， the statue there now is not the original； the original has been put in the nearby museum for safe-keeping.

I then wandered into an area called The Sablon.23 It is on a hill in a historic part of Brussels. In the 1500s， many rich and noble families built houses in the area， but today it is more of an arty kind of area.24 There are two squares to visit. The bigger of them is the Grand Sablon. Surrounding it are many antique shops， fashion boutiques， hotels， restaurants， pastry shops， and wellknown Belgian chocolatiers.25 Belgium is famous for its lovely chocolates， some of them made in the shape of seashells26.

I was lucky as I chanced upon27 the Sablon Antiques and Books Market. I could have spent hours lost in looking at all these fascinating objects. There I met a chubby28 and friendly artist. He told me that he was a political activist—he knew those two words in English. That sounded very intriguing29 but I never managed to figure out exactly what political views he held. I sat beside him and rested for an hour while he painted， spoke mostly in French so I couldnt understand much， and shared his lunch from his basket with me. It was a happy moment.

Soon it was turning to evening and I still had a few hours to pass. Spending money was not a good idea for me， however a girl needs to eat and a girl needs to sit down inside sometimes too. It was getting a little chilly30 outside. There was one last place my Lets Go Europe travel guide insisted I see， and that was Place Ste-Catherine31. It was the former site of the fish market in years past and， although people no longer sell fresh seafood here， it is home to the best seafood restaurants in Brussels. As you walk down the narrow lanes， you are called on from every side by restaurant maitre ds， “Eat here”， “Weve got the best deal”， and “Come try our…”32 It was hard to decide where to eat but eventually I settled on the place that seemed to offer the best deal， and set about33 eating a fish dish that I could not say the name of.

This most delightful day had all been the result of missing a bus. I didnt want to miss the next one though， so I headed to the bus station and climbed on early. I was tired and ready to go to England！ From Belgium， you travel through France to its northern coast to get the ferry to England. Night had fallen so I did not see much of France， a country Id waited half my short life to see. We went through Lille34， or so I was told. Then it was onto the port town of Calais where we got on the ferry headed to England.35 Going on a ferry was very exciting； basically I was on a ship going to England！ Again it was dark， so I couldnt see much.

Sitting up when youre meant to be sleeping is not much fun but it falls to every true traveller to do this sometimes； and when you are young and seeing the world， you should not complain.36 Nonetheless it was a huge relief for me to see the sunrise over the sea as what is called The White Cliffs of Dover came into my view.37 To be honest till that moment， I didnt really know to expect them， but the words “the White Cliffs of Dover” sounded strangely familiar and made me feel that I truly was arriving in England at last.

The high cliff face owes its white colour to the chalk38 it is made of. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover， which is an ancient English port that is still important today. They face toward Europe at the narrowest part of the English Channel39 which is the channel that separates France and England. It was typically here that invasions threatened and so the imposing cliffs became a symbol of Britains defence.40 The white line of cliffs was also the first or last sight of England for almost all travellers before the advent41 of air travel.

After finally being allowed to disembark42 from the ferry， I walked straight to my bus. We travelled straight to London in about two hours along the motorway43. To say that I was thrilled44 to be driven through London cannot describe my emotions. It felt like Id arrived at the centre of the world. I think that for people who grow up in the former colonies of England， England seems like a homeland and arriving there is a kind of homecoming. Everything seems déjà vu45. I could only wonder what adventure awaited me there.

Next month Christine spends a night in London before heading to meet her former school friend Shannon. Where is Shannon living， and will Christine be able to get some work？

1. Brussels：布魯塞尔，比利时首都，也是比利时最大的城市。

2. Grand Place：布鲁塞尔大广场，位于布鲁塞尔市中心，建于公元12世纪。Grand Place是法语词，直接借用到英语中，但依然采用法语的读音。

3. take note：注意，留意；measure：程度；sophistication：高水平，精通。

4. Flemish：佛兰芒语，是比利时荷兰语的旧称；Grote Markt：即Grand Place，是荷兰语大广场的说法。

5. name after：以……命名。

6. opulent：豪华的，华丽的；Town Hall：市政厅；the Museum of the City of Brussels：布鲁塞尔城市博物馆，位于市政厅对面。

7. 尽管这些建筑融合了哥特式、巴洛克式以及路易十四世时期不同的建筑风格，但效果十分和谐。clashing：冲突的，不一致的；Gothic：哥特式的（12至16世纪流行于西欧的建筑风格，以尖拱、尖窗和细长柱为特色）；Baroque：巴洛克风格的（17至18世纪早期流行于欧洲，气势雄伟、装饰华丽的特色反映在建筑、绘画和音乐等艺术上）；Louis XIV：路易十四世，是17到18世纪法国国王，在位期间修建了凡尔赛宫，宫殿以华丽壮美的古典主义著称，路易十四的建筑风格指的是以凡尔赛宫为代表的建筑风格；harmonious：和谐的，融洽的。

8. UNESCO World Heritage Site：联合国教科文组织世界遗产地。

9. stroke：轻抚，轻触；Everard tSerclaes：埃弗拉德·塞克拉斯（1320—1388），是古代的比利时民族英雄。雕塑家朱利恩·狄冷斯（Julien Dillens）在19世纪建造了他的雕像，据说用左手触到这个雕像的手腕则会交到好运，实现愿望。

10. 埃弗拉德·塞克拉斯是14世纪布鲁塞尔的解放者，他遭到敌人报复性攻击，之后死于重伤。liberator：解放者，解救者；revenge：报复，复仇。

11. Nazi：（1933—1945年间德国的）纳粹分子，法西斯分子；Belgium：比利时；hoist：升起，吊起；Swastika：纳粹万字旗，卐是一种古代的宗教符号，本代表着和平与持续，在二战前被德国纳粹党用作旗帜符号和党徽。

12. torment：折磨，使……痛苦；long for：渴望。

13. 如果你要许愿得到一年的幸福，迷信的做法是你应该用左手从雕像的前额摸到他脚边狗的头部才能实现。superstition：迷信；forehead：前额。

14. Manneken Pis：撒尿小童像，又名“小于连”，由比利时雕刻家杰罗姆·杜奎斯诺伊于1619年完成，历史上，撒尿小童像曾几经磨难，原作雕像现珍藏在博物馆内，而位于布鲁塞尔市中心恒温街及橡树街转角处的铜像则是1965年做成的复制品；urinate：小便，排尿。

15. legend：传说，传奇（故事）。

16. Duke Godfrey III of Leuven：比利时鲁汶市戈弗雷三世伯爵（约1140—1190）。

17. troops： [复数] 军队，士兵。

18. erect：建造，竖起；in ones honour：向……表示敬意，纪念。

19. outfit：（尤指在特殊场合穿着的）全套服装。