London is a city with a long history. It is Britain's political, economic and transportation1 centre and is also the largest city in Europe. Though Britain is only as big as China's Liaoning Province and has a population about the same as Guangdong Province, it was once the most powerful country in the world, and known as “the sun never set” Empire2. Modern London has a new face, it is now one of the world's top ten cities.
A city looks more lively with a river running through it, crossed by beautiful bridges. London is such a city. If you visit, you must see its world-famous river—the thames3, and the unique4 tower Bridge crossing the river. People familiar with British history often say, “If there were no Thames, there would be no London.” The Thames runs like a white ribbon5 across the blue sky, winding6 its way through London's urban7 areas. There are many scenic spots and historical sites8 that mark the progress of human society and the ups and downs9 of Britain. The most magnificent10 of these sites is the Tower Bridge, built in 1894, with its four towers. If large ships need to pass below it, it can be raised. When the bridge was first in use, it was raised as many as 50 times a day. Today advanced automated11 equipment is used to raise the bridge, so the old steam engines and boilers12 are out of service13 and can only be seen in the Tower Bridge Museum. Because there aren't so many large ships on the river now, people rarely see the bridge raised.
London is famous for its friendly pigeons14. If you have some food for them, you can actually get them to stand on your head, shoulder, or on your hand. People love to play with the pigeons and take pictures with them. That's why the square is nicknamed15 “Pigeon Square”. It has another name—Trafalgar Square. And in the middle of it, stands a statue of Admiral Nelson, a famous officer in the Navy16, with a fountain on either side of the monument.17
In the downtown area, there are no policemen directing traffic. Vehicles18 and pedestrians19 are guided by traffic lights. Most pedestrians observe the traffic rules carefully. The downtown area buses have advertisements everywhere. Buses are very convenient in London because there are so many of them. When you go sightseeing, you can also take taxis and chat with the taxi drivers. London was the first city in the world with a subway20 system, which is called “The Tube”21. It is not only important for transportation but was also used for shelter22 during wartime. During the Second World War, London's tube system protected almost 200,000 people from the bombing. Many precious historical relics23 that were hidden in the tube survived. Now the tube has become a very commercial place with many advertisements.
It is impossible to see everything that's interesting in London. As the evening falls, the neon lights24 shine on the people who are going to the theatre or cinema or going shopping, and you can almost imagine what you are in Shanghai with its coming and going crowds. The Thames is very beautiful as night falls. The street lamps are reflected25 in the river as pools of red and green.
Having heard of the beauty of the sunrise on the Thames, we were longing to see it. But the fact is that London is a foggy city, and we have to wonder...will it be clear tomorrow?
伦敦历史悠久，是英国的政治、经济、交通中心，它还是欧洲最大的城市。别看英国的土地面积只有我们中国辽宁省大，人中和广东不相上下，然而英国却曾经是威震世界的日不落帝国。现代的伦敦有了新的面貌，但它还是世界十大名城之一。
一座城市，如果有一条河，加上一座座雄伟的大桥，一定会给城市增添不少生机。伦敦就是这样的一座城市。如果你来观光的话，闻名遐迩的泰晤士河，举世无双的伦敦塔桥当然不能错过。常听熟悉英国历史人说：“没有泰晤士河，就没有伦敦。”泰晤士河像蓝天上飘动的白丝带，弯弯曲曲，穿过伦敦市区。两岸有镌刻着人类进步的名胜古迹，记载着英国历史的兴衰。泰晤士河上最壮丽的一景莫过于伦敦塔桥了。塔桥建于1894年，桥身有四座塔型建筑。大型海轮通过时，桥面可以吊起。据说塔桥建成之初，桥面吊起最多一天达五十次，现在采用先进的自动化设备起吊桥面，那些蒸汽机和锅炉早已进了塔桥内的博物馆。因为大型海轮现在很少进入伦敦，桥面开合也难得一睹了。
伦敦以人们友好相处的鸽子而闻名。游人只要带上食物，鸽子就会飞到头顶上、肩上和手上。人们纷纷在鸽群中留影，和鸽子嬉戏。这就是“鸽子广场”的由来，又叫特拉法尔加广场。为了纪念海军名将纳尔逊，广场中央特意立了一尊纳尔逊雕像，雕像的两侧，修有喷泉。
在伦敦市区没有交通警指挥交通，车辆和行人全靠红绿灯控制。行人大都遵守交通规则。伦敦市内的公共汽车漆满了令人眼花缭乱的广告。由于公共汽车很多，乘车非常方便。出游还可以坐上出租车，边游览风景边和司机聊天。伦敦是世界上首位拥有地铁的城市，称之为“The Tube”。伦敦地铁不但是居民出行的重要交通工具，在战时还是防御工事。二战时期，有近二十万人得到地铁的掩避以免于轰炸。许多珍贵文物也藏在那里，得以保存下来。如今地铁里也尽是广告，商业气息十分浓厚。
看完伦敦每一件有趣的事物是不可能的。华灯初上时分，大街上霓虹闪烁，洒在人们身上。他们有的去欣赏戏剧、电影，有的打算购物，街上人群流动，置身其中真像身处上海街头。此时两岸的灯柱齐明，倒映在水波中，红绿相映，煞是好看。
久闻泰晤士河日出的美景，我们真想一见，可伦敦是雾都的事实不能不让我们担心，明天会是好天气吗？
1． transportation n．交通，运输
2． empire n．帝国
3． Thames [temz] n．泰晤士河
4． unique adj．独一无二的，独特的
5． ribbon n．丝带，缎带
6． wind [waind] v．弯曲前进；迂回
7． urban adj．城市的
8． scenic spot and historical sites名胜古迹
9． ups and downs兴衰；起伏
10．magnificent adj．壮丽的；宏伟的
11．automate v．（使）自动化
12．boiler n．锅炉，汽锅
13．out of service 退出使用，不再使用
14．pigeon n．鸽子
15．nickname v．给……起绰号／诨名
16．navy n．海军
17．monument n．纪念馆，纪念塔
18．vehicle n．交通工具；车辆
19．pedestrian n．步行者；行人
20．subway n．地铁
21．tube n．地铁
22．shelter n．掩蔽处；避难所
23．relic [relic] n．遗迹;遗物；纪念物
24．neon n．霓虹灯
25．reflect v．反射，映出