圣彼得堡特写中英文（一）

Spotlight on St.Petersburg

St.Petersburg.The very name brings to mind some of Russia's greatest poets,writers and composers:Pushkin,Dostoevsky,Tchaikovsky.The 19th century was a golden age for St.Petersburg's wealthy classes.It was a world of ballets and balls,of art and literature,of tea and caviar.

圣彼得堡，只要提到这个名字就让人想起那些俄国最伟大的诗人、作家以及作曲家：普希金、杜斯妥也夫斯基、柴可夫斯基。十九世纪对圣彼得堡的富有阶级来说是段黄金岁月。那是一个充满了芭蕾舞和舞会、艺术和文学、茶和鱼子酱的世界。

The golden age ended with the advent of World War 1.Working people were growing more and more discontented.In 1917,Communism came,promising peace and prosperity.

这段黄金岁月因为第一次世界大战的来临而结束。工人阶级的不满愈来愈高涨。1917年时，共产党来了并向人民保证和平与繁荣。

St.Petersburg had become Petrograd in 1914.People wanted a Russian name for their city.Ten years later,the city's name changed again,this time to Leningrad.Then in 1991,Leningraders voted to restore the city's original name.Some people opposed the name change altogether.Others thought it was just too soon.Old,run-down Soviet Leningrad,they said,was not the St.Petersburg of 19th-century literature.

圣彼得堡在1914年变成彼得格勒。人们想为这个城市取个俄国名字。十年之后，这个城市的名字又改了，这一次叫做列宁格勒。然后在1991年，列宁格勒的居民投票恢复了此城最初的名字。有些人彻底反对改名字，有些人认为名字改得太快了。他们说老旧的苏维埃列宁格勒已不再是十九世纪的圣彼得堡了。

What,then,is St.Petersburg?In the confusing post-Communist world,no one really knows.The quiet,if Soviet-style,dignity is gone.The Communist sayings are down,and gaudy advertising up.Candy bars and cigarettes are sold from boxy,tasteless kiosks.And clothing?Well,anything goes.Everyone wants to be a little different.But many people do not know the true meaning of freedom.Personal crime has gone up,up,up in the past few years.

那么，到底圣彼得堡是什么呢?在共产党结束执政后的令人困惑的情形下，没有人真正知道这个答案。那种安静却又无聊的苏维埃式的尊严已经成为过去了。共产党的标语被换了下来，代之以俗气的广告。那些四方形、没有品味的摊子出售糖果和香芋。至于穿着呢?嗯，任何样式都有。每个人都想要有点与众不同。但是许多人仍然不知道自由的真意为何。在过去数年里，个人犯罪率一直不断地上升。

Yet in spite of this,you can still find some of the city's grand past.Stand at the western tip of Vasilievsky Island.To the right is the elegant Winter Palace,former home of the czars.Its light blue sides and white classical columns make it perhaps St.Petersburg's most graceful building.It houses one of the worlds most famous art museums:the Hermitage.Inside,20km of galleries house thousands of works of art.Look over your right shoulder.The massive golden dome of St.Isaac's Cathedral rises above the skyline.You'll see,too,why St.Petersburg is called a "floating city."Standing there,nearly surrounded by water,you can see four of the city's 42islands.

但是，尽管如此，你还是可以找到一些这个城市辉煌的过去。站在维丝利瓦斯基岛的西端，右边是优雅的冬宫，是沙皇从前的住处。它那浅蓝色的外墙和白色古典的园柱，使它成为大概是圣彼得堡中最优雅的建筑物。它里面有世界上最有名的艺术博物馆：赫米提巨博物馆。在里面，长达20公里的艺廊收藏了数千件的艺术作品。朝你右肩后方看去，圣以撒大教堂巨大的金制圆顶伸入了天空。你也会了解，为什么圣彼得堡又被称为「漂浮的城市」。站在那里，几乎完全被水环绕，你可以看见这城市四十二个岛屿中的四个