威尼斯是世界闻名的水上城市，常有人把它比作中国的苏州。
Venice is a world-famous aquatic city, often compared to China's Suzhou.
威尼 斯却是由一百多个小岛组成的，一条较宽的曲折的水道，就算是大 街，其余许许多多纵横交织的小水道，就算是小巷。
But, while Suzhou is primarily a land-based city with many rivers and bridges, Venice is a port composed of more than 100 small islands by a broad winding waterway serving as its avenue and numerous small crisseross water courses serving as its alleys.
四三四百座大大 小小的桥，将这些小岛上的一簇一簇的楼屋，穿连了起来。
And clusters of buildings on the small islands are linked by some 400 bridges of various sizes.
这里没 有车马9，只有往来如织的大小汽艇，代替了公共汽车和小卧车；
In place of buses and motor cars, motorboats of various descriptions speed to and fro on the congested waterways.
此 外还有黑色的、两端翘起、轻巧可爱的小游船，叫做 Gondola，译作 "共渡乐"，也还可以谐音会意。
Also on the waterways are lovely black small pleasure boats with curved ends, known as gondola, a term that has been translated into the Chinese homonym gondule meaning "share the joy of river-crossing." The small town of Venice is very interesting.
你们想象看：家家户户，面临着水街水 巷，一开起门来，就看见荡漾的海水和飞翔的海鸥。
Imagine how every building stands directly facing a waterway instead of a street or lane, and the residents, as soon as they open the door, come face to face with nothing but undulating sea waves and seagulls circling in the air.
门口石阶旁边， 长满了厚厚的青苔，从石阶上跳上公共汽艇，就上街去了。
Walk down a flight of mossy stone steps at their door, and they will be able to get on a public waterboat bound for town.
这座城里， 当然也有教堂，有宫殿，和其他的公共建筑，座座都紧靠着水边。
The city also has its own churches, palaces and other public buildings, all situated on the water front.
夜 间一行行一串串的灯火，倒影在颤摇的水光里，真是静美极了！
What a wonderful sight it is when strings of their lights are reflected in the quivering water at nights!
威尼斯是意大利东海岸对东方贸易的三大港口之一，其余的两个 是它南边的巴利和北边的特利斯提。
Venice is one of the three big ports on Italy's eastern coast doing trade with Eastern countries, the other two being Bari to its south and Trieste to its north.
在它在繁盛的时代，就是公元后 十三世纪，那时是中国的元朝，有个商人名叫马可波罗曾到过中国， 在扬州作过官。
In its heyday, that is, during China's Yuan Dynasty in the 13th century AD, an Italian merchant named Marco Polo visited China and became an official in Yangzhou.
他在中国住了二十多年，回到威尼斯，写了一 本游记，极称中国文物之盛。
After 20 years in China, he retumed to Venice and wrote Travels of Marco Polo in which he speaks highly of China's rich cultural relics.
在他的游记里，曾仔细地描写过芦沟桥， 因此直到现在，欧洲人还把芦沟桥称作马可波罗桥。
That is why Europeans today still refer to Lugouqiao as Marco Polo Bridge.
国际间的贸易，常常是文化交流的开端，精美的商品的互换，促 进了两国人民相互的爱慕与了解。
The exchange of top-quality commodities promotes mutual love and understanding between nations.
这几个港口的冷落，使得意大利的工商业者，渴望和中国 重建邦交，畅通贸易，这种热切的呼声，是我们到处可以听到的。
In the face the declining business of the above-mentioned ports, Italian industrial business circles long for re-establishment of relations and smooth development of business with China.
这几天欧洲的气候，真是反常0！
These few days, the weather in Europe has been unusually bad indeed.
昨天在帕都瓦城，遇见大雪，那 里本已是桃红似锦，柳碧如茵，而天空中的雪片，却是搓棉扯絮一般， 纷纷下落。
Yesterday, snow fell in large flakes on Padova when the city was at the height of its beauty with pink peach blossoms and green willows.
在雪光之中，看到融融的春景，在我还是第一次！
It was the first time for me to see a warm snow-covered spring scene.
昨晚起雪化成雨，凉意逼人，现在我的窗外呼啸着鸣鸣的海风， 风声中夹杂着悠扬的钟声；
The sound of howling sea wind outside my window is mingled with the melodious sound of bells.
回忆起二十几年前的初春，我也是在阴雨 中游了威尼斯，它的明媚的一面，我至今还没有看到！
I remember that in an early spring of years ago, it also rained when I first visited Venice.
今天又是星期 六，在寂静的时间中，我极其亲切地想起了你们。
Today is Sunday again, and I'm thinking of you warmheartedly.
住学校的小朋友们， 现在都该回到家里了吧？
Little friends, those of you who are boarders must now be back at home for the weekend.
灯光之下，不知你们和家里人谈了些什么？
I wonder what you are talking about with folks at home in the lamplight.
是你们学习的情况，还是国家建设？
Is it about your studies or about our national construction?