London is one of the most diverse1 cities in the world. Only less than half of Londons population are white British， and more than half were born outside the UK. A quarter were born outside of Europe. There are over 8 million people living in London at present. And all these people speak over 300 languages， thats more than any other city in the world！ English is the main language of communication in London， but many pupils in London dont speak English at home. Over 100 languages are used by these little children who are growing up in London.

The number of diverse museums in London adds to the culture of this city. There are over 170 museums：from the massive2 British Museum—Londons most popular tourist attraction， to the tiny Fan Museum in Greenwich. Museum and art lovers will not be disappointed3 when they go to London.

London is such a multicultural4 city， you can enjoy food from all parts of the world. Fish and chips might be the most famous food， but because of the large number of Indian migrants5， curry（咖喱）is the nations favorite now. Thanks to its diversity6， unlike many European cultures， Londoners enjoy entertaining7 people in their homes. If invited to a home party and you are 10 or 15 minutes late， Londoners are fine with that.But， hey， its always nice to be polite， which means be on time.

The story of London is ever so long and dramatic8. No matter what you are interested in， there will always be something for you in London. Therefore， the capital of England is regarded9 as one of the most important cities in the world. In fact， you may find it is so hard to decide what to see and what to miss out on in London.

倫敦是世界上最多樣化的城市。整個倫敦的人口中，只有一小半是英國白人，而另一大半出生在英國之外。其中，四分之一的人口甚至出生在歐洲之外。目前，倫敦有800萬人，他們所說的語言超出300種，這比世界上任何其他城市都要多。英語是倫敦人交流的主要語言，但很多小學(xué)生在家根本不說英語。這些即將在倫敦長大的孩子們，使用超過100種不同的語言。

倫敦數(shù)量龐大的博物館增加了城市的多樣性。這里有170多所博物館，從倫敦最受歡迎的旅游景點——巨大無比的大英博物館，到格林威治極其“迷你”的風(fēng)扇博物館。博物館和藝術(shù)愛好者到倫敦的話，一定不會失望。

倫敦如此多元化，你可以享受來自世界各地的美食。炸魚和薯條也許是最有名的，但由于有大量的印度移民，現(xiàn)在咖喱已經(jīng)成為全國最受歡迎的菜式。多虧多樣化，與很多歐洲文化不同的是，倫敦人喜歡邀請別人到家里玩。如果被邀請參加家庭聚會，而你遲到了10到15分鐘的話，倫敦人不會太介意。但是，嘿，與人為善總是好的，這意味著你最好準(zhǔn)時到達(dá)。

倫敦的故事實在太長、太戲劇化。無論你對什么感興趣，倫敦都有。因此，英國的首都被看作全世界最重要的城市。事實上，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)要決定在倫敦參觀什么，錯過什么，真是一件很困難的事情。

Tip

the number of：意思是“……的數(shù)量”，跟復(fù)數(shù)名詞連用作主語時，中心詞是number，謂語動詞要用單數(shù)形式。如：The number of the cars in our city is 1000.我們城市中的汽車數(shù)量是1000輛。

短語a number of的意思是“許多”，相當(dāng)于 many，修飾可數(shù)名詞復(fù)數(shù)。其作主語時，謂語動詞用復(fù)數(shù)形式。如：A number of students were absent from the meeting. 許多學(xué)生缺席會議。

The Grumpy10 Weather Is In London

壞脾氣的倫敦天氣

London has a mild11 climate. Extreme weather is rare here. As a result， it can be visited at any time of year. At the same time， unfortunately， Londons weather has a reputation12 of being dark and wet.

The weather in London changes all the time. It can be freezing13 walking outside， but hot in the subway （or tube as Londoners call it）. When in London， one should always wear layers14， to put on or take off when needed.

It rains in London often. The rain doesnt come all in one season. It can come at any time of year， and on any day. You might experience beautiful sunshine， blustering15 winds and drizzling16 rain — all in one afternoon！ So， an umbrella is never a burden， you just never know.

Because of the weather， Londoners like to wear comfortable clothes， but still look sharp. If you dont want people to see you as a tourist right away， try not to wear souvenir17 shirt such as “I love London”. And， even in the cold winter days， most Londoners do not wear UGGs to keep warm. They might just look too clunky18， and not so stylish. Flip flops？ They work great in sunny Australia， but not in London where temperature and sun are not so high， most of the time.

In the winter time， most Londoners dont wear extremely bright colors. And it is common to see people dress in all black. It matches the season， the weather， and maybe peoples mood19.

倫敦天氣溫和，極端天氣非常少見。因此，一年中任何時候你都可以去倫敦。與此同時，不幸的是，倫敦的天氣一直都“名聲不佳”：黑乎乎，濕漉漉。

倫敦的天氣瞬息萬變。在戶外散步時，你可能覺得凍得刺骨；走進(jìn)地鐵，你又會突然感到異常暖和。在倫敦，你一定要多穿幾層，必要時可脫、可穿。

倫敦經(jīng)常下雨。雨不是全在一個季節(jié)下的。一年中的任何時間都可以下雨，任何一天都可能下雨。你可能會在一個下午經(jīng)歷美麗的陽光、大作的狂風(fēng)和毛毛細(xì)雨。因此，雨傘從來不是負(fù)擔(dān)，因為你永遠(yuǎn)不知道什么時候會用到它。

由于氣候的原因，倫敦人喜歡穿既保暖又有型的衣服。如果你不想馬上被人看出是游客，外出時盡量不要穿印有“我愛倫敦”的紀(jì)念衫。即使在最寒冷的冬日，大部分當(dāng)?shù)厝艘簿芙^穿UGG雪地靴保暖，可能是雪地靴看起來太臃腫、不夠時尚的緣故。人字拖？在陽光充足的澳大利亞你穿著可能剛剛好，但在倫敦，大部分時候氣溫不夠高，陽光不夠耀眼，你還是別穿了。

冬天，大部分當(dāng)?shù)厝瞬粫╊伾^于鮮艷的衣服。人們穿得一身黑是很常見的。應(yīng)季，應(yīng)天氣，也許還是人們心情的一種折射。

Tip

as a result：常被翻譯為“結(jié)果是”“作為結(jié)果”。短語as a result 單獨使用，后面一般用逗號隔開。如：He worked hard at his study. As a result， he passed the exam easily.由于努力學(xué)習(xí)，他通過了這次考試。

短語as a result of的意思是“由于”，后面常接名詞或者代詞。如：As a result of his hard work， he passed the exam easily.由于努力學(xué)習(xí)，他通過了這次考試。

Black Cab： The Symbol Of London

黑色出租車：倫敦的象征

In London， many black taxis drive around the streets. They are a true symbol20 of London， almost as iconic21 as a London bus！ London is ranked the No.1 taxi industry in the world.

London taxis （often called “black cabs”） have a very long history. They started out as horse-drawn carriages22 as early as 1662. In 1945， the black cab design we all know and love today became common. These days， black cabs dont have to be black—many cabs are created in different colors. But people still like to refer these taxis as “black cabs”.

For a person to become a black cab driver in London， they must complete a test called “The Knowledge”. It involves23 remembering many streets in London. Cab drivers can spend years trying to learn it all. Some even walk around every part of the city to remember everything in their brains. The average time to study and pass the exam is 3 years. It is such a difficult test， and thats why cabbies （cab drivers in London） know every street and landmark24 in London. So， if you are going to a hotel or theatre， you just need to tell them the name.

Black cabs can be quite expensive， but it is such an original and worthwhile journey to take when you visit London. If you see a cab with a light on top displaying the word “TAXI”， this means they are available25. Otherwise， the light is switched26 off. Never shout “TAXI” at a moving black cab. This is against the law and they will not stop for you.

倫敦街頭有很多黑色出租車出沒。它們和倫敦巴士一樣，絕對是倫敦的象征。倫敦是世界上出租車行業(yè)排名第一的城市。

倫敦的出租車（常被叫作“黑色出租車”）歷史悠久。早在1662年，它們就以馬車的形式出現(xiàn)了。1945年，我們熟知和喜愛的黑色出租車已經(jīng)變得很普遍。如今，出租車不再全部是黑色的——很多“黑色出租車”被涂成各種不同的顏色，但人們?nèi)匀涣?xí)慣稱它們“黑色出租車”。

在倫敦，想要成為一名黑色出租車司機(jī)，你必須通過一門叫作“知識”的考試。申請者需要記住倫敦的許多街道名。出租車司機(jī)有時候要花好幾年才能全部記住。有些司機(jī)甚至走訪倫敦的每個角落來真正記住所有內(nèi)容。申請者學(xué)習(xí)和通過考試的平均時間是3年。正因為考試實在太難，黑色出租車司機(jī)們才對倫敦的每條街、每個標(biāo)志性建筑了如指掌。因此，如果要去酒店或劇院，你只需要告訴司機(jī)名字就夠了。

你可能覺得乘坐黑色出租車價格昂貴，但它如此原汁原味，到訪倫敦的時候，你值得一試。如果你看到出租車的頂部亮著車燈，寫著“TAXI”，那意味著車上沒有乘客。要不然，燈是熄滅的。你絕對不要朝正在行駛的出租車大喊“TAXI”，這可是違法的，出租車也不會因此為你停車。

Tip

such a：such a/an +形容詞+可數(shù)名詞單數(shù)表示“如此的……”。如：1）I never know such a man. 我從不認(rèn)識這樣一個人。2）How can you explain such a silly remark？ 你怎能解釋如此愚蠢的意見？

A Royal Family Thats So Close to Its People

離民眾最近的皇室

If you were a king or queen for the day in London， what would you do？ Ride around in a carriage made of gold， or wear the worlds most famous diamond on your head？

The Monarchy27 is the oldest form of government in the UK. Whether you are a royalist28 or not， the royal family attracts public interest from the UK and the world. On average， the Queen receives about 60，000 pieces of cards， letters and gifts from all over the world each year.In addition， people spend about ￡500 million every year to visit royal places in the UK， especially in London. The Tower of London， Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace are the most popular royal destinations29.

Buckingham Palace is the Queens official London residence30. It has a total of 775 rooms， including 52 bedrooms and 78 bathrooms. It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today. When the Queen is present in Buckingham Palace， the Royal Standard flag will be flying above it；otherwise， it will be the Union Flag that flies. During the summer time， when the Queen spends her summer somewhere else other than London， you can tour the State Rooms. They are decorated with some of the greatest treasures from the Royal Collection. During other times， you can still see the exterior31 of the palace. Also， you can watch the famous Changing the Guard.

To visit the Royal London， is to step into tradition and to step back in time.

假如你可以在倫敦當(dāng)一天國王或女王，你想做什么？搭乘一輛金色馬車四處巡游，還是將全世界最著名的鉆石戴在頭上？

君主政體是英國歷史最悠久的政府形式。無論你是否是皇室的“粉絲”，英國皇室吸引了英國本土以及全世界民眾的注意力，這是不爭的事實。女王平均每年會收到來自世界各地的大約6萬份賀卡、信件和禮物。此外，人們每年花費約5億英鎊游覽英國的皇家場所，特別是在倫敦。倫敦塔、溫莎城堡和白金漢宮是最受歡迎的皇家景點。

白金漢宮是女王在倫敦的官邸。它共有775個房間，包括52間臥室和78間浴室。白金漢宮是世界上現(xiàn)存為數(shù)不多的仍在使用的皇家建筑。當(dāng)女王在白金漢宮時，皇家旗幟將在屋頂飄揚。否則，英國聯(lián)合旗會飛揚其上。每年夏天，當(dāng)女王離開倫敦去其他地方避暑時，民眾可以參觀國事廳。這里有皇室收藏品中最珍貴的寶藏。其他時候，你可以遠(yuǎn)觀白金漢宮的外部，還可以觀看著名的衛(wèi)兵交接儀式。

領(lǐng)略英國皇室風(fēng)采，就是一腳踏入傳統(tǒng)和歷史之中。

Tip

Whether與or not連用，屬于固定搭配，引導(dǎo)狀語從句，意為“不論”“不管是”。如：1）Well go on with the work， whether we can find the necessary tools or not.不管能否找到所需的工具，我們都要把這項工作做下去。2）Whether you like the idea or not， Im going ahead with it.無論你是否喜歡這個意見， 我都將繼續(xù)做下去。