Copenhagen (Denmark)

Copenhagen has been the capital of Denmark for 600 years and is also the largest city in Scandinavia, but it hasn't let these high-ranking geopolitical facts go to its urban head - the city maintains a refreshingly low-level approach to the modernisation of its historic skyline, while its high-spirited denizens party in the streets. The city's seemingly interminable pedestrian mall, Stroget, supplies numerous options for shopping and entertainment, from street theatre to offstreet theatre, while the famous Tivoli fun park serves up amusement in more traditional forms and the cosmopolitan Latin Quarter will leave you covered in aromatic coffee grounds.

There's plenty of the green stuff in the city centre, with a couple of large parks and gardens in which to doze or ramble. If even that sounds too energetic, try a cruise through the canals of Christianshavn, saving just enough adrenalinfor a courteous nod in the direction of the Little Mermaid. Architecturally, Copenhagen has more than its share of interesting sights, from the administrative palace of Christiansborg Slot on the island of Slotsholmen to the scenic steeple of Vor Frelsers Kirke. The Danish capital pretty much covers all the needs of the international visitor, and does it with typical Scandinavian assurance and flair.

Copenhagen got its name from the word k?ben-havn, which means "merchants' harbor." It grew in size and importance because of its position on the ?resund (the Sound), the body of water between Denmark and Sweden, guarding the entrance to the Baltic.

From its humble beginnings, Copenhagen has become the largest city in Scandinavia, home to 1 1/2 million people. It's the seat of one of the oldest kingdoms in the world.Over the centuries Copenhagen has suffered more than its share of disasters. In the 17th century the Swedes repeatedly besieged it, and in the 18th century it endured the plague and two devastating fires. The British attacked twice during the Napoleonic wars in the early 1800s. Its last major disaster occurred in 1940 when the Nazis invaded Denmark and held it in their grip until 1945 when the British army moved in again, this time as liberators.

In the summer of 2000, the ?resund Bridge was officially opened, linking Sweden and Denmark physically for the first time.

Copenhagen still retains some of the characteristics of a village. If you forget the suburbs, you can cover most of the central belt on foot, making it a great place to visit. It's almost as if the city was designed for strolling, as reflected by its Stroget, the longest and oldest pedestrians-only street in Europe.


ANNOTATION;
interminable: adj.无止尽的                    aromatic: adj. 芳香的
adrenalin: adj.兴奋的                         flair: n. 天资

Nashville (US)

Admit it - as LA is to long-haired rockers and Chicago is to steamy blues - when you think Nashville, you've got country music on your mind. And why not? As the self-proclaimed 'Country Music Capital of the World,' Nashville revels in its down-home glamour. Banners and billboards announce new recording stars and releases like accolades in a high school yearbook, and streets bear the names of country legends like Roy Acuff and Chet Atkins. Music City (as Nashville's promoters like to call it) has even caught the attention of non-country singers - from Joan Baez to Jello Biafra - though their reviews have not always been favorable. Still, for a city that's staked its reputation on its trademark sound, there's no doubt about it - Nashville's tune is catchy.

Straddling the Cumberland River in northern central Tennessee, Nashville lies midway between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. From the state capitol - the city's highest point - a busy, compact downtown of narrow one-way streets and high-rise office buildings slopes eastward to Broadway, Nashville's central artery. Southeast of the capitol along 2nd Ave and Broadway, the renovation of historic commercial buildings has carved a downtown tourist destination called 'the District.' Music Row, the other main commercial district, is less than a mile southwest of downtown.

In the rest of sprawling Nashville, it's hard to pinpoint what constitutes a neighborhood, but a few are easily discernible. Elliston Place is a compact stretch of bohemian alternative culture about a mile west of downtown and north of West End Ave. South of this is the Vanderbilt University campus. East of Elliston Place and abutting the university, Centennial Park is the site of the mock. Parthenon leftover from the Centennial Exposition of 1897. This whole area is known as West End, and it centers on a cluster of restaurants along Broadway and West End Ave on either side of the university; you might also hear it referred to as 'Around Vanderbilt.'

Many tourists never set foot in downtown Nashville, confining their visit to the massive Opryland complex a few miles northeast of town. Here, the prefabricated. Music Valley boasts budget motels, franchise restaurants and outlet stores.

ANNOTATION:

accolade: v. 称赞， 盛赞                          staked: adj.   拿......冒险straddle: v.跨越,分腿站立于                        pinpoit: v. 准确地确定discerning: adj.可识别的                               abutting: adj.邻接的]prefabricated: adj. 预先构思的,预先制造的