英语博客：Italy.

　　Last week we learned a little about Germany. Today, we will learn about a country that is close by, Italy. You probably know already that this country of sixty million people has been a major(our) influence on Western civilization. So, what is Italy famous for? The Roman Empire, the Renaissance¹, music, food, cars, and motorbikes. Mainland Italy consists of a peninsula that lies in the Mediterranean² Sea, with the Adriatic Sea to the east. It shares its northern boarder with France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. Sardinia and Sicily are two very large islands amoung about seventy much smaller ones that belong to Italy. Rome, its capital, was the seat of the Roman Empire, from about 400 BC, for 800 years. The influence and power of Rome stretched to the north of Britain, the Iberian peninsula in the west, to Egypt and North Africa, and as far as the Persian Gulf³. In AD 313 Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, which Christianized the empire. The Visigoths, an east Germanic tribe, invaded Italy repeatedly from the north. Other invaders⁴ followed including the Franks and the Normans. Italy became a divided country of powerful states, the strongest being Florence, Venice, Pisa, and Genoa. The Renaissance came about in Florence, bringing a revival⁵ of art, music, literature, and science. Napoleon conquered most of Italy, but, finally in 1861 Italy became unified⁶. It is a mountainous, fertile land which has crop and hydro-electric resources. It has marble and oil in the south, but its main industries are car manufacturing and tourism. 30 million visitors come every year to the lakes, mountains, and well maintained historical buildings for inspiration, and to learn about this historically influential⁷ country.
Grammar notes.
Related vocabulary: tribe, a seat of power, fertile, influential.
1. The Native American tribe that lived in this area was the Wenatchi tribe.
2. The seat of power in England is London.
3. The soil in Canada is so fertile; it is rich and black.
4. The Renaissance was an influential period for Western Europe.

1 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

2 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 invaders   

入侵者，侵略者，侵入物( invader的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They prepared to repel the invaders. 他们准备赶走侵略军。
• The family has traced its ancestry to the Norman invaders. 这个家族将自己的世系追溯到诺曼征服者。

5 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

6 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

7 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。