英语听力：自然百科 古城圣胡安

 Founded in 1521, San Juan is the second oldest European-founded city in the Americas. But make no mistake, Old San Juan is not a museum, it's a colorful vibrant¹ place, very much alive.

 

It's probably the cultural center of Puerto Rico in a lot of ways. There's music, there's, a lot of young artists, a lot of Bohemian（波西米亚）, writers, and a lot of, of cultural activity happens in Old San Juan.

 

Ricardo Rivera is just one of thousands of people who call the quaint² district of Old San Juan home. The neighborhoods of Loiza has a picturesque³ functionality. Ricardo Alegria, spearheaded(作为先锋) the effort to rehab(修复), restore and revitalize Old San Juan.

 

I am pound of what the, we have done because in the 50s San Juan was becoming a small area and the houses in some of the buildings were really in very bare, bad shape.

 

Today those buildings are, for the most part, in wonderful shape, and so are Old San Juan's many fortresses（堡垒）. The most striking, is Fuerte San Felipe del Morro, constructed by the Spanish, started around 1540, to keep nautical（海上的） enemies at bay.

 

The Church of San Jose is the second oldest known church in the western hemisphere(西半球). Its construction began in 1532. Around the corner is the Plaza⁴ San Jose where you find a statue of the explorer Ponce de Leon, cast in bronze melted down from a British cannon⁵. Down the street, La Fortaleza, a former fort, is now used as the governor's(总督) house. Everywhere you turn, there are reminders⁷ of San Juan's adventure-filled past. These days, tourists fill the streets, in search of old world charm and tropical breezes.

 

The whole year La Houja have a nice weather here, nice weather. The temperature is 75, 77 and 80, you know...

So, San Juan is a major vacation destination. In fact, this is one of the busiest ports for cruise ships（豪华游轮） in the entire Caribbean. More than a million visitors a year disembark these luxury liners(客轮).

 

It's beautiful. It's,er, beautiful beaches, a lot of greenery, very friendly people.

 

The Old San Juan is like a small neighborhood in a lot of ways. If you live here, and you never use your car, you walk to the supermarket. You know, the guy that sells you, your vegetables and everybody says hello. A very small town.

For visitors and for those who live here year-round, Old San Juan is a charming reminder⁶ of the past.

1 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

2 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

3 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

4 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

5 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

6 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

7 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。