跟豪华游轮“维京之星”来一趟历史文化之旅

 　　More than a thousand years since they last sailed up the Thames, the vikings are back in London.But instead of threatening pillage¹, these Scandinavians are bringing the latest word in cruise ship design to the capital. Viking Cruises' first ever ocean-going cruise ship, Viking Star, sailed through the Thames barrier on 12, May during its maiden² voyage.

　　1000多年后，维京海盗再次回到伦敦泰晤士河。不同于过去带来的掠夺威胁，这些斯堪的纳维亚人这次给伦敦展示了最新的豪华游轮设计。维京游艇的首个远洋航行游轮：维京之星，于5月12日驶过泰晤士港口，这是其处女航线路上的一站。

　　The nine-deck passenger ship sailed past London landmarks³ including Canary Wharf⁴, the O2 Arena⁵, and Greenwich's Royal Naval⁶ College. It was anchored overnight at Greenwich, before continuing its journey to the Norwegian city of Bergen where it was christened during the country's Constitution Day Celebrations on May 17.

　　维京之星拥有9层甲板，驶过了伦敦地标，包括金丝雀港口、O2竞技场和格林威治皇家海军学院。海盗之星在格林威治停留一整晚后，继续其行程开往挪威城市卑尔根，在那里参加5月17日举行的国家宪法日庆祝活动，并接受洗礼。

　　维京之星

　　Viking Star marks the travel industry's first entirely⁷ new cruise line in a decade and is among the largest to sail up the Thames. After being formally launched, the ship will take passengers on voyages from the brand's homeland in Scandinavia and the Baltic through to the Western and Eastern Mediterranean⁸ - mapping the path of Viking traders and warriors⁹ who journeyed as far as Istanbul. Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking Cruises, said he aimed to buck¹⁰ the trend for building bigger cruise liners by creating a smaller ship that can easily access its historic destinations.

　　维京之星标志着旅游行业十年来的首个全新邮轮阶段，并且是在泰晤士航行的最大游轮之一。在正式首航之后，维京之星将会搭载游客从维京游轮公司所在的斯堪的纳维亚出发，穿过波罗的海，抵达西地中海和东地中海，重走曾经到达伊斯坦布尔的维京商人和战士之路。维京游轮主席托尔斯泰·哈根说他想要一反建造大型豪华游轮的潮流，转而建造能轻松抵达历史目的地的小型船舶。

　　The brand provides more overnight stays in important ports and fewer days at sea, giving passengers more time to enjoy the behind the scenes tours of world class museums it offers. Mr Hagen said: 'We have always believed that cruising should be about connecting you to your destination – not just taking you to places on a map. It is our view that in the race to build bigger ships, many cruise lines have lost sight of the destinations to which they sail.'

　　维京之星会安排较少的海上航行时间，在重要港口停留过夜的机会则将多安排一些，好让游客们可以有更多时间享受精彩旅行中的世界级博物馆。哈根先生说：“我们一直认为游轮应该连接你和目的地，而并不是仅仅像走马观花一样将你带到那里。在我们看来，大家都在竞相建造更大的游艇，但是很多邮轮航线已经无法让游客享受到他们航行目的地的美丽风景了。”

　　What is available on board Viking star?

　　海盗之星上面提供些什么呢？

　　Weighing nearly half-a-million tons, the ship accommodates 930 passengers in 465 staterooms – each with its own veranda¹¹ and king sized bed. So everyone can enjoy the view from a balcony, along with king-size beds, large showers, and LCD TVs. Explorer Suites¹²: Viking Star features 14 Explorer Suites, which are two-room suites ranging from 757 to 1,163 sq. ft. that offer sweeping¹³ views from wrap-around private verandas¹⁴. As well as the main pool with a retractable¹⁵ dome¹⁶, there is also a glass-backed infinity¹⁷ pool. The Spa embraces the centuries-old tradition of the sauna and even has a 'snow grotto¹⁸' where snowflakes gently descend¹⁹ from the ceiling.

　　近50万吨重的海盗之星的465个客舱可接待930名游客。每个舱房都配有超大尺寸的床和阳台，因此每个游客都可以在阳台上充分享受美景，同时还有大床、大浴室和LCD电视可供使用。探险家套房：海盗之星有14间探险家套房，套房拥有2间卧室，面积从757到1163平方英尺不等，环形阳台能为游客提供全景视野。另外，船上还有配有可伸缩穹顶的主泳池和一个玻璃底的大泳池。水疗区设有依照古老传统建造的桑拿间，还有冰雪洞穴，会有雪花慢慢地从顶上飘落下来。

　　So, enjoy our trip. Meanwhile, Viking Cruises is aiming to launch nine more ocean liners in the next few years, with Viking Sea being released in 2016 and Viking Sky coming in 2017.

　　那么，好好享受你的旅程吧。另外，维京游轮还打算在未来几年里建造9艘远洋游艇，包括即将在2016年公布的“维京之海”和2017年的“维京之天”。

1 pillage   

v.抢劫；掠夺；n.抢劫，掠夺；掠夺物

参考例句：

• The invading troops were guilty of rape and pillage.侵略军犯了抢劫和强奸的罪。
• It was almost pillage.这简直是一场洗劫。

2 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

3 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

4 wharf   

n.码头，停泊处

参考例句：

• We fetch up at the wharf exactly on time.我们准时到达码头。
• We reached the wharf gasping for breath.我们气喘吁吁地抵达了码头。

5 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

6 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 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。

9 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

10 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

11 veranda   

n.走廊；阳台

参考例句：

• She sat in the shade on the veranda.她坐在阳台上的遮荫处。
• They were strolling up and down the veranda.他们在走廊上来回徜徉。

12 suites   

n.套( suite的名词复数 )；一套房间；一套家具；一套公寓

参考例句：

• First he called upon all the Foreign Ministers in their hotel suites. 他首先到所有外交部长住的旅馆套间去拜访。 来自辞典例句
• All four doors to the two reserved suites were open. 预定的两个套房的四扇门都敞开着。 来自辞典例句

13 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

14 verandas   

阳台，走廊( veranda的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Women in stiff bright-colored silks strolled about long verandas, squired by men in evening clothes. 噼噼啪啪香槟酒的瓶塞的声音此起彼伏。
• They overflowed on verandas and many were sitting on benches in the dim lantern-hung yard. 他们有的拥到了走郎上，有的坐在挂着灯笼显得有点阴暗的院子里。

15 retractable   

adj.可收回的；可撤消的；可缩回的；可缩进的

参考例句：

• a knife with a retractable blade 弹簧刀
• So, any thoughts of what you want for the retractable bed kid? 那么想为那个睡折叠床的小子做什么？ 来自电影对白

16 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

17 infinity   

n.无限，无穷，大量

参考例句：

• It is impossible to count up to infinity.不可能数到无穷大。
• Theoretically,a line can extend into infinity.从理论上来说直线可以无限地延伸。

18 grotto   

n.洞穴

参考例句：

• We reached a beautiful grotto,whose entrance was almost hiden by the vine.我们到达了一个美丽的洞穴，洞的进口几乎被藤蔓遮掩著。
• Water trickles through an underground grotto.水沿着地下岩洞流淌。

19 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。