You've  heard of the “old woman who lived in a shoe, who had so many children she didn’t know what to do.”  你听说过这样一首童谣吧，“有位妇人住在鞋子里，孩子太多了，不知怎么办”。

Well, there is a boot in which live not only many children but millions of children and millions of men and women too.  告诉你，还真有这样一只靴子，那里不仅住着很多孩子，而且住着无数大人和小孩。

It is called Italy.  这只靴子叫意大利。

It is the largest boot in the World and yet it is not large enough to hold all its children,  是世界上最大的靴子，然而还是装不下它所有的孩子，

so a great many of them have come over to America.  所以他们当中很多人就来到了美洲。

The very first one of them to come over was Christopher Columbus, over four hundred years ago.  他们中最先过来的是克里斯托弗?哥伦布，那是四百多年前的事。

He sailed from Spain, but he was born in Italy and lived in a city at the top of the boot, called Genoa.  他从西班牙起航，但他生于意大利，住在靴子顶部一个叫做热那亚的城市。

A part of his house is still standing in Genoa, and there is a statue of him just outside the railroad station.  他的部分故居还在热那亚，现在依然完好。在热那亚火车站外面还竖立着他的雕像。

Ships still sail from Genoa to America, but they know where they are going now and Columbus didn’t. 现在仍然有轮船从热那亚航行到美洲大陆，这些轮船都有确定的航线，而哥伦布当时却不知道自己航行的前方是何处。

On the other side of the boot top is another city.  在靴子顶部的另一侧还有一个城市。

It is not near the water, nor by the water, nor on the water, but in the water.  它不在水的附近，不在水边，不在水上，而是在水里。

It is built on many little islands, and the streets are water with bridges across them.  整个城市建在很多小岛上，它的街道就是水道，有很多小桥横跨在上面。

This city is called Venice. The water streets are called canals, and the main street,  这个城市叫做“威尼斯”。这些水道叫做运河，其中最大的水道叫做“大运河”，

which would be a broad avenue if it were paved, is called the Grand Canal.  这条水道如果铺成路面，就会是条宽敞的林荫大道。

Instead of automobiles or carriages, the people have to use boats.  人们出行不是开汽车或坐马车，而是靠坐船。

These boats are painted black and in the center there is a little cabin like a closed automobile.  这些船被漆成黑色，中间有个小船舱，像封闭的小汽车。

In the very front there is a queer thing with teeth which looks something like a big comb standing on end.  船头有个有着许多齿的奇怪东西，看起来就像个大梳子竖在那里。

These boats are called gondolas, and a man called a gondolier stands back of the little cabin and rows the gondola with one long oar.  这种船叫做“凤尾船”，凤尾船船夫站在小船舱后面，用一支长长的船桨划动船。

There are no “stop” and “go” signs at the canal crossings, so the gondoliers, as they come to a crossing,  在运河交叉点没有“停”或“行”的交通标志，所以当船到达一个交叉点时，

call out a funny “ooh,” and if there is a gondolier coming from the cross canal he calls back so that they will not run into each other.  船夫就会“嗬”地喊一声，喊声挺滑稽的。如果此时有船夫从横贯的运河过来，他也会“嗬”地回应一声。

There are no honking horns, no rumbling wheels—Venice is almost silent except for singing and music. 这样他们的船就不会相撞了。那里没有嘀嘀的喇叭声，也没有隆隆的车轮声，威尼斯除了歌声和音乐之外几乎是宁静无声的。

Long ago where Venice now is there were many little islands but no city.  很久以前，在现在威尼斯的地方有很多小岛，但没有城市。