London is situated in theSouth-East of England in the Thames Valley.

伦敦位于英格兰东南部的泰晤士河谷内。

Home to over 8 million people,the capital of the UK has been an important financial, educational and culturalcenter for hundreds of years.

这里住着八百多万居民。作为英格兰首都，伦敦几百年来都是金融、教育与文化的中心。

Of the many gifts England hasgiven to the world, none has been greater than her language and literature.

在英格兰给全世界的众多献礼当中，没有什么比那里的语言和文学更加伟大的了。

And if ever there's a city thatreads like an epic saga, it's London.

如果有哪个城市看起来犹如史诗般的传奇，那就是伦敦。

 The story of London began in theBronze Age, but it didn't really get going until the Romans withdrew in the 5thcentury.

伦敦的历史起源于青铜时代，但直到五世纪罗马人撤退才开始有所发展。

 Growing into one of the greatmedieval trading cities, she truly came of age in the 11th century, whenWilliam the Conqueror built the Tower of London, which was to become one ofEngland's grimmest prisons.

中世纪时期，伦敦蜕变成为最大的商贸城市之一，到十一世纪真正发展成熟。当时征服者威廉筑造了伦敦塔，后来这座塔成为英格兰最阴森的监狱之一。

London is very easy to navigatearound, and is compact enough to explore on foot.

伦敦到处非常容易导航，面积其实不大，足以用步行的方式去探索

This world city is filled withiconic symbols, and one of the most easily recognizable is Tower Bridge, animpressive reminder of London's rapid expansion during the industrialrevolution.

这个世界名城到处都是标志性建筑，其中一处最容易被认出来的便是伦敦桥，其宏伟程度令人想到工业革命时期伦敦的快速扩展。

 Just upriver, at the Houses ofParliament, Big Ben's reassuring chimes peal across the city every hour, on thehour.

就在泰晤士河上游的议会大厦那里，大本钟振奋人心的钟声在每个整点准时响彻伦敦城。

Buckingham Palace, perhaps themost famous palace in the world, is the official residence of Queen Elh.

白金汉宫或许就是全世界最负盛名的宫殿了，它是女王伊丽莎白二世的官邸。

 It's a popular London attraction,offering tours of staterooms and gardens.

这里是伦敦的热门景点 提供国事厅和花园的游览

 Nearby, Kensington Palace is opento the public year-round.

邻近的肯辛顿宫则全年对公众开放。

 The palace and gardens will beremembered as the home of Princess Di and Prince Charles, and have recentlyundergone a multi-million-pound refurbishment.

人们会铭记这座宫殿及其花园曾经是戴安娜王妃与查尔斯王子的官邸，最近还斥资数百万英镑修葺了一番。

 Another legacy of England'smonarchy are the Royal Parks of London.

英格兰君主制留下的另外一份遗产便是伦敦的皇家公园。

 They were once reserved asprivate hunting grounds for the royal family, but nowadays they're open foreveryone to enjoy.

它们曾经留给王室成员用作私家猎场，如今已经给大众开放游玩了。

 There are eight Royal Parks, andmany of them are in central London, and close to royal palaces and otherhistoric monuments.

这里有八个皇家公园，多数位于伦敦的城中心，离王室宫殿和其他历史纪念馆都不远。

Green Park and St. James's Parkare right next to Buckingham Palace, Admiralty Arch and The Mall.

绿园和圣詹姆斯公园正好挨着白金汉宫、水师提督门还有林荫路。

 Hyde Park is perhaps the mostfamous with its man-made lake, The Serpentine, and on the other side,Kensington Gardens is a beautiful open expanse that stretches east towardsKensington Palace.

海德公园或许是最负盛名的公园， 里面有座人工蛇形湖。而到另一边，肯辛顿花园是一片漂亮的开放区，向东延伸至肯辛顿宫。

 The Albert Memorial is at thesouthern end of Kensington Gardens, and the striking bronze statue lookstowards the Royal Albert Hall just across the road.

阿尔伯特纪念碑竖立在肯辛顿花园的南端，这座引人注目的铜像与皇家阿尔伯特音乐厅隔路相对。

 The hall is yet another reminderof Queen Victoria's great love for her husband, Prince Albert.

这座碑也是为了纪念维多利亚女王对其丈夫阿尔伯特亲王的爱。

Many of London's greatest storieshave begun in her houses of worship, and none is so impressive and important asWestminster Abbey.

伦敦许多伟大的传奇故事都起源于宗教信仰，其中最令人印象深刻且具有重要地位的，便是威斯敏斯特大教堂了。

 This is where kings and queenshave been crowned, married and even buried.

英国历代君主都在这里进行加冕，结婚甚至葬礼仪式。

 London was rebuilt after TheGreat Fire in 1666, and St. Paul's Cathedral is the most enduring monument tothe city's transformation.

伦敦在1666年大火后重建，圣保罗大教堂便是这座城市转型期最经久不衰的标志。

 It's a great testament to Britishstrength and resilience.

它同时也是英国人民力量与适应力的见证。

 The West End in central London isa story in itself.

伦敦中心的西区也有属于它自己的发展历史。

 Here the streets are lined withancient buildings, but the throngs of people are out to have fun.

这里的街道两边站满了古建筑，民众结伴成群外出寻乐。

 By day, the charming boutiquesand cafés hum with shoppers, and by night the bars alongCarnaby Street are packed with patrons enjoying pre-show drinks.

白天，购物者蜂拥至迷人的精品店和咖啡馆；到了夜间，卡纳比街上的酒吧里坐满了在表演开始前喝几杯的顾客。

 This is one of the largesttheater districts in the world.

这里是全球最大的剧院区之一。

And at times it can feel likeyou're on a Monopoly board, with Coventry Street, Trafalgar Square andPiccadilly Circus all close by.

有时你会觉得自己身处在大富翁游戏中，身边就是考文垂街 特拉法加广场还有皮卡迪利圆环。

Moving away from the historiccenter, London's trendy suburbs offer a different kind of story.

从历史核心地带出来，伦敦的商贸区则完全是另一番景象。

 The Portobello Road Markets inNotting Hill attract thousands of visitors, especially to the antiques marketsthat's held on Saturdays, while the edgier Camden Town features six popularmarkets that are open every day of the week, and operate along her streets, thecanal, and in her historic stables.

诺丁山的波多贝罗路吸引了成千上万的游客，尤其是每个星期六的古董市场。而独具魅力的康登镇拥有六大热门市集每天都有开放。沿着大街，运河甚至是有年代感的马厩去探索一下吧。

 London is a city that honors notonly her own story, but also the story of humankind.伦敦城不仅以其自身的历史为荣，对全人类的发展史也与有荣焉。

The British Museum is one of thefinest in the world, and her treasures cover thousands of years of history andnumber in the millions.

大英博物馆是世界上最好的博物馆之一，馆内收纳了数以百万计的藏品，涵盖了上千年的历史变迁。

The museum is open every day, andbest of all, it's free.

博物馆每天都有开放，最棒的是门票都是免费的。

From the ancient to the modern, theLondon Eye offers a complete change of pace and perspective.

从古代到现代, 伦敦眼见证了民众的生活步调与观点的完整改变。

The massive wheel is over 400feet high, and takes 30 minutes to complete one rotation.

这个巨型摩天轮有四百多英尺高,坐完一轮需要三十分钟。

From here you can see the Londonof old, as well as some of the city's newest additions, all in air-conditionedcomfort.

从伦敦眼可以看到伦敦历史沧桑的一面, 以及加入这座城市的新成员,尽在这个配备空调的舒适空间中一览无遗.。

London will always be a city thatlooks towards the past and the future equal measure.

伦敦永远都会是不断探索过往，同时又展望未来的城市。

From 'Rule Britannia' to 'CoolBritannia', the fabric and the skyline of this city is forever turning over anew page, which is, after all, what every great story should do.

从“严谨的不列颠”到“酷派的不列颠”，这座城市的结构连同天际将继续翻开新的一页。毕竟，这是所有伟大传奇故事应该发展的方向。