Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, is just a part of the Icelandic experience with its midnight sun or the magical landscapes forged by ice and fire. Reykjavik has a population of around 110 000 and offers an interesting mix of cosmopolitan culture and local village roots.

　　Old accounts say the ancient gods themselves guided Iceland’s first settler to make his home in Reykjavik. He named the place Reykjavik ( steamy Bay) after the geothermal steam he saw, which today heats homes and outdoor swimming pools throughout the city, a pollution-free energy source that leaves the air outstanding fresh and clean.

　　A beautiful river runs through the city limits, and so do fine parks. In the outskirts are places for horse trekking and golf. But against this backdrop2 of nature, Reykjavik has a packed program of city joys too: art museums, several theaters, an opera house and symphony orchestra spanning the whole spectrum of age and taste.

　　One must for all visitors is dinning out on Icelandic specialties, including delicious seafood, ocean-fresh from the morning’s catch, highland lamb and varieties of game. Its purely natural food imaginatively served to delight the most discerning3 of diners. Reykjavik is also renowned as one of Europe ’s hottest nightspots, where the action on the friendly pub and nightlife scene lasts right through the night. In the evening, the downtown area teems with activity, reaching its peak on Friday or Saturday. The number of pubs, café, discos, and other night-sports in the downtown area is astonishing. There is a rich variety of places to go : European-style cafꟳs, nightclubs with live entertainment, dance halls for seniors, sports-theme pubs with big TV screens, cafꟳs that offer over 100 types of beer, an Irish pub, a Spanish café, a French wine bar . . .

　　Walking distances are short downtown, and everything worth seeing outside the city center can be quickly and conveniently reached by bus. With its long easy-going4 main street and large shop too —with a bonus of tax-free shopping for visitors! Be on the lookout just for souvenirs ( especially woolens and handicrafts) but also for stylish consumer goods and designer labels at competitive prices.

　　A full range of accommodations is available in Reykjavik, from international-standard hotels with good conference facilities, through smaller hotels and cozy guesthouses, to a campsite in the city’s biggest park.

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　　練習題：

　　Ⅰ. Complete th e se ntences with words from the p as sage :

　　1. Visit Iceland and you’ll enter a whole new of experience.

　　2. Reykjavik offers an interesting of cosmopolitan culture and local village roots.

　　3. A full rang of accommodation is in Reykjavik.

　　Ⅱ. True o r Fa lse :

　　1. In Reykjavik, the air is fresh and clean, because people use geothermal energy.

　　2. Reykjavik is famous for its nightlife .

　　3. There are many places outside city worth seeing, but traffic is not convenient.

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　　參考答案

　　Ⅰ. 1. realm 2. mix 3. available

　　Ⅱ. 1. T 2. T 3. F

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　　參考譯文：

　　冰島之珠

　　到 冰島旅游你會有一種全新的體驗。這里有你未曾見過的原始自然景觀和原始的居民。亙古不變的自然景觀、古老的文化遺產和現代的生活方式在這里和諧共存。 雷克雅未克是冰島的首都。此地午夜的太陽和冰火交融的神奇景觀, 只是冰島體驗的 一部分。雷市大約有十一萬人口, 大都市文化和本地鄉村風格巧妙地融合在一起。

　　傳說是古代的眾神親自引導冰島的第一個居民到雷克雅未克來安家的。此人根據看到的地熱蒸汽, 將這個地方命名為雷克雅未克( 冒熱氣的海灣) 。現在全城的家居取暖和室外游泳均采用地熱供熱。由于這種能源無污染, 全島的空氣非常的清新、潔凈和透明。

　　一條美麗的河流穿過整個城區, 城市里遍布精致的公園。城郊還有騎馬和打高爾夫球的場所。和自然風光交相輝映的還有一系列的城市文化設施: 美術博物館、戲劇院、歌劇院和交響樂團, 可以滿足各種年齡和品位的需要。

　　游客們必定要做的事是到餐館去品嘗冰島的特色菜, 有當天早晨從海里捕撈上來的美 味海鮮, 高地羊羔肉和各種野味。冰島的純天然食物能滿足最挑剔的食客的口味。雷克雅未克也是歐洲夜生活最豐富的城市之一。這里的酒吧和夜總會氣氛融洽, 各種活動通宵達旦。晚上, 市中心的各種活動十分頻繁, 周五和周六達到高潮。市中心的酒吧、咖啡廳、迪斯 科和其他夜生活場所多得驚人。可選擇的去處有很多: 歐式的咖啡廳、有現場娛樂活動的夜總會、老年人舞廳、有大屏幕電視的體育主題酒吧、能品嘗到100 多種啤酒的咖啡廳、愛爾蘭酒吧、西班牙咖啡店、法國葡萄酒酒吧等等。

　　市中心地區可徒步觀賞, 而市郊值得一游的景點均有公共汽車到達, 十分方便快捷。冰島首都的大街很長, 風格隨意, 大型商場林立, 是購物的好去處, 而且游客購物免稅。要留神尋找紀念品( 尤其是羊毛織物和手工藝品) , 以及那些價格優惠的時尚消費品和品牌商品。

　　雷克雅未克有各種檔次的住宿場所: 從擁有良好的會議設施的國際標準大酒店, 到各 種小型賓館和舒適招待所應有盡有, 你還可以選擇到市內最大的公園露營。