St. Mark’s Basilica stands at one end of St. Mark’s Square. Napoleon called the square the“finest drawing room in Europe.”Tourists have been going there for centuries to visit its celebrated caféand get a taste of the party atmosphere.

　　The best time to visit Venice is during the clear spring days of March and April. From June to August, the city is hot, sticky, and crowded with tourists. Autumn is quite pleasant, but winters are cold. Floods are common in November and December, presenting Venetians with one of their most difficult and ongoing problems.

　　It is well-known that Venice faces an uncertain future. The city is sinkingsintosthe sea, its historic buildings are falling to pieces, and the famous lagoon is badly polluted. Unless solutions are found soon for these complex problems, the“Queen of the Adriatic,”as Venice is sometimes called, will not be able to sit on her watery throne for very much longer.

　　圣马可大教堂耸立在圣马可广场的一端。拿破仑称此广场为“欧洲最美的客厅”。几个世纪来，游客们纷沓而至，领略此地著名的咖啡馆并感受欢乐的聚会气氛。

　　3月和4月晴朗的春日是拜访威尼斯最适合的时间。从6月到8月，这儿潮湿闷热，挤满了游客。秋天的气候宜人，冬天则寒冷。11月和12月常有水灾，给威尼斯人出了一个既最难解决、又拖延最久的问题。

　　众所周知威尼斯的前途未卜。这座城市正逐渐沉入海中，历史名建筑正破败消失，著名的泻湖已遭到严重污染。除非能尽快解决这些复杂的问题，否则这座被称为“亚得里亚海皇后”的威尼斯城，不用多久就难保它的水上宝座了。

　　活用词汇

　　1. St. Mark’s Square n.圣马可广场

　　2. drawing room n.客厅；休息室

　　3. Queen of the Adriatic n.亚得里亚海之皇后

　　Language Focus

　　Pattern A

　　St. Mark’s Basilica stands at one end of St. Mark’s Square.

　　句型：

　　(1) S + stand / sit / lie + in/at/on... +地点

　　(2) S + be situated + in/at/on... +地点be located

　　解析：表达“某(建)物坐落于…”可用上述两种句型。stand和sit这两个动词，通常用在直立的建筑物或物品，lie则用在平铺之物。注意：stand, sit, lie等动词要用主动用法；situate和locate须用被动语态。介词视其后所接名词决定。

　　例1：Beijing lies in the north of China.

　　北京位于中国的北方。

　　例2：The white church was located on a hill.

　　那座白色的教堂坐落在小山丘上。

　　Pattern B

　　Unless solutions are found soon for these complex problems, the“Queen of the Adriatic,”as Venice is sometimes called, will not be able to sit on her watery throne for very much longer.

　　句型：

　　(1) Unless + S + V ... , S + V...

　　(2) S + V ... unless + S + V ...

　　解析：1. unless引导表“条件”的副词从句，意思是“除非…否则”，注意不可与or连用。

　　2. unless相当于“only if ... not”或“on the condition that ...”强调“除了…外的唯一条件”。

　　通常不用假设语气。

　　例1：Unless Grant is a complete idiot, he’ll understand.除非格兰特是个完全的大白痴，不然他一定会明白。

　　例2：The kid will die unless the doctor operates immediately.除非医生马上动手术，不然那个孩子会马上死掉。