旅遊英文明信片——日本東京新宿

Dear Nelly,

I wasn’t prepared at all for Tokyo. It’s crowded, colorful, and very noisy. It’s actually quite overwhelming.

It’s much different from the West, and I am experiencing quite a bit of culture shock. Still, I’ve been enjoying being here as this is my first time in the East. I’ve decided to throw myself in the middle of it all and have been spending a lot of time in Shinjuku, which is the central part of Tokyo. It’s the most chaotic part of the city, and I’ve been having a great time just wandering around and letting it all soak in!

Talk to you soon,

Jay

親愛的妮莉：

對於東京這個都市，我一點都還沒準備。這裡很擁擠，很多采多姿，也很吵雜，衝擊真的蠻大的。

東京和西方很不一樣，我感受到相當程度的文化衝擊。但我還是玩得很開心，這是我第一次來東方，我決定要好好享受其中，花時間逛逛東京的中心地帶──新宿。它是這裡最忙碌的地方，我在這附近逛得很愉快，完全沉浸在裡面呢！

再和你聊！

杰

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Dear Jay,

Tokyo does seem a bit crazy! It sounds like you’re having lots of fun, so a bit of chaos is better than being bored on your trip.

I’ve just made it to Venice, and it’s unbelievable! Instead of driving cars on the streets, people drive boats on the canals! I’ve been spending a lot of time on these boats and marveling at how beautiful this city is. The architecture is breathtaking and interesting because it’s so old. I took a tour of Marco Polo’s house yesterday, which is awesome!

Ok, I’ve got to run. Good luck in getting used to being in Asia!

Nelly

親愛的杰：

東京似乎有點瘋狂喔！聽起來你玩得很瘋喔，所以啊，旅行中有點混亂總比無聊來得好。

我剛抵達威尼斯，真是不敢相信！這裡的人不是在陸地上開車，而是在運河中划船呢！很多時間我都在划船，讚嘆這個城市怎麼那麼美呀。這裡的建築歷史悠久，很令人驚奇，也很有趣。我昨天去「馬可波羅之家」參觀，那裡真是令人驚艷！

好，我要走了。亞洲之旅順利！

妮莉

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Reading Passage



Shinjuku is Tokyo’s business, shopping, and entertainment district. Two million people pass through its subway station every day which gives an indication of how popular and crowded it is. The area is divided into Shinjuku West, which is the business area, and Shinjuku East which is the entertainment and shopping area.

新宿是東京的商務、購物和娛樂的地區。每天有兩百萬人通過這裡的地鐵站，顯示這個地方有多麼受歡迎，多麼擁擠。這個地區被劃分為新宿西區和東區，西區是商務中心，東區是娛樂和購物地區。

Shinjuku West is best visited during the day when one can truly feel the working life of the people. The Japanese value work very highly and don’t consider a 15-hour workday unusual. Walking amidst the skyscrapers of Shinjuku West and seeing businesspeople making deals on their ubiquitous cell phones is a great way to see professional Tokyo in action. Don’t forget to visit the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. an observatory on the 45th floor where there are breathtaking views of Tokyo. On a clear day, you can even see Mount Fuji!

新宿西區最好在白天時參觀，可以真正體驗到他們的上班生活。日本人很重視工作，即使一天工作15個小時也不稀奇。走在新宿西區的摩天大樓間，到處都能看到商務人士用手機談生意，那是觀察東京運作很棒的方式。不要忘記參觀東京的大都會政府大樓，那裡的45樓有一個瞭望台，有東京令人驚艷的美景。在晴朗的日子，甚至還能看到富士山！

bright lights, music, and crowds, it is an assault on the senses. Every storefront is adorned with multicolored flashing lights that make you feel like you’re in an amusement park. Shinjuku Dori Avenue and Yasukuni Dori Avenue are the main shopping streets and everything from cheap souvenirs to expensive technological gadgets　which Japan is famous for　can be bought here. Cinemas, nightclubs, and venues that offer traditional Japanese singing and dancing make this the entertainment heart of the city. There are also street performers putting on shows of music and drama, and if you like what you see, you can drop some yen into their donation box.

假如你是晚上在新宿，最好去新宿東區，那裡有明亮的燈光、音樂和人群，是一種感官刺激。每個店面都裝飾著多采多姿閃爍的燈光，讓你覺得像在遊樂園裡面。晴海街和靖國街是購物的主要街道，從便宜的紀念品到日本有名的昂貴科技機件，都可以在這裡買到。電影院、夜總會和表演傳統日本歌唱舞蹈的場所，讓這個城市成為娛樂中心。還有街頭藝人表演音樂和戲劇，假如你喜歡他們的表演，可以投一些錢幣在他們的捐獻箱裡。

Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world and has many things to offer to visitors. To really feel its pulse, however, there is no other place to go in Tokyo but Shinjuku.

東京是世界上最大的城市之一，有很多事物可讓觀光客觀賞，但如果要真正感受城市的脈動，就沒有其他選擇，一定要去東京的新宿。

－－摘自 寂天文化《寄英文明信片給你（亞洲篇）》@

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