A state-of-the-art financial marketplace a metropolis of exquisite politeness, a city that is monstrously large yet has astonishing beauty in its details. These are a few of the myriad ways to describe Tokyo, and all contain more than a grain of truth.

Of all major cities in the world, Tokyo, with its ultramodern speed and its smattering of old Japanese haunts, is perhaps the hardest to understand, to feel comfortable in, and to see in any single perspective. To begin with, consider the sheer, outrageous size of it. Tokyo incorporates 23 wards, 26 smaller cities, 7 towns, and 8 villages altogether sprawling 88 kilometers (55 miles) from east to west and 24 kilometers(15 miles) from north to south. The wards alone enclose an area of 590 square kilometers (228 square miles), which in turn house some 11.9 million people. More than 3 million of these residents pass through Shinjuku Eki, one of the major bubs in the transportation network, every day.

Maybe Tokyo is the world's most perplexing city. On the one hand, it's gaudily hung about with eyeball-searing neon and messy overhead cables, plagued by seemingly incessant noise, often clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic and packed with twelve million people squashing into minute apartments. Yet behind the barely ordered chaos lie remnants of a very different way of life. Step back from the frenetic main roads, you'll find yourself in a world of tranquil backstreets, where wooden houses are fronted by neatly clipped bonsai trees. Wander beyond the high-tech department stores, and you'll find ancient temples and shrines. And, at the centre of the city, is the mysterious Imperial Palace -- home to the emperor and a tangible link to the past.

About 80 km west of Tokyo, there is Mount Fuji, Japan's tallest peak, and it is a symbol of the Japanese nation, crowned as the "sacred mountain".

一个高度发达的金融市场，一个高雅的礼仪之邦，一个规模庞大但细微之处又尽显惊人之美的城市——人们对东京有多种描述，而且各有各的道理。

东京，即具有超现代的发展速度，又是少数老年日本人的流连之所，也许是世界大都市中最让人琢磨不透、最不容易给人舒适感和最难以从单一角度审视的城市。首先就是它令人震惊的规模：东京下辖23个区、26个小城市、7个镇、8个村，东西长88公里（55英里），南北宽24公里（15英里）仅城区就占地590平方公里（288平方英里），居住人口有1190万。每天至少有300万人要经过东京交通网络的主要枢纽之一——新宿地铁站。

东京也许是世界上最令人迷惑的城市。一方面，到处是绚丽灼眼的霓虹灯和杂乱的架空电缆，噪声的困扰似乎永不间断，还经常发生交通阻塞，1200万人拥挤在狭小的公寓里。然而，在这几乎毫无秩序的混乱背后，却残余着另一种截然不同的生活方式。从热闹的街道走出后，你会置身于宁静的小巷中，在木屋前摆放着修剪整齐的盆景，漫步走过那些高科技的商店，你会看到古老的庙宇和神殿。城市的中心是神秘的皇宫——天皇的住所，也是对历史的一个实实在在的鉴证。

东京往西约80公里是富士山，日本的最高峰，它是日本民族的象征，被日本人誉为“圣岳”。

metropolis n. 大都市，首府

ultramodern adj. 超现代化的

perplexing adj. 使人困惑的

frenetic adj. 发狂的，狂热的

myriad adj. 无数的，数不清的

perspective n. 看法

incessant adj. 不断的，不绝的

Jane 决定在假期去东京旅游，为了让旅程更充实，她向曾经去过那儿的朋友Shirley询问东京有哪些好玩的地方。

J = Jane 简 = 简 S = Shirley 雪 = 雪莉

J: Shirley, I decide to go to Tokyo during the following vacation. Could you introduce some fascinating places to me?

S: You have made a good choice. Tokyo is the right place for young people. When in Tokyo, be sure to check out Harajuku during the day. Many fashionable young people go there to shop, to be seen, or to just hang out. In the evening, you can walk over to Shibuya, another district popular with young people. Shibuya is so full of bright lights and huge TV screens that it is almost as bright at night as it is at noon.

J: But is it a noisy city?

S: It's hard to say. Tokyo is both noisy and quiet, with frenetic roads and tranquil backstreets.

J: I'm a little confused, but I'll find out by myself.

S: Oh, don't forget the Mount Fuji, not far away from Tokyo. It's the symbol of the Japanese nation.

J: Thank you very much. I'll go to all these places.

简：雪莉，我决定下次假期去东京游玩一趟，你能给我介绍几个好玩的地方吗？

雪：真是个不错的主意，东京正是年轻人去的地方。在东京，白天一定得去原宿瞧瞧。许多时髦的年轻人都去那儿购物、招摇或只是闲逛。晚上，则要到涩谷走走，那是另一个年轻人喜爱的地方。涩谷的夜晚灯火通明，巨型电视屏幕随处可见，和正午一样明亮。

简：东京是一个很喧闹的城市吗？

雪：很难说。它既吵闹又宁静，有喧哗的大街，也有宁静的小巷。

简：我有点儿迷糊了，不过我会自己去弄清楚的。

雪：对了，不要忘了去富士山，离东京不远。它是日本民族的象征。

简：太感谢了。这些地方我都会去的。

vacation n. 假期

fashionable adj. 时髦的

tranquil adj. 宁静的

fascinating adj. 迷人的

district n. 地区

confused adj. 迷惑的

假如你在朋友的聚会上遇到了一位外国朋友，他听说你前几天去了东京，对你的旅途很好奇。试着完成下面的对话。

1. 外国朋友：Where do young people like going in Tokyo?

你：__________________________________________________

2. 外国朋友：What kind of city is Tokyo?

你：__________________________________________________

3. 外国朋友：Which place we must go when we're in Japan?

你：__________________________________________________

1. Harajuku and Shibuya are the very places for young people.

2. Tokyo is both noisy and quiet, with frenetic roads and tranquil backstreets.

3. I think it is Mount Fuji, because it is the symbol of the Japanese nation.

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