Havana, capital of Cuba, was founded in 1515 by Diego Velasquez, although not in its present location. The Havana of today was re-found in 1519 in the present location of Old Havana. In 1553 the capital of Cuba was shifted from Santiago de Cuba to Havana. In 1553 the capital of Cuba was shifted from Santiago de Cuba to Havana due to the increase of its economic importance as the commercial center of the Caribbean area. Subsequent centuries saw Havana grow steadily in wealth, size, and prominence. It was luckily spared the bulk of the violence and fighting that occurred in Cuba's War of Independence, and later Revolutionary War.

Today Havana has a population of more than two million inhabitants, and is the political, economic and cultural heart of Cuba. It is also the largest city in the West Indies, and one of the great historical cities of the New World. Located in tropical zone, it is temperate in climate, and the view is delightful in all seasons, so Havana is known as "Jewel of the Caribbean".

In Havana, there is a Chinatown (Barrio Chino), once Latin America's largest and most vibrant Chinatown incorporated into the city by the early part of the 20th century when hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers were brought in by Spanish settlers from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan during the following decades to replace and /or work alongside African slaves. After completing 8-year contracts or otherwise obtaining their freedom, many Chinese immigrants settled permanently in Havana. The Chinatown and its neighborhood were booming with Chinese restaurants, laundries, banks,pharmacies, theaters and several Chinese-language newspapers.

古巴首都哈瓦那由迭戈.维拉斯贵支于1515年建立，但并不是处于它现在所在的位置。现在的哈瓦那是1519年在旧城上重建起来的。作为加勒比地区的商业中心，哈瓦那的经济地位显得越来越重要，因此，1553年，古巴首都从古巴圣地亚哥迁往哈瓦那。接下来的几个世纪里，其财富不断增加，规模不断扩大，地位不断上升。同时， 它也幸运地躲过了古巴因独立战争和革命战争所引发的大规模暴乱和战争。

如今，哈瓦那人口超过200万，是古巴的政治、经济和文化中心。同时也是西印度群岛最大的城市，新世界的历史名城之一。哈瓦那地处热带，气候温和，四季宜人，有“加勒比海的明珠”之称。

哈瓦那的中国城曾是拉美最大、最有活力的地区，在20世纪初并入这个城市。接下来的几十年里，西班牙殖民者从香港、澳门和台湾带来成百上千的中国工人，让他们取代或是和非洲黑奴一起工作。在结束8年的契约或以其他方式获得自由以后，这些中国移民者在哈瓦那永久定居下来。中国城的附近地区因这里的中国餐馆、洗衣店、银行、药店、剧院和许多中文报纸而发展繁荣起来。

prominence n. 显著，突出

revolutionary adj. 革命的

laundry n. 洗衣店

violence n. 暴力，暴行

vibrant adj. 充满活力的

pharmacy n. 药房

Benjamin 在哈瓦那中国城进行商业考察，抽空游览了哈瓦那并听说了许多关于哈瓦那的历史。在网上他和“古巴迷”Todd 聊到哈瓦那。

T = Todd 托 = 托德 B = Benjamin 本= 本杰明

T: How is your business going on with you?

B: The business goes smoothly. You know? I have had a trip to Havana recently.

T: Really? I hear that it is a city named as " Jewel of the Caribbean", isn't it?

B: Well, Havana is without a doubt one of the most original and authentic cities. It is the capital city of Cuba with a long history.

T: A long history?

B: Actually, the Havana of today was re-founded in 1519 in the present location of Old Havana. In 1553 Havana became the capital of Cuba instead of Santiago de Cuba. By 1607 , it had been declared the capital of colonial Cuba, and by the early 1700s it was the third largest city in the Spanish Empire. Havana has been largely frozen in time in the wake of the 1959 Revolution. Decades of economic crisis and shortages have left much of Havana's economy in severe decay and decomposition. After new construction, the city embraces visitors and captivates them with its natural splendor.

T: What an impressive history!

托：那边工作怎么样？

本：工作进展顺利。你知道吗？我近期去了哈瓦那。

托：真的吗？我听说它被誉为“加勒比海的明珠”，是这样吧？

本：不容置疑，哈瓦那是最原生态、最真实的城市之一。它是古巴的政治、经济和文化中 心，历史悠久。

托： 它有很长的历史？

本：事实上，当今的哈瓦那是于1519年在旧城上重建起来的。1553年取代圣地亚哥成为古巴首都。1607年哈瓦那成为古巴殖民地的首都。18世纪早期，它一直是西班牙帝国的第三大城市。在1959年革命后，哈瓦那的大部分地区陷入冻结状态。持续数十年的经济危机和物资缺乏导致哈瓦那经济严重衰退，分崩离析。重建后，今天的哈瓦那以它壮丽的自然风景吸引和欢迎着四方游客。

托： 真是令人印象深刻的历史！

smoothly adv. 流畅地

declare vt. 宣布

decomposition n. 分解

authentic adj. 可靠的

colonial adj. 殖民地的

embrace vt. 欢迎

假设你刚读过介绍哈瓦那的旅游册子，就有一位外国朋友想让你为他提供一些关于哈瓦那的信息。试着完成下面的对话。

1. 外国朋友：Before Havana, which city was the capital of Cuba?

你：______________________________________________

2. 外国朋友: When did Havana become the capital of Cuba?

你：______________________________________________

3. 外国朋友: How is the Chinatown there?

你：______________________________________________

1. Santiago.

2. In 1553.

3. The Chinatown there is very prosperous.

转载请注明 来自:英语早世界www.EnglishMorning.com

<<上一课 | 下载课程全文pdf | 下载课程录音mp3 | 下一课>>