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Module 1 Europe Great European Cities Paris Paris is the capital and largest city of France, situated on the River Seine. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and is visited by more than eight million tourists every year. The most popular place for tourists is the Eiffel Tower, the famous symbol of Paris. One of the world’s largest art galleries, the Louvre, is also located in Paris. The city is also famous for its restaurants, cafes and theatres. About two-thirds of France’s artists and writers live in Paris. Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city of Spain and is situated on the northeast coast, about five hundred kilometers east of the Spanish capital, Madrid. One of Barcelna’s most famous landmarks is the Church of the Sagrada Familia, which was designed by an architect called Antonio Gaudi. Gaudi worked on the project from 1882 until his death in 1926. The church hasn’t been finished yet! Florence Florence is an Italian city which became famous because of the Renaissance, a great artistic movement which began in the 1300s and lasted for three hundred years. During the Renaissance, some of the greatest painters of all time lived and worked in Florence. Many of Florence’s most beautiful paintings and sculptures were produced by great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Florence is visited each year by about a million tourists who come to see the art galleries, churches and museums. The Uffiziz Palace is the most famous art gallery in the city. Athens Athens, the capital of Greece, is known as the birthplace of western civilization. Two thousand four hundred years ago, it was the world’s most powerful city. Buildings such as the Parthenon on the Acropolis Hill were built during this period. Greece’s best writers lived in ancient Athens. Their work has influenced other writers ever since. CULTURAL CORNER The European Union What Is the European Union? The European Union is an organization of European countries. The countries are independent and are governed in different ways. In the United Kingdom, for example, the head of state is a king or queen. In France, on the other hand, the head of state is a president. But each of them sends representatives to the European Parliament, which has some control over what happens in each of the member countries. How Did It start? The idea of the European Union began in the 1950s. The first members were France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy. Little by little, the number increased during the second half of the twentieth century. By the year 2000, there were 15 member countries. The new countries were Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. How Many Countries Belong to It Now? In 2004, the European Union increased to 25 members. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia, plus the Mediterranean islands of Cyprus and Malta all became members. The expanded European Union has a population of more than half a billion people, twice as big as the population of the United States. Module 1 欧洲的大城市 巴黎 巴黎是法国的首都，也是法国最大的城市，坐落在塞纳河畔。它是世界上最美丽的城市之一，每年有八百多万游客前来参观。最受游客欢迎的旅游景点是埃菲尔铁塔，它是巴黎著名的象征。世界上最大的艺术博物馆之一——卢浮宫——也位于巴黎。这个城市也以餐馆、咖啡馆和剧院而闻名。法国约三分之二的艺术家和作家住在巴黎。 巴塞罗那 巴塞罗那是西班牙第二大城市，位于（西班牙的）东北海岸线上，距离首都马德里东部500公里处。巴塞罗那最有名的标志性建筑之一是圣家大教堂，由建筑家安东尼奥.高迪设计。高迪从1882年起从事这项工程直至1926年逝世。至今教堂还没完工。 佛罗伦萨 佛罗伦萨是一座因文艺复兴而闻名的意大利城市，这场艺术运动始于14世纪并且延续了300年。在文艺复兴时期，历史上一些最伟大的画家在佛罗伦萨生活和工作。佛罗伦萨许多最美的画作和雕像都出自于列奥纳多o达o芬奇和米开朗琪罗这样的艺术大师。佛罗伦萨每年大约有一百万旅游者来访，他们都是来参观艺术馆、教堂和博物馆的。其中乌菲齐美术馆最为著名。 雅典 雅典是希腊的首都，作为西方文明的发祥地而闻名于世。2，400年前，它是世界上最强大的城市。一些诸如雅典卫城山上的帕台农神庙那样的建筑都是在这段时期建造的。希腊最为著名的作家居住在古雅典。他们的作品影响了后世的作家。 |
