The Big Beauty of a Little Country
美式发音 适合泛听
阿尔卑斯山中的一个峡谷里，隐匿着一个美丽的小国家，它面积不大，人口不多，却有着自己独特的人文风情和美不胜收的风景……现在就跟小编一起踏上“列支敦士登之旅”吧，相信你也会爱上这个“小不点”国家的。
Further north lies another pint-sized country that’s 1)tucked away, not on a hill, but in the mighty Alps.
再往北坐落着另一个迷你小国，它不是藏在一座小山上，而是隐匿在雄壮的阿尔卑斯山间。
Two centuries ago there were dozens of independent states in German-speaking Europe. Today there are only four: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
两个世纪以前，欧洲有许多的独立国家都讲德语。可现在只剩四个：德国、奥地利、瑞士和列支敦士登。
Nestled between Switzerland and Austria, the Principality of Liechtenstein is defined by the mighty Alps to the east, the baby Rhine River to the west, and a stout fortress protecting the mouth of its valley to the south. This quirky remnant of medieval feudal politics is just about 62 square miles. It’s truly land-locked, without a seaport or even an airport.
坐落在瑞士和奥地利之间，列支敦士登公国东有阿尔卑斯山，西临莱茵河的一小部分，南边还有一座坚固的堡垒保护着列支敦士登所处峡谷的咽喉地带。这个中世纪封建制度遗留下来的诡异的小国，面积只有62平方英里。列支敦士登也是真正意义上的内陆国家，没有海港，甚至连个飞机场都没有。
Liechtensteiners, who number about 35,000, speak German, are mostly Catholic and have a stubborn independent 2)streak.
列支敦士登有三万五千人口，都说德语，大多数是天主教徒，有着相当顽固的独立主义思想。
Women weren’t given the vote until 1984.
直到1984年，女性才拥有选举权。
The country’s made up of 11 villages. The village of Triesenberg, high above the valley, gathers around its onion-domed church, which recalls the settlers who arrived here centuries ago from the western part of Switzerland.
整个国家由十一个村组成。特里森贝格村位于峡谷高处，村子的中心是一座洋葱形圆顶教堂，这让几世纪前来到这里的开拓者仿佛看到了瑞士西部的影子。
The town of Vaduz sits on the valley floor. While it has only 5,000 people, it’s the country’s capital. Its 3)pedestrianized main drag is lined with modern art and hotels bordering a district of 4)slick office parks.
瓦杜兹镇坐落在山谷的底部。虽然镇上只有5000人口，但这里是列支敦士登的首都。小镇主要的步行街两边陈列着现代艺术雕像，并分布着旅店，与窗明几净的商务办公区相邻。
Historically, Europe’s tiny countries have offered businesses special tax and accounting incentives. For a place with such a small population, Liechtenstein has a lot of businesses. Many European companies locate here to take advantage of its low taxes.
由于一些历史原因，欧洲的小国家们为企业提供税收和贸易结算的优惠政策。对于一个人口这么少的国家而言，列支敦士登的贸易往来已经很多了。很多欧洲公司总部都设在这儿，为的就是享受它的低税收政策。
And that’s how the Prince of Liechtenstein, whose castle is 5)perched above his 6)domain, likes it. The billionaire prince 7)wields more real political power in his 8)realm than any other European royalty.
这也是列支敦士登王子喜欢的方式，他的城堡高踞于他的领地上。这个已然是亿万富翁的王子在自己的王国挥洒着比其他欧洲贵族更多的政治实权。
The National Museum tells the story of the Prince and his country. Their family 9)crest dates to the Middle Ages, when the Liechtenstein family was close friends with the Hapsburg family, who ruled the 10)Holy Roman Empire. The Liechtenstein family purchased this piece of real estate from the Holy Roman Emperor. In 1719, the domain was granted principality status, answering only to the emperor. The Liechtenstein princes, who lived near Vienna, saw their new country merely as a status symbol and didn’t even bother to visit for decades. In fact, it wasn’t until the 20th century that the first Liechtenstein prince actually lived here.
国立博物馆讲述了王子和他的国家的故事。他们的家族徽章可以追溯到中世纪，当时列支敦士登家族与统治神圣罗马帝国的哈布斯堡家族是很亲密的朋友。列支敦士登家族从神圣罗马帝国皇帝手上买下了这块地产。1719年，这块领土被正式册封为公国，只受罗马皇帝管辖。而住在维也纳附近的列支敦士登的王子们，只不过把自己的新国家当成地位的象征，几十年都懒得去探访一次。实际上，直到20世纪，才有第一位列支敦士登王子真正居住在这里。
In 1806, during the Napoleonic age, Liechtenstein’s obligations to the Hapsburg emperor disappeared, and the country was granted true independence. Later, after World War I, tough times forced the principality to enter into an economic union with Switzerland.
1806年，在拿破仑统治期间，哈布斯堡王朝对于列支敦士登的统治结束了，而这个国家也获得了真正意义上的独立。再之后，经历了第一次世界大战，困难的境况迫使列支敦士登公国与瑞士形成了经济共同体。
To this day Liechtenstein enjoys a close working relationship with its Swiss neighbours, and, like Switzerland, a big part of its modern economy is tourism and sports, hosting visitors enjoying its dramatic natural beauty. 11)Ski lifts, busy both winter and summer, take nature-lovers to the dizzying 12)ridge that serves as the border with Austria. Even in little, little Liechtenstein the views are big and the hiking possibilities go on and on.
直到今天，列支敦士登还是和自己那些瑞士邻居们有着亲密友好的合作关系。和瑞士一样，旅游和各种运动是列支敦士登的一大部分现代经济来源，它们能让游客们沉浸在美丽的大自然风景中。空中缆车在冬夏都很流行，可以把大自然爱好者带到那些令人晕眩的的山脊上，那里正好是与奥地利的交界处。就算是在很小很小的列支敦士登，风景一样很壮观，而去徒步旅行可供选择的地方也越来越多。
