Neil: It's the prime meridian line.

Yang Li: It's the centre of world time and space.



Neil: It's the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. Hello and welcome to On the Town from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.



Yang Li: 大家好, 我是杨莉, 今天我们一起参观格林尼治天文台, 它既是英国的骄傲，也是世界上著名的景观。



Neil: Definitely. Visitors to the observatory can stand in both the eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously.



Yang Li: 游客可以跨在格林尼治子午线上Greenwich Meridian, 体会一下，一只脚在东半球 eastern Hemisphere，另一只脚在西半球的感觉 western hemisphere。



Neil: Eastern and western hemispheres simultaneously.



Yang Li: Simultaneously 同时的，同步的。今天接待我们的是天文台馆员，David Rooney。



Insert



Well the Royal Observatory has been here since 1675, it's a very old scientific institution. And it's known throughout the world as the home of time. In fact the prime meridian of the world which is the line from which all time is measured passes through our courtyard. So we are very much home of the Greenwich Meantime which is the basic time for the world.



Neil: With over 300 years' history, the observatory is definitely a very old scientific institution.



Yang Li: 科学机构 scientific institution，最为重要的是子午线就从这里通过, 子午线就是..



Neil: The prime meridian of the world. That's to say that all time is measured against the Greenwich meridian, and the basic time for the world is Greenwich meantime.



Yang Li: 格林尼治标准时间 the Greenwich Meantime。



Neil: David told us that some of the most important clocks and watches that have ever been made are here on display at the Royal Observatory.



Yang Li: 接着David 带着我们来到了钟表仪器馆：



Insert



We are standing at the heart of Royal Observatory, Greenwich, we are surrounded by clocks and watches and telescopes. It's a fantastic site that we are on and it's full of world history and it has been here since 1675.



Yang Li: 这里的钟表和望远镜绝对都是古董，价值连城，所以都在玻璃橱窗内展示，样样展品都收藏完好。



Insert



Yang Li: They are all in excellent condition, aren't they?



David: Yes, we look after these clocks. They need to be wound up once a day or once a week and it's quite a long job to get them all and we have about 200 on display.



Neil: There are 200 clocks on display.



Yang Li: On display 展出。200 个钟表，有的需要每天上弦once a day，有的需要每周上一次弦 once a week, 不过，这些古董都是英国制造的吗？



Insert



Yang Li: Are they all made in England or are they from different parts of the world?



David: We've got clocks from around the world. Many of them were made in this country but we've got clocks made from as far away as from Russia we have got American clocks, European clocks and some Chinese clocks.



Neil+Yang Li: Did you get it? These clocks are from around the world: Russia 俄国； America 美国；Europe 欧洲 and Chinese clocks 还有中国钟表。



Neil: You are listening to On the Town with BBC Learning English.



Yang Li: 格林尼治天文台不仅是最重要的观光景点，而且是联合国教科文组织保护的世界文化遗产。



Neil: David told us that the visitors' figure is nearly one million a year.



Insert



At the moment we are welcoming 850,000 visitors a year. Later on this year we are opening some new facilities and a New Astronomy centre and a big planetarium, and we expect our visitors figure to be over one million a year.



Neil+Yang Li: 天文台要开设两个新馆： a new astronomy centre 一个天文学中心 a big planetarium 一个大型的天文馆。听起来, 吸引人的地方太多了。



Neil: But there is one place you must never miss at the observatory:



Insert



It's very important everybody who visits stand on the prime meridian of the world, you have one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one foot in the western hemisphere, and you stand on the line from which all time is measured.



Neil: The one thing you must see and experience is standing on the prime meridian of the world.



Yang Li: 到访者一定要站到格林尼治子午线上, 体会一下，一只脚在



东半球, 另一只脚在西半球的感觉。Wow, Neil shall we go over there and have a picture taken?



Neil: Of course. But let's say goodbye to our listeners in China from London. I'm Neil.



Yang Li: 我是杨莉。下次城市掠影节目再会!
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