Lesson 8.
第八课。
A famous monastery.
一座著名的修道院。
Listen to the tape, then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What are the St. Bernard dogs used for?
圣伯纳犬是用来做什么的？
The Great St. Bernard Pass connects Switzerland to Italy.
圣伯纳德大山口连接瑞士和意大利。
At 2,473 meters, it is the highest mountain pass in Europe.
海拔2473米，是欧洲最高的山口。
The famous monastery of St. Bernard, which was founded in the 11th century, lies about
建于11世纪的著名的圣伯纳修道院
a mile away.
一英里远。
For hundreds of years, St. Bernard dogs have saved the lives of travelers crossing the
数百年来，圣伯纳犬拯救了穿越边境的旅行者的生命
dangerous pass.
危险传球。
These friendly dogs, which were first brought from Asia, were used as watchdogs even in
这些友好的狗最初是从亚洲带来的，甚至在
Roman times.
罗马时代。
Now that a tunnel has been built through the mountains, the pass is less dangerous.
现在一条隧道已经穿过山脉，这个山口就不那么危险了。
But each year, the dogs are still sent out into the snow whenever a traveler is in difficulty.
但是每年，每当旅行者遇到困难时，狗仍然被送到雪地里。
Despite the new tunnel, there are still a few people who rashly attempt to cross the
尽管有新的隧道，仍然有一些人轻率地试图穿过
pass on foot.
步行通过。
During the summer months, the monastery is very busy, for it is visited by thousands As there are so many people about, the dogs have to be kept in a special enclosure.
在夏季的几个月里，修道院非常繁忙，因为有成千上万的人参观，因为周围有这么多人，狗不得不被关在一个特殊的围栏里。
In winter, however, life at the monastery is quite different.
然而，在冬天，修道院的生活却大不相同。
The temperature drops to minus 30 degrees, and very few people attempt to cross the pass.
气温下降到零下30度，很少有人试图穿过山口。
The monks prefer winter to summer, for they have more privacy.
和尚们更喜欢冬天而不是夏天，因为他们有更多的隐私。
The dogs have greater freedom too, for they are allowed to wander outside their enclosure.
狗也有更大的自由，因为它们可以在围栏外面游荡。
The only regular visitors to the monastery in winter are parties of skiers who go there at Christmas and Easter.
冬天修道院唯一的常客是圣诞节和复活节去那里的滑雪者。
These young people, who love the peace of the mountains, always receive a warm welcome at St. Bernard's Monastery.
这些热爱山间宁静的年轻人，在圣伯纳修道院总是受到热烈的欢迎。