Visiting Branson 游在布蘭森

肖雅琪

Attracting visitors for more than five decades， Branson is often described as a “family-friendly Las Vegas” for its abundance1 of kid-approved attractions. This southwest Missouri city， which is nestled in the foothills2 of the Ozark Mountains， was named after Reuben Branson， the postmaster and the proprietor of the areas general store in the late 19th century.

布蘭森因為具有許多兒童認可的景點常被人們稱為“深受家庭喜愛的拉斯維加斯”，五十多年來一直吸引著大量游客。這座城市位于密蘇里州西南部，坐落在奧沙克山脈的丘陵地帶，因19世紀(jì)后期的郵政局長兼當(dāng)?shù)刎撠?zé)人魯本·布蘭森而得名。

More than a century later， Branson keeps some of its old-timey charm， especially in its Silver Dollar City amusement park was modeled after a mining town in the 1880s. Even the Branson Strip glows with neon lights and is lined with dozens of theaters. The performing shows that range from country western family acts to comedy routines， possesses3 a yesteryear ambiance4. Thats not to say that Branson is a sleepy Midwestern city—amusement parks， shopping centers， museums and natural attractions like Table Rock Lake pepper5 the area. Visitors have more than enough things to do to fill a weeklong vacation. In fact， many of Bransons visitors find themselves coming back year after year.

一個多世紀(jì)后，布蘭森保留了它的一些舊時魅力，尤其出名的是以19世紀(jì)80年代的礦業(yè)小鎮(zhèn)為原形打造的“銀幣城”游樂園。 在布蘭森大道上，霓虹燈閃爍的同時，有幾十家影院上映著各式各樣的表演，從西部鄉(xiāng)村家庭到喜劇。這些場景使布蘭森有著濃厚的時代感。但并不是說布蘭森是一個死氣沉沉的中西部城市，相反，建有游樂園、購物中心、博物館以及像桌巖湖這樣的自然景點。游客在為期一周的休假中有足夠多的選擇。事實上，許多游客年年都會到布蘭森游覽。

Bransons top to-dos could best be described as family-friendly with a country western bent. Theres Silver Dollar City， which attracts kids with its thrilling6 rides and keeps parents happy with its “good， clean fun” atmosphere7. There are also many educational opportunities， from the history of the “unsinkable” ship at the Titanic Museum to animal and environmental science lessons at the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery. Whats more， Table Rock Lake affords a picturesque8 place for swimming and boating， while many performance places like the Sight & Sound Theatres will entertain the whole family with singing， dancing and music.

布蘭森的最佳行程表很受西部家庭的喜愛。那里有銀幣城，里面刺激的過山車吸引著孩子們的光臨，良好有趣的氛圍讓家長感到身心愉悅。從泰坦尼克博物館“永不沉沒”的船的歷史，到牧羊人山魚孵化場里的動物與環(huán)境科學(xué)課程，布蘭森也具有許多寓教于樂的機會。更重要的是，桌巖湖還提供了一個風(fēng)景如畫的游泳和劃船地方，同時許多像“視覺和聲音”劇院這樣的表演場所能給全家人帶來歌、舞、音樂的體驗。

Notes：

1. abundance n. 充裕，豐富

2. foothill n. 山麓小丘；丘陵地帶

3. possess vt. 控制；使掌握；持有；迷住；擁有，具備

4. ambiance n. 氣氛；周圍環(huán)境（等于ambience）

5. pepper vt. 加胡椒粉于；使布滿

6. thrilling adj. 毛骨悚然的；令人興奮的；顫動的

7. atmosphere n. 氣氛；大氣；空氣

8. picturesque adj. 獨特的；生動的；別致的；圖畫般的