Dining And Entertaining In Las Vegas

　　Haven't been to Las Vegas yet? You're in a crowd that's getting smaller all the time. Last year, 800 , 000 Asians made the pilgrimage to the neon Mecca in the Nevada desert. Led by the Japanese, Asian travelers make up Vegas's largest overseas market. JAL now runs five non-stop flights weekly from Tokyo. While there's no direct service from other Asian cities, remember that Vegas is less than an hour's flight from Los Angeles.

　　What makes Vegas such a draw for people from this part of the world ? Perhaps residents of Asia's sprawling mega-cities1 appreciate its compactness: Vegas lets you combine gambling, flashy culture and theme park in one heck of a holiday. And then there are those otherworldly2 hotels, the buildings that look as if they've been transported to Vegas in a time machine. The latest in this long, gaudy3 line is 760 million in Paris, which includes a 50-story reproduction of the Eiffel Tower, a two-thirds scale replica of the Arc de Trimophe and cobble-stoned streets lined with fancy boutiques. The only things missing from the full Paris experience are surly waiters and overflowing gutters. Another new resort, Mandalay Bay, is built in the shape of upright bars of gold bullion and attempt to conjure up4 a semi-imaginary locale that is part Bali.

　　Aside from the arresting architecture , what makes these hotels interesting is their afford -ability."High season"here is every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so the best time to get a good price on a posh5 room is mid-week. At the deluxe Four Seasons, the only property in town without a casino, low-tide rates start at a modest 195 for a standard room, and Bellagio can house you for as little as 139 . At peak time, those prices can double.

　　What can you do in Vegas besides gamble? Plenty. In less than four hours you can be whisked from your hotel to he Grand Canyon via helicopter and enjoy a champagne picnic down on the canyon floor. Then there 's world class shopping: Vegas retailer rival anything offered by their counterparts on ritzy Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive .

　　练习题：

　　Ⅰ. Finish the sentences with words and phrases in the notes:

　　1. The very name of Siberia images of exile and bitter hardship.

　　2. She a delicious meal out of a few unpromising ingredients.

　　3. They live in part of the town.

　　4. Peacock has plumage.

　　Ⅱ. Questions:

　　1. According to the passage, why are Asian people so drawn to Vegas?

　　2. When is the best time to get a good price for a posh room?

　　答案：

　　Ⅰ. 1. conjures up 2 . conjured 3 . posh 4. gaudy

　　Ⅱ. 1. Because of the compactness of Vegas.

　　2. In the mid-week.

　　参考译文：

　　吃喝玩乐好去处——拉斯韦加斯

　　还没去拉斯韦加斯吗? 现在没去过拉斯韦加斯的人可是越来越少了。去年, 80万亚洲人到这个内华达洲沙漠中的霓虹麦加去朝圣。以日本为首的亚洲游客是拉斯韦加斯最大的海外市场。日本航空现在每周有五趟从东京出发的直达航班。虽然其他的亚洲城市没有直达的航班, 但是别忘了, 从洛杉矶到这里的航程不到一小时。

　　为什么拉斯韦加斯对亚洲人有这么大的吸引力? 大概住惯了布局散乱的大都市的亚洲人喜欢它的紧凑: 拉斯韦加斯可以让你把赌博、光鲜的文化和主题公园的游乐融合在一次疯狂的旅行中。还有那些光怪陆离的大饭店好像是用时光机器运输到拉斯韦加斯的。

　　这一系列花哨建筑的最新成员是造价7 .6 亿美元的巴黎大饭店。它包含了一座50 层楼高的仿埃菲尔铁塔、原规模三分之二的仿凯旋门、一排排小饰品店, 以及由大卵石铺成的条条街道。唯一不同于纯粹巴黎风格的是: 这里没有无礼的侍者和漫水的排水沟。另外一个新的度假饭店曼德雷湾, 外形像一根根直立的金条, 让人联想起巴厘岛某个亦真亦幻的地方。

　　除了引人注目的建筑风格之外, 这些饭店的价格也很让人动心。此处的“ 旺季”是周四、周五、周六, 因此一周的中期才能定到价格便宜的豪华房间。豪华的四季饭店是全城唯一没有赌场的饭店, 淡季标房单价可低至195 美元, 而比拉吉欧饭店则可低至139 美元。在旺季, 以上价格有时会上涨一倍。

　　在拉斯韦加斯, 除赌博外你还能做些什么? 多得很。乘直升机不到四个小时你就能到达大峡谷, 可以在谷底享受香槟野餐。这里还有世界级的购物环境: 拉斯韦加斯的零售店无论在哪方面都不亚于第五大道和罗帝欧路。