Canberra Overview
堪培拉--花园都市
有人说，堪培拉是座城市，倒不如说它是一个乡村；也有人说，堪培拉是一个田园都市；还有人说它是大洋洲的花园。
初到堪培拉的人，会用“一城山色半城湖”来形容它的景色。阿尔卑斯山脉的余脉从西北两面环绕着它。东、南两面面对一大片布满茂密森林的大牧场，莫伦格鲁河穿城而过，在城中形成长约8公里的格里芬湖，湖水清澈辽阔，清风徐来，碧波荡漾。
湖心岛建有一座存放53只大钟的钟楼，定时奏出悦耳的钟声。更夺人眼目的是高达137米的“库克船长纪念喷泉”。这是为纪念1770年4月，乘“努力号”帆船，率队在澳大利亚登陆的詹姆斯·库克船长建立的。站在全城任何地方，都能望见高大的白玉水柱直喷青天，水珠如烟似雾，极富诗情画意。
在堪培拉，大街上除了奔跑的汽车以外很少有行人。堪培拉人的生活如同这座城市一样，祥和、宁静，整个城市的生活节奏明显比悉尼、墨尔本等大都市慢一些。每逢周末，人们要么举家开汽车去几十公里以外的海边渡假，要么就呆在家里干些家务、修整花园、清洗汽车。这里的夜生活要比其他城市单调些。
堪培拉赌场是国内游客和外国游人光顾的地方。这座城市的绿化很特别，一般城市大多是把树种成一行行、一排排，而在这里却是一片片、一群群地种树。不论是公共建筑还是私人住宅，无不掩映在茂密的树木、绿绒般的草坪和四季常开的花丛之中。整个市内随处可见大大小小的绿色公园。
在城郊到处是一望无际的绿色牧草，像海洋中的波峰波谷，忽高忽低，成群的牛羊徜徉其间，极像富有诗情画意的田园风光。堪培拉另一特点是，在这里几乎见不到任何围墙，当然这不包括联邦总理府那道乳白色的围墙。
市政府有规定，不得在机关、住宅、公共场所建立围墙。于是人们便用树木、花草取而代之，每个家庭都有自己的花园。堪培拉人最喜欢的观赏花卉当属金合欢，许多家庭的花园里都有金合欢，当春天来临时，金黄色的花朵绚丽夺目。当地人也叫金合欢为篱笆树，人们大多用这种灌木作为庭院的围墙。
在万树丛中点缀着一幢幢造型各异的居民住宅是堪培拉市的又一特色，这里的住宅基本上是单层和双层的别墅，这些房屋的设计新颖别致，每幢住宅都有自己的特色，绝少雷同。难怪有人称这里是一个“大型露天住宅博物馆”。
堪培拉是独特的文化熔炉。最佳的澳洲土着、英式、欧式、亚洲的文化特征在这里都能寻找到。堪培拉的建筑别具一格，不同于其他现代化都市，多于小型的精巧建筑为主，但这并不是说在堪培拉就看不到摩天大楼，而是它们几乎全集中在格里芬湖（LAKE BURLEY GRIFFIN）周围。
堪培拉夏季平均气温21℃，冬季平均气温6℃，最适于优质牧草的生长，世界上的各种色彩美丽的树木都能在这里生长。该市人均绿地面积达70.5平方米，仅次于华沙居世界第二位。因此，空气新鲜，绿荫蔽空，绝少尘埃。
堪培拉设有不少同类型的植物园，除澳大利亚本土上的植物外，还引种了许多世界各地的树木花草，如中国的银杏和水杉，鲜红的杜鹃、幽香的蔷薇、瑰丽的天竺葵等，在园内茁壮成长，破绽怒放，清香宜人，加之澳大利亚珍贵的黑天鹅、白鹭，悠闲地在水边啄食，照影，鸭嘴兽恬静地在堤岸草地上酣睡，澳洲鹦鹉扑闪着美丽的翅膀，在这些珍禽异兽最引人眼目的是袋鼠，数目之多，令人数不胜数。它已成为澳大利亚的象征，在澳大利亚的国徽上就画有一只大袋鼠。
在堪培拉，如果你应邀去做客，热情好客的主人往往把刻有袋鼠图案的纪念章赠送给你。如果你不断地为好奇心所鼓动，你完全可以选择一只驯良的大袋鼠，让它跟你一起来合个影，作为永久的纪念，这将为你的旅游平添许多浪漫情调。其实，无论您在堪培拉哪一处，您都不会远离澳洲的大自然，事实上，堪培拉周围大部分地方都是国家公园的范围。
诺马治国家公园（Namadgl National Park）和狄宾布拉自然保护区（Tid Binbilla Bature Keserve）提供导游旅程，你可以在自然的环境中边乘车兜风边观赏野生动物。堪培拉真不愧是座“花园之城”。
CanberraCanberra n.堪培拉(澳大利亚首都) was born after the Commonwealthcommonwealth n.国民整体， 共和国， 联邦 of Australia was created in 1901. Melbourne and Sydney， even then jockeying for preeminence， each put in their bid to become the federal capital. In the end， Australian leaders decided to follow the example of their U.S. counterparts by creating a federal district； in 1908 they chose an undeveloped area between the two cities and Canberra was on the drawing boarddrawing board n.制图板.
Designing the new capital fell to Chicago landscape architect Walter Burley Griffin， a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright. The city he mapped out was christened Canberra (a local Aboriginal word meaning “meeting place”)， and by 1927， the first meeting of parliament took place. The business of government was underway.
The Australian capital， is a relaxed modern city famous for its national monumentsmonument n.纪念碑， museums and art galleries， as well as parklands and open spaces. A pleasant place to walk and cycle around， Canberra also offers fabulous restaurants and nearby wineries. Popular activities include boating around Lake Burley Griffin， golf and ballooning.
Surrounding Canberra is the giant Namadgi National Park， known for its great hiking trails and kangaroos and a favourite weekend getaway for the city，s inhabitants.
To say that the city was neat and orderly is an understatement. Each street， tree position， water way， buildings etc were nearly all preplanned and it，s a city designers dream. Everything is orderly and well maintained， making it appear like a tidy garden or well designed park within a city or visa versa. The streets aren，t clogged with traffic， and there are plenty of opportunities for safe biking， all in all， it，s a very pleasant place to visit indeed and the superbsuperb adj.庄重的， 堂堂的， 华丽的， 极好的 hotels will accommodateaccommodate vt.供应， 供给， 使适应， 调节， 和解， 向……提供， 容纳， 调和 vi.适应 you in a style that is both internationally acceptable and comfortable.
Canberra is often described by Australians who haven，t been there as a boring town， full of politicians， bureaucratsbureaucrat n.官僚主义者 - and not much else. But those who go there find a picturesque spot with beautiful galleries and museums， as well as excellent restaurants， bars and cafes.
One of only two capital cities in the world that have been built to a premeditated design， Canberra is rather eerily symmetricalsymmetrical adj.对称的， 均匀的. Placed about its nice， planned combinations of straight and curving streets are the old and new Parliament Houses， the National Gallery， and the National Museum.
The most important functions of the national capital are associated with government. Australia now has a strikingstriking adj.打击的， 显着的， 惊人的， 罢工的 new Parliament House， undoubtedly one of the world，s most impressive buildings.
It was opened by the Queen in May 1988 and superseded the temporary House (opened in 1927) which was simply too small to comfortably accommodate the Members， Senators and their staffs along with the press corps and administrativeadministrative adj.管理的， 行政的 personnel.
The design for the new building by American firm Mitchell Giurgola in partnership with Australianborn architect Richard Thorp was selected in 1980 from 329 entrants in a worldwide competition.
Situated on Capital Hill， Canberra，s focal point， the new building has been designed not to impose over the landscape but to merge into the profile of the hill itself.
The circular form of Capital Hill is suggested in two planes - along the majesticmajestic adj.宏伟的，庄严的 curved walls and over the gentle rise of the central roof， which is covered in lawn， recalling the original hilltop.
The flag mast is the pinnacle of the building， standing 81 metres above the roof and flies a huge Australian flag， about the size of a doubledecker bus.
Government offices are dotted around the lake， in the city， Belconnen， Woden and Tuggeranong.
The Chief Justice and six other Justices dispense the law within the eyecatching High Court building.
More than sixty countries have established diplomatic missions in Canberra. Most are within close range of the parliamentary triangle in choice residential areas. Many of these chancelleries and residences are constructed in the architecture of their homeland and are a distinctivedistinctive adj.与众不同的， 有特色的 feature of Canberra.