The world's biggest passenger ship sets sail世上最大客船出航
　
　
◎The Queen Mary 2瑪莉皇后二號
　
　
1.
Big! Big! Big! The Queen Mary 2 looks more like a 1)floating building than a ship. Finished late last year, Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 is the largest, most 2)luxurious passenger 3)liner in the world. The ship, three times bigger than the Titanic, 4)completed its 5)maiden voyage from England to Florida in January. It is now 6)sailing 7)regularly across the Atlantic Ocean and around the Caribbean Sea.

大！大！大！與其說她是艘船，瑪莉皇后二號更像一棟漂浮水上的建築物。完工於去年底，庫納航運公司的瑪莉皇后二號是世界上最大最豪華的定期載客班輪。這艘比鐵達尼號大三倍的船，於一月完成從英國到佛羅里達的首航。這艘船目前定期往返航行於大西洋及加勒比海。

1) float (v.) 漂浮
2) luxurious (a.) 豪華的
3) liner (n.) 定期班輪
4) complete (v.) 完成
5) maiden voyage (n.) 首航，處女航
6) sail (v.) 航行
7) regularly (adv.) 規律地
　
　
2.
Everything about the Queen Mary 2 is huge. The ship stands 23 stories tall and is 30 meters longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall, making it over four city 1)blocks in length. It 2)weighs about 151,400 long tons, making it as heavy as 390 fully 3)loaded 747 4)jets. Its 5)whistle can be heard more than 15 kilometers away. Passengers can enjoy seven 6)restaurants, 14 7)bars and 8)clubs, a huge library, a 1000-seat theater, 9)pools, a disco, a 10)casino, and a 11)spa. No other ship can 12)compare, but no other ship ever cost as much, either. The Queen Mary 2 took US$800 million dollars to build.

瑪莉皇后二號的一切都很大。這艘船有二十三層樓高，長度比艾菲爾鐵塔的高度還多三十公尺，也就是比都市四個街區還長。重量大約十五萬一千四百英噸，也就是跟三百九十架滿載的七四七噴射客機一樣重。這艘船的汽笛聲在十五公里之外都聽得到。乘客可以享用七間餐廳、十四間酒吧及俱樂部、一間大型圖書館、一間一千個座位的劇院、幾座游泳池、一間舞廳、一間賭場、以及一間水療館。沒有一艘船能出其右，但也沒有一艘船造價那麼貴。建造瑪莉皇后二號花了八億美元。

1) block (n.) 街區
2) weigh (v.) 稱重量
3) load (v.) 裝載
4) jet (n.) 噴射機
5) whistle (n.) 汽笛，口哨
6) restaurant (n.) 餐廳
7) bar (n.) 酒吧
8) club (n.) 俱樂部，夜總會
9) pool (n.) 池子，游泳池
10) casino (n.) 賭場
11) spa (n.) 水療館
12) compare (v.) 比較，相比
　
　
3.
The Queen Mary 2 may not 1)reign as the world's largest for long. 2)Royal Caribbean, also based in Miami, recently 3)ordered a new 4)class of ship for 5)delivery in 2006 that is expected to be even bigger!

瑪莉皇后二號或許稱霸世界不了多久。亦位於邁阿密的皇家加勒比公司，最近訂了一艘新等級的船，於二○○六年交貨，預計會比瑪莉皇后二號更大！

1) reign (v.) 統治，稱霸
2) royal (a.) 皇家的
3) order (v.) 訂購
4) class (n.) 等級
5) delivery (n.) 交貨