法国巴黎是世界文明的艺术之都，它不仅以秀丽的风景吸引着来自世界各地的人，更以其光彩夺目的艺术明珠另人心往神迷。这颗明珠就是Louvre，卢浮宫-举世瞩目的艺术宝库……
Louvre, national art museum of France and the palace in which it is housed, is located in Paris, on the Right Bank of the Seine River. The structure, until 1682 a residence of the kings of France, is one of the largest palaces in the world. It occupies the site of a 13th-century fortress. The building of the Louvre was begun in 1546 in the reign of Francis I, according to the plans of the French architect Pierre Lescot. Additions were made to the structure during the reigns of almost every subsequent French monarch.
* fortress：“堡垒”、“阵地”等意思。卢浮宫建造于13世纪的一个堡垒的旧址之上。 * reign：“统治时期”。卢浮宫是于1546年弗郎西斯一世在位时开始修建的。
* subsequent：“随后的”、“后来的”等意思。
* monarch：“君主”、“帝王”。据法国建筑师Pierre Lescot的修建计划所载，Francis I以后的每一位法国君主都对卢浮宫进行了增建。
Under Henry IV, in the early 17th century, the Grand Galerrie, now the main picture gallery, which borders the Seine, was completed. Under Napoleon III a wing on the north side was finished. By the mid-19th century the vast complex was completed; covering more than 48 acres, it is a masterpiece of architectural design and sculptural adornment.
* Grand Galerrie：卢浮宫著名的大画廊。
* wing：本义是“翅膀”，这里指“建筑物的侧翼”。
* complex：“错综的”、“复杂的”等意思。这里是名词用法，表示“结构复杂的建筑物”。
* adornment：“装饰”、“装饰物”的意思。卢浮宫结构复杂，占地面积广，经过几个世纪才修建完毕。因而，它既是建筑设计领域的杰出作品，又是雕刻装饰领域的大手笔。
The nucleus of the Louvre collections is the group of Italian Renaissance paintings among them several by Leonardo da Vinci owned by Francis I, a collector and patron of note. The holdings were significantly enriched by acquisitions made for the monarchy by Cardinal Richelieu and by Cardinal Mazarin, who was instrumental in purchasing works that had belonged to Charles I of England.
* nucleus：nucleus有很多意思，我们熟知的是表示“原子核”、“细胞核”等。本文里，nucleus则是“核心”、“中心”的意思。Italian Renaissance（意大利文艺复兴）时的绘画是整个卢浮宫藏品的核心部分。
* patron of note：patron是“赞助人”的意思，note在这里表示“钞票”。Patron of note就是“资金赞助者”了。
* acquisition：是“获得物”的意思。许多本来供奉君王的艺术品大大丰富了卢浮宫的收藏。
* instrumental：instrument除了表示“乐器外”，还表示“傀儡”、“受利用的工具”的意思。本文的instrumental就是“有帮助”、“有作用”的意思。
Napoleon deposited in the Louvre the paintings and works of art seized during his European conquests; after his downfall, however, many of these works were restored to their original owners. Since that time increasing numbers of gifts, purchases, and finds brought back from archaeological expeditions have permanently enriched the museum. Among its greatest treasures are two of the most famous sculptures of the ancient world, the Victory of Samothrace and the Venus de Milo, and Leonardo's famous portrait, Mona Lisa. The Louvre also holds works by the other Italian masters Raphael and Titian and paintings by the northern artists Peter Paul Rubens and Rembrandt. Protection of all the Louvre's priceless masterpieces during the two world wars was effected by their removal to secret depositories outside Paris.
*deposit：这个词有很丰富的含意：“堆积、存放、押金、沉淀物”等，这里是指“存放”的意思。拿破仑把他在欧洲战场上掠夺来的艺术品都存放在了卢浮宫。
* sculpture：雕刻、雕塑。卢浮宫的雕塑典藏中，最珍贵的当数“胜利女神”和“米洛斯的维纳斯”，还有举世闻名的画像《蒙娜丽莎》。卢浮宫还收藏了其他意大利艺术大师的作品，包括拉斐尔和提香、以及一些北方艺术家的作品