Guests lap up fairytale castle show of dog collars
Leeds Castle has gone to the dogs -- and visitors are lapping it up(1). The fairytale castle set in the heart of the countryside ranks as one of the country‘s Top 10 Heritage sites with 400,000 visitors a year.
利兹城堡被狗狗占领了—游客们欣然接受。这座童话般的城堡坐落于乡村中心，每年接待40万游客，为全英十大遗产之一。
But many tourists, attracted by Leeds‘ moated(2) splendour in a picture postcard setting, are surprised to stumble across(3) one of its most surreal attractions -- the world‘s biggest dog collar museum.
众多游客被明信片上湖水盈盈的利兹吸引而来，却惊讶地发现了这里最为离奇的景观之一—世界最大狗项圈博物馆。
"They are works of art in their own right," said the castle‘s Heritage Manager Nic Fulcher, waxing lyrical over the collection of 160 dog collars through the ages.
城堡遗产经理Nic Fulcher赞美这160个来自不同年代的狗项圈说：“它们也是艺术品。”
"Dogs have always played a fundamental(4) part in the life of man as a working animal and as a household pet. They have also been a status symbol which is what pure breeds are today," he said.
他说：“工作犬和宠物犬在人类生活中扮演不可或缺的角色。如今纯种犬更是身份地位的象征。”
The collection, which spans five centuries, was originally put together by the Irish mediaeval(5) scholar John Hunt and his wife Gertrude, who presented the collection to Leeds Castle in his memory.
展品的年代跨越五个世纪，最早由爱尔兰中世纪学者John Hunt和他的妻子Gertrude搜集并赠送给利兹城堡。
Her choice could not have been more appropriate.
她的选择正确非凡。
Leeds, one of the prime tourist attractions in Kent that is dubbed "The Garden of England", has been home to dogs for centuries.
利兹是肯特最主要的旅游景点，被誉为“英国花园”，几百年来一直是狗狗们的家园。
It has boasted hounds for hunting, mastiffs(6) to guard the gates and spaniels(7) and lapdogs(8) to grace the spacious apartments that were once part of the dowry of the Queens of England.
这里有适合打猎的猎犬、看家护院的獒犬，还有为英女王宽阔房间增添贵气的哈巴狗和叭儿狗
The museum is also a tribute to the castle‘s last private owner, millionaire heiress(9) Olive, Lady Baillie, whose love of dogs inspired Getrude Hunt to make the gift. The castle is now run as a charitable trust.
城堡最后一任主人为百万财产继承人Olive, Lady Baillie，由于她十分喜欢狗狗，Getrude Hunt便收集项圈作为礼物送给了她。现在城堡已经成为公益信托场所。
The most blood-curdling(10) collars on display may look fearsome with their iron collars bristling with spikes but they were designed to protect the dog at a time when wolves, bears and wild boars roamed(11) the forests of Europe.
展品中最为毛骨悚然的项圈是铁钉项圈，看起来很可怕。当狼、熊和野猪还在欧洲树林中游走的时候，这种项圈用来保护猎犬免受伤害。
Then there are engraved silver collars and German and Austrian baroque(12) collars decorated with metalwork and velvet(13).
之后出现银质雕刻项圈、经过金属加工和天鹅绒德国、奥地利巴洛克式项圈。
Fulcher is constantly surprised by the feedback he gets.
Fulcher不断收到令他感到意外的反馈。
"I get e-mails from as far afield as Australia and the United States. I get more inquiries about dog collars every week than I do about the museum.”
“我收到来自澳大利亚和美国的电子邮件，其中每周对狗项圈的咨询远比堆博物馆的要多。”
"People clearing their houses find dog collars and want to identify them. We generally can give estimates on when they date from."
“人们在打扫老屋的时候找到一些项圈，想了解有关它们的情况。通常我们会为项圈估计年代。”
1. lap up：舔、欣然接受
2. moat：护城河、以河围绕
3. stumble across：偶然发现
4. fundamental：十分重要的
5. mediaeval：中世纪的
6. mastiff：獒犬
7. spaniel：长毛垂耳狗、会拍马屁的人
8. lapdog：供玩赏用的小狗
9. heiress：女继承人
10. blood-curdling：令人毛骨悚然的
11. roam：漫步
12. baroque：巴洛克的，这种风格强调拉紧的效果，其特征是有大胆的曲线结构、复杂的装饰和无联系部分间的整体平衡
13. velvet：天鹅绒
（CRI ENGLISH）
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