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Lesson 308  A famous monastery

The Great St Bernard Pass [1]connects Switzerland to Italy. At 2470 [2]metres, it is the highest mountain pass in Europe. The famous monastery of St Bernard, which was founded in the eleventh century, lies about a mile away. For hundreds of years, St Bernard dogs have saved the [3]lives of [4]travellers crossing the dangerous Pass. These friendly dogs, which were first brought from Asia, were used as watchdogs even in Roman times. Now that a tunnel has been built through the mountains, the Pass is less dangerous; but each year, the dogs are still sent out into the snow whenever a traveller is in difficulty. Despite the new tunnel, there are still a few people who rashly attempt to cross the Pass on foot.

 During the summer months, the monastery is very busy, for it is visited by thousands of people who cross the Pass in cars. As there are so many people about, the dogs have to be kept in a special enclosure. In winter, however, life at the monastery is quite different. The temperature drops to -30° and very few people attempt to cross the Pass. The monks [5]prefer winter to summer for they have more privacy. The dogs have greater freedom, too, for they are allowed to wander outside their enclosure. The only regular visitors to the monastery in winter are parties of skiers who go there at Christmas and Easter. These young people, who love the peace of the mountains, always receive a warm welcome at St Bernard's monastery.

著名的修道院 

    聖伯納德大山口連接瑞士與義大利，海拔達二四七三○公尺，是歐洲最高的山口。著名的聖伯納德修道院，創辦(建立)於十一世紀，位於離山口大約一英哩遠(外)的地方。數百年來，聖伯納狗拯救了許多越過這道危險山口的旅遊者的生命。這些友好的狗，最初從亞洲引進的，甚至在羅馬時代就被用來當作看門狗。如今由於一條隧道已造好穿過這片山脈，山口較不那麼危險了。但每年，每當有旅遊者遇困，狗兒們還是被派遣出去到雪地裡去協助。儘管有新隧道，但仍有一些魯莽(輕率)試圖徒步越過該山口的人。

    在夏天的幾個月期間裡，修道院十分忙碌，因為修道院受訪來自成千上萬駕車通過山口的人。由於到處有這麼多的人，狗兒們必須被關在一專門的圍欄裡。然而在冬天，修道院裡的生活相當不一樣。氣溫下降到零下三十度，極少數人企圖跨越山口。修道士們比較喜歡冬天，而不太喜歡夏天，因為(在冬天)他們有更多的清靜(隱私)。狗也有比較大的自由，因為牠們被容許在牠們的圍欄外閒逛。在冬天唯一定期到修道院的訪客是一團團的滑雪者。他們在耶誕節或復活節去到那兒。這些年輕人，熱愛山中的平靜，總是受到聖伯納德道院的熱烈歡迎。