卢：艾伦，转了这一圈儿，你觉得天津的建筑风格有什么不一样的地方吗？
Allan:Yes, the city is quite impressive, especially its architectural styles. There are many elegant traditional Chinese buildings and more amazingly so many buildings of different western styles ---- the Medieval British, Gothic German, Romantic French, Classical Russia and the Athenian Style of Greece! Amazing!
卢:是的。天津有两千多座小样楼，素有“万国建筑博览会”之称。很多百年历史的风貌建筑都完好的保存下来。
Allan:There must be many stories about those building.
卢:是啊！在著名的“五大道”和意式风情区，有很多特色建筑曾是中国近现代历史上名人的故居。溥仪的故居、吉鸿昌将军的故居、梁启超的“饮冰室”、弘一法师的故居等等，很多。
Allan:Yeah, a city of different culture. Speaking of multi-culture, there must many religious buildings, aren't there?
卢:一点不错！天津有佛教禅寺，道观，伊斯兰寺庙，天主教教堂，基督教教堂，等等。
Allan:What are in most famous? Let’s say, Catholic Churches for example?
卢:天主教西开总堂，又称老西开教堂、法国教堂，是天津天主教会的中心，1917年为法国天主教会所建。
Allan:Do we have time today to take a look at it?
卢:可以呀！其它在历史上著名的天主教堂还有地处河北区狮子林桥旁的望海楼教堂。它原名“圣母得胜教堂”，也是由法国天主教会所建。
Allan:Yes, I have heard of the story. How about other religions?
卢:始建于1644清顺治元年的天津清真大寺，是保存完好的宫殿式伊斯兰教建筑群。该寺院落宽敞，建筑宏伟壮丽。
Allan:How big is the Islamic community in Tianjin?
卢:我没有准确的数字。不过西北角地区曾经是一个回族聚居区，伊斯兰风格的建筑随处可见。
Allan:I see.
卢:天津和犹太人也有渊源的联系。有本书叫做《神圣的渡口——犹太人在天津》就讲述了犹太人在天津的真实故事。坐落于南京路上的犹太教堂是中国最具犹太教风格的教堂。1948年在津犹太人曾在此处庆贺以色列建国。
Allan:I wish I could visit all these places. It’s always exciting to follow the footprints of history. Well, Lu, tell me something about Chinese religion. Is Confucianism the biggest religion in China?
卢:所谓“儒教”其实并不是宗教，儒家思想源于春秋战国时代的一个学术派别。中国是否存在儒教,学术界有不同的观点。以后你会有很多机会了解的。不过天津倒真是有一个祭孔的重要场所，那就是文庙。
Allan:Is it in downtown city? Is it still open?
卢:是的，就在老城厢。文庙始建于明代，是天津市保存最完整、规模最大的古建筑群。现在很多考生还要在进考场前到文庙里去拜一拜呢！
Allan:Maybe I should pay a visit there before my dissertation defense.
卢:那你就一定会金榜题名了！哈哈。天津还有佛教名寺大悲禅院，那里因为供奉大悲观音（又称千手观音）而得名。
Allan:I do have a lot to learn. I love Chinese culture. It always fascinates me. Hey, Lu, where is our next stop?
卢:下一站咱们去转转古文化街。那里还有著名的娘娘宫呢!
Allan:The Goddess Temple？
卢:位于古文化街中段的天后宫俗称娘娘宫，建于1326年，是中国北方最早敕建、也是天津现存最古老的建筑之一。
Allan:Who is the Goddess worshipped there?
卢:天后宫内供奉的是海上渔民的保护神，及传说中的“海神”妈祖。
Allan:I can’t wait. Let’s hurry!
参考译文：
Lu:Allan, do you find the architectural styles of Tianjin different and unique?
艾伦:是的，天津是座与众不同的城市，特别是它独特的建筑风格，既有传统典雅的中国建筑，又有众多别致的西洋建筑——英国的中古式、德国的哥特式、法国的罗漫式、俄国的古典式、希腊的雅典式，等等，各有特色。
Lu:Tianjin is reputed as “theExposition of International Architectures”. It boasts over 2000 buildings of historical architectural style and many century-old buildings are well-preserved.
艾伦:.这些小洋楼里一定有很多故事。
Lu:Well, that's true. Many buildings in the famous “Five main Roads” area and the Italian concession area were residences of historic figures in modern and contemporary Chinese history. There are residences of Puyi, the last emperor of Qing Dynasty; Ji Hongchang, a patriotic general during the Anti-Japanese War; Liang Qichao, a great scholar, thinker and reformer in modern history of China and Li Shutong or Master Hongyi, a pioneer in the New Culture Movement in the 1910s.
艾伦:天津真是个多元化的城市。提到多元文化，天津一定有很多不同的宗教建筑了。
Lu:You are right! There are Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, Taoist temples, Islamic temples, Catholic Churches, Christian Churches, etc.
艾伦:最著名的是哪些呢？比如说最著名的天主教堂有哪些？
Lu:The Xikai Catholic Cathedral also called the old Xikai Church or French church is the center of Catholics in Tianjin. It was built by the French Roman Catholic Church in 1917.
艾伦:咱们今天有时间去看看吗？
Lu:Yes, we do. Another famous Catholic churches is the Wanhailou Church lying just beside the Shizilin Bridge in Hebei District. Also built by the French Roman Catholic Church, it was originally named the “Catholic Church of Notre Dame des Victoires”.
艾伦:嗯，我听说过关于它的故事。其它著名的宗教建筑有哪些呢？
Lu:始建于清顺治元年（公元1644年）的天津清真大寺，是保存完好的宫殿式伊斯兰教建筑群。该寺院落宽敞，建筑宏伟壮丽。Built in 1644, the first year in the reign of Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, the Grand Tianjin Mosque is a well-preserved complex known for its palace-style Islamic architecures.
艾伦:津的伊斯兰教群体有大？
Lu:Well, I do not have the exact figure. But the Xi Beijao area, or the northwestern part of the old city proper used to be compact area for Islamic community and many buildings f Islamic style can still be easily found in that area.
艾伦:明白了。
Lu:Tianjin also has friendship with the Jewish community. A book called “The Jews in Tianjin” tells many true stories of the Jewish people in Tianjin. The Jewish Church on Nanjing Road is of the strongest Jewish features in China. In 1948 Jewish people in Tianjin celebrated the founding of the State of Israel here.
艾伦:真希望能把这些地方都转过来。寻觅历史的足迹总是让我兴奋不已。卢，再给我讲讲中国的宗教吧！儒教是中国最大的宗教吗？
Lu:Well,Confucianism is not really a “religion” in its sense. It is a school of thinking originated with the Spring and Autumn Period as of 770BC. Whether there are religions in China is still an academic dispute. You’ll learn a lot more about it in the future. But there do exist a Confucian Temple in Tianjin, called Wenmiao Temple and was a place where ancient people worshipped Confucius.
艾伦:文庙在市区吗？现在对外开放吗？
Lu:Yes, in the center of the old city proper. It was originally built in the Ming Dynasty some 500 hundred years ago and is the largest and best preserved ancient architecture in Tianjin. Many students still pay a visit to the temple now before exams.
艾伦:也许我应该在论文答辩前去拜一拜呢。
Lu:Then you will sure make a success! (Laughing) There is also a big Buddhist Temple in Tianjin Called the Great Compassion Temple. It’s noted for shining its statue of “DaBei Guanyin (a Buddhisattva also called “Qianshou Guanyin”, meaning “Guanyin with a thousand hands”).
艾伦:我要学的东西真是太多了。我喜欢中国文化，中国文化让我着迷。卢，咱们下一个地方去哪儿啊？
Lu:We are going to the Ancient Cultural Street. There lies the famous “Goddess Temple”!
艾伦:娘娘宫？
Lu:Tianhou Temple, also called the “Goddess Temple” is situated in the middle part of the Ancient Culture Street. It was built in 1326 and is the earliest of its kind in north China and one of the oldest buildings in Tianjin.
艾伦:那里供奉的娘娘是谁呢？
Lu:Enshrined and worshipped there is the “Sea Goddess”, the patron goddess of seamen.
艾伦:我真想马上看到，咱们快去吧！
