| 簡介：◎ in dire straits為何義？ ◎「充分說明」英語怎麼說？ ◎ 財經小辭典：austerity & bailout Athens: Old City, New Future Feted as the birthplace of democracy and Western civilization, Athens occupies a special place in world history. Although the region where the city is located has been continuously inhabited for at least 7,000 years, the recorded history of Athens dates from around 1400 B.C. when it emerged as a center of Mycenaean civilization. However, the city's famed Golden Age came almost 1,000 years later under the rule of Pericles. During this period, the political and intellectual life of the city flourished. Luminaries from the era included the philosopher Socrates, the historian Herodotus and the playwrights Sophocles and Aeschylus. Regarded as the father of Western medicine, Hippocrates is another towering figure from the period. Architectural achievement was also at its apogee, and construction on many of the city's most famous landmarks began at this time. Translated literally as "upper city," the Acropolis, with its centerpiece the Parthenon, is a timeless testament to Athenian culture. In the modern era, as its European counterparts thrived, Athens sometimes struggled to shed the image of a formerly affluent relative that had fallen on hard times. The 2004 Olympics provided a much needed boost to infrastructure, particularly in the transportation sector. Ahead of the games, construction of a new Athens International Airport was completed in 2001 and the Athens Metro was upgraded with 28 new stations. The US$3.4-billion extension was the biggest public works project in Greek history. It was hailed as a triumph as it was completed on schedule while preserving priceless artifacts unearthed during the digging. But trouble was lurking on the not too distant horizon.
雅典：老城市，新未來
被譽為民主與西方文明誕生地的雅典，在世界史上佔有特殊的地位。儘管這座城市的所在區域持續有人居住至少達七千年之久，其歷史記載卻僅始於西元前 1400 年左右，也就是這座城市成為邁錫尼文明中心的時候。
不過雅典著名的黃金時代卻是出現於將近一千年後的伯里克里斯統治時期。在此期間，這座城市的政治與智識發展興盛不已。這個年代的傑出人物包括哲學家蘇格拉底、史學家希羅多德、劇作家索弗克里斯和埃斯克勒斯。被視為西方醫學之父的希波克拉底則是此時期的另一位偉大人物。建築成就也臻於高峰，雅典許多最知名的地標皆在這時動工。字義為「上城」的衛城，與其引人注目的帕德嫩神廟，即是雅典文化的恆久見證。
在現代時期，隨著歐洲各城市的興盛發展，雅典不時得努力擺脫曾是富裕親戚，如今卻一貧如洗的形象。2004 年的奧運為這座城市的基礎建設帶來迫切需要的補強，尤其是運輸的部分。在奧運之前，新的雅典國際機場的興建工作於 2001 年完成，雅典地鐵也增加了 28 座新車站。這項耗資 34 億美元的拓建工程是希臘史上規模最大的公共工程計畫。此計畫被譽為一大成就，不僅準時完工，也在挖掘期間保存了從地底發現的無價藝術品。不過，令人頭痛的問題卻也在不久的未來隱隱潛伏著。 | 
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