2012，注定是不平凡的一年。对于我们是这样，对于英国这个国家来说，更加是这样。因为2012，他们将迎来每四年一次国际盛事：奥林匹克运动会。告别了08年的北京奥运会，在今年这个特殊的年份，伦敦也将迎来了第三次举办奥运会。

　　伦敦，不仅是英国的首都，也是英国的大城市，是欧洲集政治、经济、文化、艺术和娱乐为一体的大城市之一，同时也是一个世界闻名的旅游城市。奥运会在即，想不想去伦敦看看呢?伦敦是一个从来就不缺乏观光景点的城市：像白金汉宫、大理石拱门、大本钟，还有很多，但是最能体现出伦敦生活的景点是什么你知道吗?如果你有的时间，要怎样玩转伦敦呢?

　　There is no shortage of tourist staples: Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Marble Arch, Big Ben, the iconic red double-decker bus. If you've got just 24 hours, here are 10 unmissable places to observe Londoners in their natural habitat.

　　1.Tate Modern

　　Yet this gallery devoted to modern art effortlessly pulls in the locals as well as the tourists, and ranks among London's most-visited attractions.

　　2. Marylebone Stroll

　　What's the nattiest neighborhood in London? Not leafy Notting Hill, which lost its claim to cool after Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts frolicked through it in the eponymous 1999 rom-com. And not fashionable Hoxton or Shoreditch, even with their spiky-haired, skinny-jeans-clad tribes of cool kids. They're all worth a look, but the real cool resides in Marylebone, an area so confident of its charms that it doesn't need to broadcast them.

　　3. The London Eye

　　Yes, it's a giant ferris wheel, and, yes, it's for tourists — but it's a worth a spin. Once you've boarded your glass-sided capsule — each capsule holds 25 people — it will be a half-hour before you get back down. Creeping along at 0.6 miles (0.9 km) per hour, it's an excruciatingly slow flight, as a trip on the London Eye is called, but from the top of the 443-foot (135-m) wheel you'll be rewarded with gloriously unimpeded views over London.

　　4. Inns of Court

　　The Inns were first established in the 14th century and housed in large, walled compounds; today, judges and barristers still work, study and sometimes live in these enchanted precincts.

　　5. J. Sheekey J. Sheekey

　　If you like your dinner with a side order of celebrity, head to J. Sheekey, a fish restaurant with leather banquettes, paneled walls and an impressive art collection, in London's theaterland.

　　6. Kensington Gardens

　　Queen Caroline lived in Kensington Palace, on the western edge of the park, which has been home to assorted members of the extended royal family and household, and half of the palaces are open to the public.

　　7. Berry Bros. & Rudd Berry Bros. & Rudd

　　The poet Lord Byron was just one of many patrons of Berry Bros. & Rudd. Staff happily expound on the virtues of the cheaper wines and spirits they sell, alongside the rarest vintages.

　　8. The Royal Court Theatre

　　More recently, the theater has debuted Tom Stoppard's international hit, Rock 'n' Roll, and Christopher Shinn's lls Now or Later, set on the night of a U.S. presidential election as the family of the Democratic frontrunner awaits results.

　　9. Smithfield Pub Crawl Smithfield

　　London is far from being a 24-hour city. Alcohol licensing laws were relaxed in 2003, but finding a late-night drink still requires ingenuity. There is one part of city, however, that doesn't sleep: Smithfield.

　　10. Barfly and Roundhouse Barfly and Roundhouse

　　If you get claustrophobic at the Hollywood Bowl, then neither of the live music venues is for you. The Barfly is tiny, but that doesn't stop punkers from piling through the doors and turning the whole room into a mosh pit. Aross the road, the Roundhouse shows it knows the meaning of eclectic, with a program that includes big-name musicians, and even circus acts.