少林寺位于河南省登封市西北13公里的中岳嵩山西麓,背依五乳峰,周围山峦环抱、峰峰相连、错落有致,形成了少林寺的天然屏障。嵩山东为太室山,西为少室山,各拥三十六峰,峰峰有名,少林寺就是在竹林茂密的少室山五乳峰下,故名“少林”。1983年,国务院确定少林寺为全国重点佛教寺院。少林寺建于北魏太和十九年(公元495年),是北魏孝文帝为印度僧人跋陀而建,因寺院建于少室山密林深处,遂命名为“少林寺”。跋陀是第一个来到少林寺的高僧,他在少林寺专心翻译佛经,收徒子数百人。后来达摩一苇渡江来到嵩山,在少林寺后山五乳峰山洞内面壁九年,创立了佛教禅宗,被后人尊为禅宗初祖,少林寺也被称为禅宗祖庭。少林寺不仅是禅宗的发祥地,还是中国功夫的发祥地,有“禅宗祖庭,功夫圣地”之称这两段是介绍少林寺的地理位置及历史故事。从词汇上看,文章用了很多形容词和四字词语来渲染气氛,文采性很高,读起来朗朗上口。ShaolinTempleissituatedatShaoshiMountaininthewestofSongshanMountainranges,inDengfengCity,HenanProvince.AgainstthebackdropofWuruPeakofShaoshiMountain,itissurroundedwithforestsandhillsasitsnaturaldefense.The"Shao"in"Shaolinsi"refersto"ShaoshiMountain";linmeans"forest"andsi"temple".ThenameofShaolinTempleliterallymeans"templeinthewoodsofShaoshiMountainShaolinTemplewasestablishedin495A.D.atthewesternfootofSongshanMountain,13kilometersnorthwesttoDengfengCity,HenanProvince.ThethenEmperorXiaowenoftheNorthernWeidynasty(386-557)hadthetemplebuilttoaccommodatetheIndianmasterBatuo(Buddhabhadra).ShaolinTempleliterallymeans“templeinthethickforestsofShaoshiMountain”.AsthefirstShaolinabbot,Batuo(Buddhabhadra)devotedhimselftotranslatingBuddhistscripturesandpreachingdoctrinestohundredsofhisfollowers.Later,anotherIndianmonkBodhidharmaarrivedatShaolinTemple,whowassaidtohavecrossedtheYangtzeRiveronareed.HespentnineyearsmeditatinginacaveoftheWuruPeakandinitiatedtheChineseChantraditionatShaolinTemple.Thereafter,BodhidharmawashonoredasthefirstPatriarchofChanBuddhism.AsChineseKungfualsooriginatedfromShaolinTemple,ithasbeenrecognizedastheoriginofChanBuddhismandthecradleofKungfu