翻訳お願いします！
the cotswolds are a range of limestone hills running through the counties of somerset and gloucestershire in the southwest of england.("wold"is an old english word meaning "hill".)
this area is one of the most-visited parts of england because of its rural beauty.
the gentle,rolling slopes of the cotswolds make it an ideal place for sheep farming.
sheep were the basis of the region's former prosperity.
between the 14th and 16th centuries,the local wool merchants became very wealthy.
evidence of this wealth can still be seen in the many beautiful old manor houses and churches there.
the cotswolds are also famous for their picturesque villages.
the buildings are almost all built of the local limestone,which ranges in colour from a silvery grey to a deep golden brown.
visiting the cotswolds is like a trip back into the past.
this is mainly because the industrial revolution did not really affect the region,and so it was able to preserve its characteristic atmosphere of mediaeval england.
it is certainly a different world compared with the hustle and bustle of london,manchester and other major english cities.
one of the most important towns in this area is bath,which is unique in being the only town in britain with a hot spring.
the spring in bath had been known from ancient times.
the first people to build actual baths there,however,were the romans.
after the romans left britain in the 5th century,the baths fell into disuse.
they were revived in the 18th century,when rich people in london learned about the health-giving properties of the water.
it suddenly became very fashionable to have a house in bath.
as a result,many rows of beautiful town houses were built.
the characteristic shape of these rows is a kind of semicircle,known as a crescent.
bath is still one of the most visually attractive cities in britain,and the roman baths are the most-visited tourist attraction outside london.
unfortunately,it is no longer possible to take a bath there yourself.
a similar city to bath is cheltenham,a little further to the north.
in the 18th century a spa was also discovered there,but not a hot one.
just as with bath,people from high society (including king george III)visited cheltenham to drink the waters,which were believed to cure many illnesses.
cheltenham also has many elegant 18th-century houses, where rich people and aristocrats used to stay.
apart from its architecture,one of cheltnham's main attractions nowadays is horse racing at its beautiful race course.
