The Frankincense Trail 乳香之路‏

Just like the Silk Road connecting Asia to the Mediterranean, the frankincense1 trail2 was a major ancient trade route. Starting from the southern coast of Oman, the route crosses the modern-day Middle East and ends in the Holy Land. Traders braved the extreme heat of the desert along the more than 3,200-kilometer trail all for the sake of one thing—frankincense. This natural resin3 was more valuable than gold for 3,000 years before the birth of Christ. 正如同絲路連結了亞洲和地中海一般，乳香之路也是古代主要的貿易路線。這條路線始於阿曼的南方沿岸，橫跨了如今的中東地區，最後在聖地抵達盡頭（編按：聖地為耶穌的出生地，其範圍約在現今的以色列、約旦及黎巴嫩的境內）。貿易商頂著沙漠的酷熱、沿著長達三千兩百多公里的路途行進，全是為了某樣物品――乳香。在耶穌誕生前的三千年來，這種天然樹脂可是比黃金還要貴重。 　　What is so special about frankincense? It produces a sweet-smelling aromatic4 smoke that was thought to connect man to his god, so it was highly treasured by Pharaohs5. Today, frankincense is still traded as it is widely used in perfumes and cosmetics. 到底是什麼讓乳香如此特別呢？它能產生一種帶有甜味的芳香煙霧，據說能讓人神之間產生連繫，因此受到埃及法老的極度珍藏。如今人們仍在買賣乳香，因為它被廣泛運用在各種香水與化妝品上。 　　This month, National Geographic Channel and Kate Humble make an epic6 journey down "The Frankincense Trail." The "Oman and Yemen" episode has Humble starting in southern Oman. Loaded with 90 kilograms of the precious resin, she walks with a caravan7 of the descendants of the ancient traders before crossing into Yemen. There, she enters the world's first skyscraper city, Shibam, and uses her frankincense to bless a newborn baby. 本月份，國家地理頻道偕同凱特‧杭波，一起在《乳香之路》上進行一趟非凡的旅程。在《阿曼和葉門》這集節目中，杭波從阿曼南部展開旅程。裝載著九十公斤重的此種珍貴樹脂，她和一批由古代商人後裔所組成的旅行隊伍結伴而行，直到跨入葉門為止。在那裡，她來到世上首座摩天大樓城市――希巴姆，並用她帶來的乳香為一位新生兒祈福（編按：希巴姆古城建於十六世紀，城內一整片高聳建築群是以黃泥磚石為建材搭建而成，當中有些建築甚至高達三十公尺，因而被賦予『沙漠中的曼哈頓城』的別名，也被聯合國教科文組織列入世界遺產之一）。

Building Your Vocabulary

1. route　n. 路線，路徑
The most direct route home was packed with traffic, so we had to go another way.
回我們家的最快路線正在塞車，所以我們只好選別條路走。
2. modern-day　a. 當代的，現代的
Modern-day smartphones have built-in GPS devices.
現代的智慧型手機都有內建GPS裝置。
3. brave　vt. 勇敢面對（受詞為惡劣天候或艱困狀況）
The fire fighters braved the flames to rescue those trapped in the house.
消防員冒著大火去搶救困在屋內的人。
4. valuable　a. 值錢的；有價值的
Time is very valuable, so don't go wasting it.
時間非常寶貴，因此我們千萬不能虛度光陰。
5. treasure　vt. 珍藏，珍惜，珍視
I'll always treasure the memory of our time together.
我會永遠珍惜與你一起相處的種種回憶。
6. widely　adv. 廣泛地
It is widely believed that breaking a mirror causes seven years of bad luck.
許多人都相信打破鏡子會走七年霉運。
7. descendant　n. 後代，後裔
It was not until Scott found his family tree that he realized he was a descendant of Napoleon.
直到史考特發現自己的族譜，他才知道自己是拿破崙的後裔。

Phrases for Learning

* for the sake of...　　為了……的緣故
For the sake of everyone's safety, you should never drink and drive.
為了每個人的安全著想，你永遠都不該酒醉駕車。

Extra Words

1. frankincense　n. 乳香（薰香的一種，多用於宗教儀式，本文中亦作形容詞用）
2. trail　n.（荒野或鄉間的）小徑，小路
3. resin　n. 樹脂
4. aromatic　a. 芳香的
5. Pharaoh　n.（古埃及的）法老王
6. epic　a. 史詩般的；需要勇氣的
7. caravan　n.（一群靠著牲口或車輛做長途旅行的）旅行隊

Tips In Use

...the more than 3,200-kilometer trail...
（……長達三千兩百多公里的路途……）
　　此處的"3,200-kilometer"為數字詞及名詞用連字符號"-"相連而成的複合形容詞。須注意的是，這種複合形容詞，不論數字詞是 one 或 two 以上，之後的名詞恆為單數。
Ross has to pass the four-week driving course before he can take the road test.
（羅斯得先通過為期四週的駕駛課才能參加路考。）
Emily stayed up late last night to finish writing her thirty-page paper.
（艾蜜莉昨晚熬夜是為了要把她三十頁的報告趕完。）