Diamond in the Desert 沙漠之鑽——阿布達比‏

by Jeremy Beacock Ancient traditions mix with modern life in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. 阿拉伯聯合大功國的首都阿布達比有著新舊交雜的都市面貌。 　　Lying on a small island just 250 meters off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Persian Gulf, Abu Dhabi is a modern jewel set beside timeless dunes. Once a poor town, it is now the second-largest city in the UAE as well as its capital. Abu Dhabi is one of the centers of the world's oil trade, and consequently, one of the richest cities in the world. The mix of the traditional and the expensively modern make it a fascinating city to visit. 阿布達比位在阿拉伯聯合大公國波斯灣外海僅 250 公尺的一座小島上，是永恆沙丘旁的一顆現代寶石。它曾經是一個貧窮的小鎮，如今卻是阿拉伯聯合大公國第二大城，同時也是其首都。阿布達比是全球的石油貿易中心之一，也因此是全球最富有的城市之一。傳統與現代奢華的結合，使之成為一座值得造訪的迷人城市。 　　Just 50 years ago, Abu Dhabi was an undeveloped city whose residents lived in palm leaf huts. They made money the same way they had for thousands of years through camel herding, pearl diving, and fishing. However, a forward-thinking Arabic leader, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, saw how oil wealth could transform Abu Dhabi, so in 1971 he embarked on an ambitious development program. The city planners were given the green light to hire the most prestigious architectural firms in the world—and they did. Nowadays, the Abu Dhabi skyline is a glittering range of skyscrapers, with more than 60 in some stage of construction. 就在 50 年前，阿布達比還是一個尚未開發的城市，居民都住在棕櫚葉搭成的簡陋小屋中。他們數千年來都以相同的方式謀生，包括放牧駱駝、潛水採收珍珠，以及漁業。然而，一位有遠見的阿拉伯領袖扎耶德‧本‧蘇爾坦‧阿勒納哈揚，看出了石油帶來的財富將能讓阿布達比脫胎換骨，因此他在 1971 年開始了一項充滿野心的計劃。都市規劃者得到允許聘請全球最富盛名的建設公司，而他們確實這麼做了。如今，阿布達比的天際是一整排閃閃發光的摩天大樓，還有超過 60 棟正在興建當中。 　　However, Abu Dhabi's attractions are not purely architectural. Thanks to its large immigrant population, Abu Dhabi is multicultural because it has restaurants and celebrations from all over the world. What's more, there are many exciting exhibitions and sports events, from the annual Red Bull Air Race World Championship to the traditional sport of camel racing. There are also archaeological remains to explore, desert trips to experience, and more than 400 kilometers of coastline to enjoy.

然而，阿布達比的魅力並不只限於建築。多虧其廣大的移民人口，阿布達比融合了多種文化，因為它有著來自世界各地的餐廳與慶典。而且，它還舉辦許多令人興奮的展覽與運動賽事，包括紅牛飛行世界大賽與賽駱駝這種傳統運動。你更可以探索建築遺跡、體驗沙漠之旅，還能享受長達 4 百多公里的海岸線。

精解字詞片語

1. off the coast of...　　在……的外海
例: Al goes lobster fishing off the coast of Maine every year.
（艾爾每年都會去緬因州外海捕龍蝦。）
2. consequently adv. 結果，因此
= as a result
= as a consequence
例: It suddenly rained. Consequently, our picnic was postponed.
（那天突然下雨，因此我們的野餐延期了。）
3. transform vt. 使改觀；使改變
transform A into B　　將 A 改變∕轉變成 B
例: The company planned to transform the old house into a hotel.
（那家公司打算將這棟老房子改建成旅館。）
4. embark vi. 從事，著手
embark on...　　從事∕開始……
例: The band embarked on a tour of England.
（這個樂團開始進行他們在英國的巡迴表演。）
5. ambitious a. 有雄心的；野心勃勃的
例: The ambitious young woman wanted to start her own shop.
（這名有抱負的女性想要自己開一家店。）
6. give sb the green light to V　　給予某人許可做……
green light n. 綠燈；准許，許可
例: Our teacher gave us the green light to use our books during the test.
（我們老師允許大家考試時可以看課本。）
7. prestigious a. 有名望的
例: Do you think my grades are good enough to get into that prestigious university?
（你認為我的成績有好到可以進那間名校嗎？）
8. skyline n.（高樓大廈頂部所形成的）天際線
例: It's best to view the Hong Kong skyline at night.
（晚上是欣賞香港天際線的最佳時間。）
9. construction n. 建造，建設
under construction　　建造中，施工中
例: The road is under construction, so a detour was set up.
（這條道路正在施工，所以設置了一條替代道路。）
10. purely adv. 純粹；完全
例: The scientist made his discovery purely by chance.
（這位科學家的發現純屬偶然。）
11. population n. 人口
注意:
population 為集合名詞，常用單數形，或與不定冠詞 a 並用。
a large/small population　　人口眾多∕稀少
a population of 200,000　　20 萬的人口
例: A large population of Canadian people live in that neighborhood.
（有為數眾多的加拿大人居住在那個社區裡。）
12. exhibition n. 展覽，展示
on exhibition　　展覽中，展出中
= on exhibit
= on display
例: The artist's work will be on exhibition at the museum this month.
（那名藝術家的作品將在本月份於博物館展出。）
13. remains n. 遺跡（恆用複數）
例: The remains of the temple of Ankor Wat are beautiful.
（吳戈窟的寺廟遺跡極為漂亮。）

單字小舖

1. emirate n. 酋長國
2. timeless a. 超越時間的；永久的
3. dune n. 沙丘
4. expensively adv. 高價地；奢侈地
5. undeveloped a. 未開發的
6. resident n. 居民
7. palm n. 棕欄樹
8. hut n. 小屋
9. camel n. 駱駝
10. herding n. 放牧
11. forward-thinking a. 前瞻的，有遠見的
12. architectural a. 建築的
13. glittering a. 閃閃發光的；光彩奪目的
14. skyscraper n. 摩天大樓
15. immigrant n.（外來）移民
16. multicultural a. 多種文化的
17. archaeological a. 考古學的
18. coastline n. 海岸線

Grammar Tips

Just 50 years ago, Abu Dhabi was an undeveloped city whose residents lived in palm leaf huts.
注意:
whose 為關係代名詞所有格，使用時須遵守下列原則：
a. 關係代名詞所有格之前要有先行詞（即名詞）；
b. 該關係代名詞所有格所引導的名詞要作形容詞子句中的主詞或受詞；
c. 否則該關係代名詞所有格之前一定要有介詞，而該介詞亦可移至形容詞子句句尾。
例: Jamie is my co-worker whose sister happens to be my brother's supervisor.
（潔咪是我的同事，她的姊姊剛好是我哥哥的主管。）
例: I like to visit my uncle, whose home I feel relaxed at. (可)
→ I like to visit my uncle, at whose home I feel relaxed. (佳)
（我很喜歡去拜訪我叔叔，在他家我感覺很輕鬆。）
例: I try to be friendly to John, whose sister I would like to have a date with.
（我試圖向約翰示好，我想和他妹妹約會。）
注意:
由於 have a date with 是一完整的片語，因此將 with 置於句尾，以保持其完整性。