Destination: Iceland 前進冰島

 　　There are two sides to Iceland—nature and culture. Both of these parts make the country a place like no other. In Iceland, it really seems like the land itself is alive. There are enormous glaciers1 that are constantly moving very slowly. In addition, there are live volcanoes2 with hot lava3 that bubbles4 just beneath the surface. Another popular attraction in Iceland is the Blue Lagoon5, a beautiful geothermal6 spa. Its steaming hot water does wonders for people with skin problems.
冰島這個地方兼具了自然和人文兩種風貌。這兩種風貌讓該國成為一個獨一無二的地方。冰島的土地好像真的具有生命一般。此處有許多巨大冰川緩慢地持續移動。此外，這裡還有活火山，其炙熱無比的岩漿在地底下沸騰翻滾。冰島另一個熱門景點就是美麗的地熱天然水療池──Blue Lagoon。對那些有皮膚問題的人來說，這座潟湖裡蒸騰的熱水可是具有神奇的功效。
　　A thrilling sight to see is the famous Icelandic7 geysers8. A geyser is a stream of water that sprays out from the Earth at certain times. The country's relatively small population of a little more than 300,000 people speak English in addition to the national language of Icelandic. You might think a country that lies just outside the Arctic Circle would be cold, but the island is warmed by the Gulf Stream. The culture in Iceland, however, is definitely cool. The country's capital city is Reykjavík, a modern city that is filled with cafés and artists. The ice in its name hasn't cooled Iceland down because it is definitely a hot spot to visit.
還有一種令人興奮的景點就是著名的冰島間歇噴泉。間歇噴泉是一種在特定時間才會從地表噴發而出的水流。該國三十萬出頭的人口相對來說較為稀少，他們除了使用冰島語之外，還會用英文來溝通。您可能會認為一個正好在北極圈外圍的國家應該很冷，可是這個島國卻因為有墨西哥灣流經過而氣候溫和。不過冰島的文化絕對是酷到不行。該國首都雷克雅維克是一座現代化都市，咖啡館和藝術家隨處可見。冰島名字裡的『冰』這個字並不會讓該國受人們冷落，因為它絕對是一個值得造訪的熱門去處。

@Building Your Vocabulary

★1. enormous　a. 巨大的，龐大的
The earthquake left an enormous crack running down the middle of the road.
這場地震讓道路中央出現一道巨大的裂縫。
★2. constantly　adv. 持續不斷地；經常地
Mary was constantly scratching her arm because she had a rash.
因為瑪莉的手臂長了疹子，所以她抓個不停。
　3. thrilling　a. 令人興奮的；刺激的
Many people love watching the thrilling adventures of that pirate on the big screen.
許多人都喜歡在大銀幕上觀賞那位海盜的刺激冒險故事。
　4. spray　vi.（液體或碎屑）飛濺出來
Bits of glass sprayed everywhere when the vase hit the floor and shattered.
那只花瓶摔到地板碎掉後，玻璃碎片噴得到處都是。
　5. relatively　adv. 相對地；比較
Relatively few men like to watch romantic comedies.
相對來說，喜歡看浪漫愛情喜劇的男性比較少。
★6. population　n. 人口
The country has a population of more than 20 million.
這個國家有兩千多萬的人口。

 

 

 

 

 

@Phrases for learning
1. do/work wonders + 介詞　　在……上有驚人成效
This special ointment works wonders on my pimples.
這種特殊藥膏對我的痘痘有著驚人療效。
★2. cool...down/cool down...　　使……冷卻下來
I turned on the air conditioner to cool down the room.
我把冷氣打開，讓房間涼快起來。





@Extra Words

1. glacier　n. 冰河，冰川
2. volcano　n. 火山
3. lava　n. 岩漿，熔岩
4. bubble　vi. 沸騰；冒泡
5. lagoon　n. 潟湖
6. geothermal　a. 地熱的
7. Icelandic　a. 冰島的 & n. 冰島語
8. geyser　n. 間歇噴泉

 

 

 

 

@More to Know

A Geyser Eruption
　　頻繁的火山活動使冰島蘊藏豐富的地熱資源，間歇噴泉就是一種極為特殊的地理景觀。間歇噴泉的形成是地表的水流至地底，受到火山活動高溫高壓的加持，使得熱騰騰的泉水一噴沖天。這種噴泉需要時間的蘊釀和壓力的累積，並非二十四小時持續噴發，所以才會稱為間歇噴泉。透過上面這張示意圖，各位就能充分了解間歇噴泉是如何形成的。