Destination: Egypt 前進埃及‏

With ancient buildings and modern cities, Egypt is one of the most interesting places in the world to visit. The capital of Egypt is Cairo, and it is the biggest city in all of Africa. Cairo is home to over 17 million people and can be quite intense. People describe Cairo as noisy, busy, smelly, and dusty—but also beautiful. 　　擁有古老建築及現代化城市的埃及，是世上最有趣且值得一遊的地方之一。埃及的首都是開羅，它同時也是全非洲最大的城市。開羅有一千七百萬以上的人口，而且凡事都有過之而無不及。人們形容開羅這個地方很吵鬧、很繁忙、很難聞，而且灰塵滿天飛，但卻也很漂亮。 　　Just outside Cairo are the legendary Pyramids1 of Giza. Everyone has seen pictures of these famous tombs2. But did you know they were once the biggest man-made structures in the world? Visitors to the historic Pyramids can also visit another famous monument3, the Sphinx. It has a human head on top of a lion's body and guards the Pyramids. 開羅的郊外正是具有傳奇色彩的吉薩金字塔群。每個人都看過這些著名墓塚的照片。但您知道它們曾一度是世界最大的人造建築物嗎？來到這些有著非凡歷史的金字塔群參觀的遊客也可以去遊覽另一個著名遺跡――人面獅身像。這座雕像擁有人類的頭及獅子的身體，並守衛著這些金字塔。 　　Another attraction4 is the Nile River, which is the longest river in the world. Taking a boat trip down the Nile is a great idea. It is a way to see how the past and the present mix together. History is still alive and easily seen in Egypt, which is a great thing for anyone that has the chance to visit! 另一個觀光勝地是世上最長的河流――尼羅河。在尼羅河上坐船觀光是個很棒的主意。它能讓您看到過去與現代是如何相互交融。在埃及境內，遠古的歷史依舊歷歷在目、隨處可見，這對任何有機會到此一遊的人來說都是一大樂事！

Building Your Vocabulary

1. ancient　a. 古老的，年代久遠的
There are many ancient temples in Taiwan.
台灣有很多古老的廟宇。
2. intense　a. 強烈的，極端的
The situation became too intense to handle.
情況變得太棘手，令人難以處理。
3. smelly　a. 有臭味的
Susan can't stand her husband's smelly feet.
蘇珊無法忍受她老公的臭腳丫。
4. dusty　a. 佈滿灰塵的
The dusty room made me sneeze a lot.
那個佈滿灰塵的房間使我猛打噴嚏。
5. man-made　a. 人造的
The man-made lake became a tourist spot.
那座人造湖變成了一個觀光景點。
6. structure　n. 建築物，結構體
The triangular structure is actually a library.
這棟三角形的建築物其實是一座圖書館。
7. guard　vt. 保衛，守衛
Robert's house is guarded by two dogs.
羅勃的家有兩隻狗看守著。

Phrases for Learning

◆ describe + 人∕物 + as + 形容詞　　將某人∕物描述得……
Vicky's boss described her as very clever.
薇琪的老闆把她說得非常聰明伶俐。

Extra Words

1. pyramid　n. 金字塔
2. tomb　n. 墓塚
3. monument　n. 遺跡；名勝古蹟
4. attraction　n. 吸引人之物

Grammar Check

...the Nile River, which is the longest river in the world.
（……是世上最長的河流――尼羅河。）
History is still alive and easily seen in Egypt, which is a great thing for...
（在埃及境內，遠古的歷史依舊歷歷在目、隨處可見，這對……來說都是一大樂事。）
1. 第一句所使用的關係代名詞 which 代替前面提到的專有名詞。專有名詞（如地名、人名等）及獨一性名詞（如 father，因爸爸只有一個）之後若接關係代名詞引導的形容詞子句時，該關係代名詞前須置逗點，此時該形容詞子句就稱為非限定修飾語。
Emily is going to New York City, which is home to the Statue of Liberty.
（艾蜜莉要去紐約市，那裡是自由女神像的所在地。）
2. 第二句所使用的關係代名詞 which 則有所不同，其所代替的是逗點前面的整個句子；此外，which 也可用以代替之前句子的部分概念，但不論是哪一種情形，which 之前都一定要置逗點。
Molly did well on her history test, which surprised me a lot.
（茉莉的歷史考得很好，這讓我大吃一驚。）