One City, Three Religions
一座城市,三種信仰

語音播放:

If you’ve ever heard about the city of Jerusalem on the news, it was probably related to something bad, such as bombs exploding or people being killed. As a matter of fact, Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is the capital city of Israel, but the people of Palestine also consider it their capital. What’s more, Jerusalem is very important to the people of three different religions. It’s no wonder they are always fighting over it.
倘若你曾在新聞中聽過耶路撒冷,也許是關於一些不好的事情像是炸彈爆炸或是人們被槍殺。事實上,耶路撒冷是世界上最古老的城市之一。這座古城是以色列首都,但巴勒斯坦的人民依然將耶路撒冷當作他們的首都。此外,耶路撒冷對三種不同宗教的很重要。難怪人們總是在爭奪這座古城。

語音播放:

For the Jewish people, Jerusalem has been their homeland since ancient times. For Christians, Jerusalem is where Jesus gave many of his teachings and also where he died. For Muslims, Jerusalem is the third most important city. They believe that Muhammad went to heaven and spoke to Allah (God) there.
對猶太民族來說,耶路撒冷自古時就是他們的家園。對天主教而言,那是耶穌傳授教義之處,同時也是他喪生的地點。對穆斯林而言,那是第三重要的都市。他們相信穆罕默德就在這裡升天與天神阿拉對話。

語音播放:

Because these groups of people are often at war with one another, the Old City can be a dangerous place to visit. Despite this, 3.5 million tourists come to Jerusalem every year, many of them hoping to pray in this sacred place.  
由於這些族群的人們經常與之交惡,古城可能會是危險的觀光景點。但儘管如此,三百五十萬名旅客每年到訪耶路撒冷,他們許多人都希望能在這處聖地進行祈禱。

Vocabulary 好字精選

1. capital (n) the political center of a country  首都;資金
The capital of Germany is Berlin. 
柏林是德國首都。

2. homeland (n) a person or people’s native/original land 家園;鄉土
Peter will return to his homeland to visit his family during the holiday.  
Peter放假期間會回到他的家鄉去拜訪他的家人。

3. heaven (n) where God resides and where people are thought to go after they die in many religions  天堂;極樂之地
Christians believe that all good people go to heaven after they die.   
天主教徒相信所有的好人死後會上天堂。

4. pray (v) to speak to God  祈禱;祈求
Sammy prayed to God and asked him for courage.  
Sammy向上天祈禱祈求上天給他勇氣。

5. sacred (adj) important in a spiritual/religious way  神聖的;宗教(性)的
It is important to dress appropriately and be respectful when you enter a sacred place.  
當你進入一個神聖的地點,穿著適當與表達尊重是很重要的。

Phrases and Sentence Patterns 句型解析

1. as a matter of fact (phr) in fact  事實上
As a matter of fact, the adult human body is made up of 50-65% water.
事實上,成人的身體有百分之五十及百分之六十五的水。

2. fight over sth. (phr) to fight for possession of something  為…爭奪
The two kids got in trouble for fighting over the toy.
兩位孩子為了爭奪玩具而陷入麻煩。

3. one another (phr) each other, but when more than two people are involved  彼此
All the guests chatted with one another happily.
所有的客人彼此間開心地聊天。

Exercise 課後練習題

1. Canberra is the ________________ but not the largest city in Australia.
坎培拉是澳洲首都但不再是最大城。

2. Central and Southern China was the original _______________ of the Hakka people.
中國的中部及南部是客家人的家鄉。

3. Mrs. Carter was relieved because her sick husband had finally passed away and gone to _______________.
因為Carter太太生病的丈夫終於過世上了天堂,她覺得如釋重負。

4. All the students were ______________ for good weather on their graduation trip.
所有的學生都為他們的畢業之旅祈禱好天氣。

5. People in India believe the cow is ______________ so they never kill it.
印度的人們相信牛是神聖的,因此他們從不宰殺牛隻。

6. Julianne is a really bright student. _______________, she always has the highest scores in the class.
Julianne真是一名聰明的學生。事實上,她一直是班上最高分。

7. Instead of _____________ the island, the two countries decided to share it.
這兩個國家決定分享這座島嶼,而非爭奪。

8. The new workers had to introduce themselves to _______________.
新員工得要彼此互相介紹。

解答:
1.capital
2.homeland
3.heaven
4.praying
5.sacred
6.As a matter of fact
7.fighting over
8.one another

Comprehension Questions 閱讀理解

1. How many countries or states consider Jerusalem their most important city?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. We don’t know.   

2. What can we learn from the article?    
a. Possible danger doesn’t prevent tourists from visiting Jerusalem.      
b. Jerusalem is the world’s most dangerous city.  
c. Jews are the strongest force in the city of Jerusalem.  
  d. It is no longer possible to pray in the sacred Old City of Jerusalem.

解答:
1. 有多少國家或州認為耶路撒冷是最重要的城市?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. We don’t know.   

2. 我們可以從這篇文章學到甚麼?
a. 潛在的危險無法阻止觀光客到耶路撒冷觀光。
b. 耶路撒冷是世界上最危險的城市。
c. 猶太人是耶路撒冷最強大的軍力。
d. 要在耶路撒冷古城進行祈禱不再有可能。

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