20090702 -- The Iberian Peninsula (1)

The Iberian Peninsula

A world of cultures in one unique region
Some say that Europe stops at the Pyrenees Mountains - the snowcapped mountain range that acts like a natural fence separating France from the Iberian Peninsula. Even though the statement isn't accurate, visitors easily notice many features that make the Iberian Peninsula look and feel different from its neighbors to the north.

Spain and Portugal comprise the majority of the peninsula, with Gibraltar Andorra and a small portion of France sharing the remainder. As the crossroads of Africa and Europe, the region has for centuries been a melting pot with many nations contributing to the area's interesting culture.


Britain, without the rain
At the southern tip of the peninsula lies Gibraltar, a British territory. English is the official language, fish and chips can be found with ease, and phone calls can even be made from London-style red phone booths. Must-sees are the famous Rock of Gibraltar, which stands 426 m tall and is home to a centuries-old fortress and the Barbary apes, Gibraltar's most famous locals. Ride up the rock to Europa Point for breathtaking views of both Africa and Europe. You'll feel like you've reached the very edge of the European continent -and indeed you have!


peninsula n. 半島
eg: My grandparents live in Miami, which is located at the southern end of the Florida peninsula.
eg: There's a lighthouse on the peninsula.
eg: Seoul is the largest city of the Korea Peninsula.

remain v. 剩餘
remainder n. 剩下部份/剩餘的人貨物
-> leftover
eg: You can take three dozen cookies to school tomorrow and we'll keep the remainder here at home.
eg: It was sunny for an hour this morning, but the remainder of the day has been rainy.
eg: The remainder of the food was kept in the fridge.

fortress n. 要塞/堡壘
-> strong military defense
eg: Our tour group climbed all 458 steps to the top of the ancient fortress.


breathtaking adj. 驚人的
-> it's so excellent/beautiful that it take your breath away
eg: The breathtaking beauty of a sunset is hard to capture in a photograph.


melting pot 文化/種族融合之處
eg: New Your City is a melting pot of many races.
eg: Fusion food is a melting pot of cuisines from many cultures.


comprise
= make up

phone booths 電話亭

//== Chat room ==//

multicultural adj. 具有多種文化的

diverse adj. 多樣的
-> a various
-> different kinds

culturally diverse 文化多樣的
-> there are many different cultures

diverse selection

pluralistic adj. 多元的
plural (文法)複數

ethnic group 有自己語言習俗的族群
(像是山東人和廣東人屬於不同的ethnic group，但是屬於同一個race)