20090814 -- Cruising Down to Mexico (3)

Cruising Down to Mexico

A diver's paradise
We arrived next at Mexico's largest island, Cozumel. Historically, the area was an important center of worship for the Maya. The region later fell into decline and remained that way until underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau discovered it in the early 1960s. Once again, the island came to life as tourists visited what Cousteau called, "one of the greatest diving destinations in the world!"

An undersea garden
To view the underwater wonders, we boarded a much smaller boat and motored an hour out to sea to reach the world-famous Palancar Reef. With snorkels on, we jumped into the warm water and began drifting above the world's second largest barrier reef system. Sea turtles and brightly colored reef fish immediately became visible. Even more impressive than sea creatures, though, was the reef itself! The giant coral mountain looked like an undersea garden, boasting sea fans and sponges in brilliant shades of purples, oranges and other amazing colors. As tempting as it was to bring back a piece of coral as a souvenir, the reef is protected. Instead, I took lots of underwater pictures to go along with my memories of Cousteau's beloved Palancar Reef.


come to life 甦醒過來/活潑起來
=> become animated
eg: The sleepy Mexican town comes to life each day after the sun goes down.
eg: Kate is quiet at home, but when she's with her friends, she comes to life.
eg: The dull party finally came to life when the band arrived.

snorkel n. 潛艇換氣裝置
eg: You need to wear a mask and snorkel when you go swimming so you can see all the fish.

coral Un. 珊瑚
eg: coral reefs 珊瑚礁
eg: The Great Barrier Reef of Australia is the largest coral reef system in the world.
eg: a coral necklace 珊瑚項鍊
eg: You'll find many kinds of fish around coral reefs.

coral adj. 珊瑚色的
eg: Terry wore a coral necktie with a grey shirt.

temp v. 誘惑/引誘
tempting adj. 誘惑人的/吸引人的/令人躍躍欲試的
=> create a desire for you to do something that you probably shouldn't do
eg: It's tempting to have dessert every day, but you will gain weight if you eat too many sweets.
eg: The chocolate mousse looks so tempting.
eg: Your invitation is very tempting, but I have to pass this time.

boast v. 自吹自擂/誇耀
eg: My mother boasts her hand-made cakes.
(我媽媽以她的手工蛋糕為自豪)

sea fan n. 海扇/扇珊瑚
sponge n. 海綿

//== Chat room ==//

drift off 打盹
=> fall asleep
=> doze off

drift away/apart 在水中緩慢的漂流，越漂越遠(也抽象的用作朋友之間逐漸的疏遠)
eg: We drift apart after graduating.

catch one's drift 了解某人/聽得懂某人說的話