20100910 The Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan (2)

The Mud Volcanoes of Azerbaijan

A good way to see the volcanoes is to take a one-hour bus ride from the capital city, Baku, to the small town of Gobustan. From there, a large field of mud volcanoes is only a taxi ride away. Upon reaching the field, visitors will find themselves in an alien landscape dotted with dozens of volcanoes. They will be delighted as the mud inside these vents and cones gurgles and pops. Of course, visitors can't leave without sticking their hands into the cool and creamy mud, which is believed to have curative properties.

Since the mud volcanoes have been named a finalist in the New 7 Wonders of Nature campaign, local officals both expect and fear more tourists. In order to protect these natural treasures, the Azerbaijani government has declared several mud volcanoes protected sites. The Lok-Batan mud volcano, the most active and most famous of the bunch, is currently awaiting confirmation as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan may not be as awe-inspiring as gigantic volcanoes, but they offer visitors a fun and muddy way to connect with nature.

alien n. 外星人/外國人

alien adj. 陌生的/不熟悉的

=> strange, not familiar

eg: When Mike first moved overseas the new culture seemed so alien to him.

=> 當Mike剛剛搬到國外時，新的文化對他很陌生。

eg: Everything felt alien to us when we first moved.

=> 當我們剛搬家時，所有的一切都感覺很陌生。

final adj.

finalist n. 進入決賽者/參加決賽的人

=> one of the people to remain in the final part of the competition

eg: All of the finalists in the singing contest will sing two songs at the competition.

=> 這個唱歌比賽所有入圍決賽選手將在比賽中唱二首歌曲。

eg: One of the finalists dropped out of the game due to an injury.

=> 有一位決賽選手因為受傷退出比賽。

confirmation n. 確定/確證

confirm v. 確認/確定

eg: The patient is waiting on confirmation from the hospital indicating the tumor is benign.

=> 病人在等待醫院的確認腫瘤是良性的。

eg: Your order's written confirmation will be sent to you by mail.

=> 您書面的訂貨確認單會用郵寄的方式寄給你。

gurgle n. 汩汩流水聲

cure v. 治療

=> heal

curative adj. 治病的

UNESCO 聯合國教育科學暨文化組織

=> United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

//== Chat room ==//

a taxi ride away

=> 指不遠的距離

當你要形容很近的距離時，以下這三個句子都可以使用

(1) within shouting distance 距離近到可以聽到對方吼叫

=> 在吼叫的範圍內

(2) a stone's throw away

=> 丟擲石頭的距離

(3) a hop, skip and a jump

=> 田徑賽的三級跳

//== More Information ==//

The Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape is one of Azerbaijan's most famous tourist sites. Just outside the village of Gobustan, this area contains over 6,000 ancient rock carvings or petroglyphs. The carvings are found in caves and along outcrappings of rock. The oldest carvings date back to the 12th century B.C. More recent carvings include graffiti written by Roman soldiers 2,000 years ago.