Egypt

　　Ever since Herodotus2, the ancient Greek historianand traveler, first described Egypt as“the gift of theNile3”, she has been capturing the imagination of allwho visit her.

　　The awe -inspiring monuments, left by thePharaohs, Greeks and Romans as well as by the earlyChristians and Muslims, attract thousands of visitorsevery year — but the pyramids, temples, tombs, monasteries and mosques are just part of thiscountry’s fascination.

　　Modern Egypt —where mud-brick villages stand beside Pharaonic ruins surrounded by toweringsteel, stone and glass buildings — is at the cultural crossroads of East and West, ancient andmodern. While TV antennae decorate rooftops everywhere, from the crowded apartmentblocks of Cairo to the mud homes of farming villages and the goatskin tents of the Bedouins4,the fellahin throughout the Nile’s fertile valley still tend their fields with the archaic tools oftheir ancestors.

　　In the gargantuan5city of Cairo the sound of the muezzin6 summoning the faithful to prayercompetes with the pop music of ghetto blasters7 and the screech of car horns. Andeverywhere there are people : swathed in long flowing robes or western-style clothes, hangingfrom buses, weaving through an obstacle course of animals and exhaust-spewing traffic orspilling from hivelike buildings.

　　Spectacular edifices aside, the attraction of this country lies in its incredible natural beauty andin the overwhelming hospitality of the Egyptian people .

　　Through everything the Nile River flows serene and majestic, the lifeblood of Egypt as it hasbeen since the beginning of history.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. Give the synonyms to the following words:

　　1. archaic 2 . swathe 3. incredible 4 . screech 5. serene 6 . gargantuan

　　Ⅱ. Translate the sentences into English with the words in parenthe ses :

　　1. 她的精彩表演使观众为之神往。( capture )

　　2. 她初见长城时, 敬畏之感油然而生。( awe)

　　3. 他被召进宫里。( summon)

　　4. 消除紧张的方法在于学会放松。( lie )

　　参考答案

　　Ⅰ. 1. ancient / antique 2 . wrap / clothe 3.unbelievable / inconceivable 4 . shriek / scream 5.quiet / tranquil / peaceful 6 . giant / huge /tremendous

　　Ⅱ. 1. Her brilliant performance captured theaudience’s imagination. 2. Her first view of the GreatWall filled her with awe. 3. He was summoned to thepalace. 4. The cure for stress lies in learning to relax.

　　参考译文

　　尼罗河的馈赠—埃及

　　自古希腊历史学家、旅行家希罗多德首次将埃及描述为“ 尼罗河的礼物”以来, 埃及就 一直让所有参观过此地的人为之神往。

　　法老们、希腊人、罗马人以及早期基督徒和穆斯林们遗留下来的历史遗迹使人产生敬 畏之心, 每年都吸引了成千上万的参观者— 金字塔、庙宇、陵墓、修道院和清真寺, 它们只 是这个国家令人着迷的事物中的一部分。

　　现代埃及泥砖搭建的村庄和法老王宫的废墟咫尺而立, 它们又被由钢铁、石块和 玻璃建成的高耸的大厦所包围正处在东西文化和古今文明的交叉口上。无论是开罗 拥挤的公寓楼, 还是农场村庄的泥土房和贝都因人山羊皮搭成的帐篷, 这些屋顶上如今都 架着电视天线, 与此同时, 肥沃的尼罗河流域的农民们还依旧用先祖们曾使用的原始工具 照料着耕地。

　　在开罗这个大城市, 宣礼员召唤忠实信徒做祷告的声音与黑人音盒里放出来的流行音 乐及汽车喇叭的刺耳啸鸣交相呼应。到处都是人: 裹着飘拂长袍的或穿着西式服装的, 他 们有的悬吊在公交车外面, 有的在夹杂着家畜和排着废气的车辆的路上迂回穿行, 还有的 从蜂窝式的楼群里一涌而出。

　　除了富丽豪华的摩天大厦之外, 这个国家吸引人的地方还在于她那壮美的自然风光和 埃及人民极度热情好客的风俗。

　　尼罗河流过万物, 有史以来, 它就是那么静谧、高贵, 它是埃及的血脉。