For many people, even those passionate about traveling, the thought of visiting the Middle East isoften met withhesitation rather than excitement. However, in addition to being safe for travelers, certain places in the Middle East house some of the world’s most stunning treasures.
Perhaps the best example of such a treasure is the ancient city of Petra. Called “The Lost City of Jordan,” Petra is located in the northwest corner of the Arabian Peninsulain modern-day Jordan, a modestly-sized country sandwiched betweenthe larger nations of Syria and Saudi Arabia. For hundreds of years, Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Empire. From approximately 400 BCE to 106 CE, the Nabataeans dominated a large portion of what is now the Middle East, and Petra lay at the heart oftheir economic and trade activity. However, in 106 CE, the Nabataean Empire was taken overby the Roman Empire, and subsequently, the city began to lose its status as a center for regional trade. This was largely because the Romans were busy establishing routes for sea trade. In addition, multiple earthquakes between 106 and 700 CE caused considerable structural damage in Petra, which further accelerated its decline.
Jenny is passionate about dancing and spends most of her free time practicing.
珍妮很喜歡舞蹈，因此大部分的空閒時間都用來練習跳舞。
多益藍色
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
●
hesitation
[͵hɛzəˋteʃən]
n. 猶豫
Jane answered yes without a trace of hesitationwhen Charles proposed to her.
當查爾斯向珍求婚時，她毫不猶豫便答應了。
高中 Level 4
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stunning
[ˋstʌnɪŋ]
a. 令人吃驚的
=
astonishing
I was impressed with the actress’stunning debut performance.
我對這名女演員初次登臺的精彩表演印象深刻。
高中 Level 6
●
modestly
[ˋmɑdɪstlɪ]
adv. 謙虛地
●
approximately
[əˋprɑksəmɪtlɪ]
adv. 大約
The shareholders’meeting will begin in approximately half an hour.
股東會議大約在半小時後開始。
多益綠色
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
dominate
[ˋdɑmə͵net]
vt. 統治，支配；（山脈或建築物）俯瞰、在⋯⋯中佔主要地位、對⋯⋯有壓倒優勢
=
rule
The strong animal dominated the weak animal.
這隻強壯的動物支配那隻弱小的動物。
The big mountain dominates the landscape.
這座大山俯瞰四周的景色。
The house on the hilltop dominates the whole valley.
山頂上的這間房子可俯瞰整座山谷。
The house on the hilltop overlooks the whole valley.
山頂上的這間房子可俯瞰整座山谷。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
subsequently
[ˋsʌbsɪ͵kwɛntlɪ]
adv. 後來，接著
多益金色
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
●
status
[ˋstetəs]
n. 地位，身分；狀態，情況
The status of a teacher is not high in many countries.
在許多國家中老師的地位並不高。
What is the present status of the negotiations?
這次協商目前的情況如何？
Most people want to maintain their status quo and are reluctant to make any changes.
大部分的人都想要維持現狀，很不願做任何改變。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
route
[rut]
vt. 運送
n. 路線
=
way
I’m not sure which route we should take to get back home.
我不確定我們該走哪條路線才能回到家。
Most packages are routed via our Taipei office.
大多數的包裹都由我們的臺北辦公處運送。
多益綠色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
structural
[ˋstrʌktʃərəl]
a. 結構的
Fortunately, the typhoon only caused minor structural damage to the buildings.
幸好颱風僅造成建築物結構輕微的損害。
多益金色
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
●
accelerate
[ækˋsɛlə͵ret]
vt. & vi. （使）加速
=
speed up
The candidate proposed measures to accelerate the rate of economic growth.
候選人提出加速經濟發展的辦法。
The sports car can accelerate to a speed of 100 km per hour in just a few seconds.
這輛跑車可以在幾秒之間加速到時速 100 公里。
多益金色
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
●
peninsula
[pəˋnɪnsələ]
n. . 半島（大部分環海但部分連接陸地）
The Italian peninsula, which stretches to the
Mediterranean Sea, has the nickname “the boot”
because of its distinct shape.
延伸到地中海的義大利半島，因其獨特的形狀而有個『靴
子』的綽號。
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
archaeologist
[͵ɑrkɪˋɑlədʒɪst]
n. 考古學家
●
destination
[͵dɛstəˋneʃən]
n. 目的地
The train was delayed, so we were 10 hours late when we got to our destination.
火車延誤了，因此我們到達目的地時晚了 10 個小時。
Hawaii has always been a hot-spot tourist destination.
夏威夷一直是個熱門的觀光勝地。
多益綠色
英檢中級
高中 Level 5
●
initial
[ɪˋnɪʃəl]
a. 初期的
n. （姓名的）第一個字母
vt. 在……上簽署姓名的首字母
Paul’s initial effort was a failure, but he kept trying and finally succeeded.
保羅最初的努力失敗了，但他繼續嘗試最後終於成功。
The picture was signed with the initials“J.B.,”which stood for James Brown.
這幅畫落款的姓名縮寫是 J.B.，代表詹姆士•布朗。
Please read the contract carefully and then initial here.
請仔細閱讀合約後，接著在這裡簽下你姓名的開頭字母。
多益綠色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
Practical Phrases
●
the Arabian Peninsula
阿拉伯半島
●
remain unknown to...
不為⋯⋯所知
The techniques behind the construction of the Egyptian pyramids still remain unknown to the world.
建造埃及金字塔背後的技術仍不為世人所知。
●
be in ruins
淪為／成為廢墟
The small town was in ruins after a volcanic eruption.
這座小鎮在一場火山爆發後淪為廢墟。
●
at the heart of...
是⋯⋯的中心／樞紐
Tokyo's Akihabara is at the heart of Japan's anime industry.
東京的秋葉原是日本動漫產業的中心。
●
take... over / take over...
接管／接手⋯⋯
I will take over the project if you don't think you can handle it.
如果你覺得自己無法處理，那我會接手這項專案。
●
be sandwiched between
被夾在⋯⋯中間，介於⋯⋯之間
The church is sandwiched between the main road and the residential area.
這間教堂被夾在主要道路與住宅區之間。
●
be met with...
面臨⋯⋯，遭到⋯⋯
The government's decision to abolish the death penalty was met with protests.
政府廢除死刑的決定遭到抗議。
