People are fascinatedby places that were once lively but later became abandoned. These places, often called ghost towns, possessa strange beauty that invites people to piece together the scatteredclues of past stories. One of the most intriguing♦ can be found in Kolmanskop, Namibia. Sand has invadedevery corner of the abandoned buildings of Kolmanskop and is gradually swallowing them whole.
Located in the Namib Desert in southern Africa, Kolmanskop used to be a fancy town in the middle of a dry, endless desert. This place sprung uprapidly after the discovery of diamonds in 1908. As news of the amazing find spread, peopleflocked tothe area to seek their fortunes. Soon, it became a dynamictown that contributed a significant share of the world’s diamond production. Kolmanskop boasted the first X-ray station in the southern hemisphere. It even had the first tram, a type of train that traveled on tracks along public streets, in Africa.
However, the boomin diamond production around Kolmanskop was short-lived. A series of events led to the town’s fall and eventualcollapse. In the late 1920s, a much larger diamond field was found south of Kolmanskop. In addition, fewer and fewer diamonds were being found in the area. As a result, by 1956, the town was completely abandoned.
Kolmanskop wasn’t ready to fadeinto the sands, though. The De Beers mining company opened a museum there in 1980 to preservethe town’s history. Moreover, a private company has been offering tours to Kolmanskop since 2002. Tourists can see old buildings in various states of ruinas the sand creepsin and invades the structures. Though the diamonds are gone, Kolmanskop’s magic lives on, with its history drawing curious souls to its dustystreets.
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
possess
[pəˋzɛs]
.vt. 擁有，持有；（鬼魂）附身於（用於下列片語中）
The man was arrested for possessing drugs when he arrived in the country.
這名男子抵達該國時，因持有毒品而被捕。
Peter’s fatheris possessed ofa good sense of humor.
彼得的父親很有幽默感。
Peter’s father possesses a good sense of humor.
彼得的父親很有幽默感。
The boy seemed to be possessedby evil spirits.
這男孩似乎被邪靈附身了。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
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scattered
[ˋskætɚd]
a. 散布的
The scattered leaves painted the forest’s ground in a mix of gold and red. 灑落一地的樹葉讓森林的地面交錯染上金黃色和紅色。
英檢中高
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invade
[ɪnˋved]
.vt. 侵入，侵略
=
attack
=
assault
The enemy invaded the town while everyone was sound asleep.
敵軍趁大家熟睡時入侵這個城鎮。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
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dynamic
[daɪˋnæmɪk]
a. 充滿活力的
=
energetic
Stacey is so dynamic that she is able to work during the day and moonlight at night.
史黛西精力充沛，因此能白天工作晚上兼差。
高中 Level 4
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contribute
[kənˋtrɪbjut]
vt. 捐助，貢獻 & vi. 促成，導致（與介詞 to 並用）
The generous man contributed a large sum of money to charity.
這位慷慨人士捐了一大筆錢給慈善事業。
Hard work alone does not necessarily contribute to success.
光靠努力不一定就會成功。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
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boast
[bost]
vt. 以擁有……而自豪
vi. 自誇
n. 自誇；引以為榮的事物
That little girl likes to boast about her brother’s abilities.
那個小女孩喜歡吹噓她哥哥的能力。
The small town boasts the best hotel in the world.
這小鎮以擁有世上最棒的飯店自豪。
When Justin told me how far he could run, I knew it was just an empty boast.
賈斯汀告訴我他可以跑多遠時，我知道他只是在瞎吹牛。
It is Sophie’s proud boast that she has been to every country in Europe.
蘇菲去過歐洲每一個國家這件事讓她引以為傲。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
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eventual
[ɪˋvɛntʃʊəl]
a. 終究的，最後的
=
last
=
final
No one suspected the eventual result of the decision.
沒有人懷疑那項決定的最終結果。
I have confidence in our team’s eventual victory.
我有信心我們的隊伍會贏得最後的勝利。
高中 Level 4
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collapse
[kəˋlæps]
vi. & n. 崩塌
=
fall down
Over 50 houses collapsed in the earthquake.
超過 50 棟房子在地震中倒塌。
The collapse of the world’s tallest building was a shock to everyone.
世界最高的建築物倒塌，讓大家很震驚。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
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fade
[fed]
vi. 褪色；漸弱
General MacArthur once said, “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”
麥克阿瑟將軍曾說：『老兵不死，只是凋零。』
When the music faded out, the show host walked onto the stage.
音樂漸弱時，節目主持人走上舞臺。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
●
preserve
[prɪˋzɝv]
vt. 保存；維持；醃製
n. 果醬，蜜餞（常用複數）
=
conserve
=
reserve
The local residents want the ancient temple to be preserved for future generations.
當地居民希望能為後代子孫維護這座歷史悠久的寺廟。
The police must preserve public order.
警方必須維持公共秩序。
What is the best method of preserving plums? 醃製梅子最好的方法是什麼？
I like peach preserves on toast.
我喜歡吐司抹上桃子果醬吃。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
ruin
[ˋrʊɪn]
vt. 毀掉，毀壞
n. 廢墟（可數）；毀壞（不可數）
The once prosperous city is now lying in ruins.
這座曾經繁華一時的城市現在成了廢墟。
The owner had no money and let the house fall into ruin.
屋主沒有錢，讓房子陷入毀壞的狀態。
An accident ruined Don’s dream to be a sports star.
一場車禍毀了唐想當運動明星的美夢。
高中 Level 4
●
dusty
[ˋdʌstɪ]
a. 蒙上灰塵的
As we entered the old house, we saw dusty books all over the floor.
我們進入老房子時，看到地上到處都是蒙上灰塵的書。
高中 Level 4
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fascinating
[ˋfæsn͵etɪŋ]
a. 迷人的
=
charming
=
appealing
The book had a dull name, but after I read it,
I found it quite fascinating.
這本書的書名很無趣，可是在我讀過之後，我發現它很吸引人。
高中 Level 5
●
fascinate
[ˋfæsn͵et]
vt. 使著迷
=
charm
The animal from Australia was such a strange sight to the children that it fascinated them.
這隻來自澳洲的動物對小朋友們來說是這般奇特的景象，讓他們被這隻動物迷住。
Tim was fascinated by the girl’s sweet and tender voice on the phone.
電話中這位女孩的聲音甜美又溫柔，把提姆給迷住了。
多益金色
英檢中級
高中 Level 5
●
intriguing
[ɪnˈtrigɪŋ]
adj. 迷人的，令人好奇的
英檢中高
高中 Level 6
●
hemisphere
[ˋhɛməs͵fɪr]
n. （地球）半球
Most penguins, such as the emperor penguin, live in the southern hemisphere.
大部分的企鵝，如皇帝企鵝，是住在南半球。
高中 Level 6
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tram
[træm]
n. 有軌電車
●
boom
[bum]
n. & vi. 突趨繁榮，迅速增長
=
prosper
=
flourish
This year has seen a boom in car sales in India.
今年印度的汽車銷售量大增。
Our business is booming this year because of the rising demand for our products in the market.
我們今年生意興隆，因為市場對我們產品的需求量升高。
高中 Level 5
●
creep
[krip]
vi. 爬行；緩慢前進
三態
creep / crept / crept
=
crawl
Lisa screamed when she found a roach creepingdown the wall.
麗莎看見蟑螂從牆上爬下來時，尖叫了一聲。
高中 Level 4
Practical Phrases
●
spring up
如雨後春筍般出現
Coffee shops spring up on nearly every corner in the city.
這座城市的咖啡店如雨後春筍般出現，幾乎處處可見。
●
flock to + 地方
聚集到某地
Thousands of people flocked to the rock concert.
數千人齊聚參加這場搖滾演唱會。
●
a series of + 複數名詞
一系列的……
There have been a series of burglaries on the east side of the town.
城鎮的東區發生了一連串的竊盜案件。
abandoned a. 廢棄的（通常用以強調某地疏於照顧維護） • Machines in the abandoned factory have rusted away.
那間廢棄工廠裡頭的機器已經鏽壞了。
以下介紹與「廢棄的，無人的」相關的近義字：
a. deserted a. 棄置的，荒涼的（通常用以強調空無一人） • This deserted amusement park used to be lively years ago.
這間廢棄遊樂園幾年前曾經很熱鬧。
b. uninhabited a. 杳無人煙的（尤指某地長時間無人居住） • That remote island is uninhabited, with only wildlife roaming freely.
該偏僻小島杳無人煙，上頭只有野生動物自由漫步。
c. unoccupied a. 閒置的
（用以形容某個空間無人居住或是目前無人使用） • That house for rent has been unoccupied for over a month.
那間待出租的房子已經閒置了一個多月。
