There is no other city on Earth like Varanasi, India. In fact, it is one of the oldest cities in the world. People have been living there for over 3,000 years. Around 2,500 years ago, the Buddha gave his first teachings in the area. Today, it is mostly visited by followers of Hinduism, which is the main religion in India. Most Hindus travel to Varanasi to either pray or die.
Varanasi is the home of Shiva, who is one of the most important Hindu gods. When Hindus reach Varanasi, they gather on the 88 staircasesbeside the Ganges River. At the bottom of the stairs, they bathe in the river to wash away their sins. After people die, their bodies are burned beside the river, and the ashesare spread into the flowing water.
In Hinduism, all life is important. Therefore, nearly half of all Hindus are vegetarian. The cow is especiallyrespected, so most Hindus never eat beef. In the past, some restaurants in Varanasi still served meat for non-vegetarian visitors. However, in 2019, the pro-Hindu government bannedmeat within 250 meters of any temples or culturalattractionsin the city, especially near the Ganges River.
單字片語整理
Words in Use
●
mostly
[ˋmostlɪ]
adv. 主要地
=
mainly
=
primarily
John succeeded mostly because he worked hard and had great ambition.
約翰能夠成功主要是因為他努力工作又有強烈的企圖心。
高中 Level 3
●
religion
[rɪˋlɪdʒən]
n. 宗教（信仰）
Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. 宗教信仰自由是一項基本人權。
高中 Level 2
●
pray
[pre]
vt. & vi. 祈禱 / 求
Kent prayed that his grandfather would recover soon.
肯特祈禱他的爺爺能早日康復。
The woman’s husband was seriously ill, so she prayed to God for help.
那位婦人的丈夫病重，所以她祈求上帝幫助。
高中 Level 2
●
bathe
[beð]
vi. 洗澡
vt. 浸泡；幫……沐浴；使沉浸於 / 籠罩在……
Do you know why many Westerners like to bathe in the morning, rather than in the evening?
你知道為什麼很多西方人喜歡早上洗澡而不是晚上洗澡嗎？
The boy bathed his feet in the cold river water.
小男孩把雙腳浸泡在沁涼的河水中。
The baby smiled brightly when her mother bathed her.
小寶寶的媽媽幫她洗澡時，她笑得很燦爛。
The church was bathed in golden sunlight.
教堂浸浴在金色的陽光下。
高中 Level 2
●
especially
[əˋspɛʃəlɪ]
adv. 特別地；專門地
Everyone in our class studies very hard, especially Ashley.
我們班上每個人都很用功，尤其是艾希莉。
This program is especially designed for the elderly.
這程式是特地為老年人所設計的。
高中 Level 2
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respect
[rɪˋspɛkt]
n. & vt. 敬重
●
cultural
[ˋkʌltʃərəl]
adj. 文化的
The argument was caused by cultural differences.
這場爭執是由於文化差異所引起的。
高中 Level 2
●
spiritual
[ˋspɪrɪtʃʊəl]
a. 精神上的，心靈上的
I enjoy listening to music because it can fill up my spiritual emptiness.
我喜歡聽音樂，因為音樂能填補我心靈的空虛。
The man was in spiritual torment after the incident.
事件發生後，這名男子心靈上很痛苦。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
staircase
[ˋstɛr͵kes]
n. 樓梯（間）
英檢中級
●
sin
[sɪn]
n. 罪惡
vi. 犯罪
三態
sin / sinned [sɪnd] / sinned [sɪnd]
In the eyes of my boss, wasting time is a sin.
我的老闆認為浪費時間就是一種罪惡。
You have sinned and brought great shame on the family.
你犯了罪並且使家族蒙羞。
高中 Level 3
●
ashes
[æʃɪs]
n. 骨灰（恆為複數）
●
ban
[bæn]
vt. 下令禁止
n. 禁令
三態
ban / banned [bænd] / banned [bænd]
=
prohibit
The law bans motor boats from entering within a 10-mile radius of this island.
法律禁止快艇進入這座島嶼周圍半徑 10 英里的範圍內。
Most students were unhappy when the school decided to impose a ban on their hairdos.
校方決定對學生的髮型實施禁令時，大部分的學生都很不悅。
The government lifted the ban on imported beef from Canada recently.
政府最近取消了從加拿大進口牛肉的禁令。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 5
●
attraction
[əˋtrækʃən]
n. 吸引力；愛慕；誘惑；吸引人的事物；景點
The movie’s greatest attraction for me is the all-star cast.
這部電影對我最大的吸引力是全明星的演員陣容。
Wealth and fame hold no attraction for Tom.
名利對湯姆毫無吸引力。
Chris could barely conceal his attraction to Melody.
克里斯很難隱藏自己對美樂蒂的愛戀。
Our main attraction tonight is the lucky draw.
我們今晚的重頭戲是摸彩。
The prison was turned into a tourist attraction after the government shut it down.
政府關閉了這座監獄後，它就變成了一個觀光景點。
多益綠色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
Practical Phrases
●
pray for...
為⋯⋯祈禱；祈求⋯⋯
●
at the bottom of...
在⋯⋯的底部
You can find the page number at the bottom of each page in the book.
你可以在書的每一頁下方找到頁碼。
