Located in the picturesquemountains of eastern Spain, the small town of Buñol might appear to be just another idyllic place in the Spanish countryside. However, it is home to one of the world’s most popular food fights. Each August, tens of thousands of people from all around the globe swarm intoBuñol to take part in La Tomatina.
On the last Wednesday of August, you will find the streets of Buñol full of people eagerly waiting to hear the blastof a cannon. This signifiesthe start of La Tomatina, an event where participants hurl thousands of pounds of tomatoes at each other. The streets become a free-for-all after truckloads of tomatoes are dumpedinto the town square. For an hour after the cannon is fired, peopleindulge in the festivity by pelting juicy tomatoes at each other.
While there is no consensuson the origins of this festival, it is commonly believed to have begun during the mid-20th century. At the time, some young men wanted to join a parade to honor a religious figure in Buñol but were forbiddento do so. They possibly became angry and began throwing tomatoes taken from a nearby vegetable stallat each other and other attendees. Many people enjoyed the impromptu tomato fight and decided to bring more tomatoes to the event to throw at people the following year. Since then, the tomato fight and its reputationhave continued to grow.
Local officials bannedthe tomato fight for a few years, going so far as toarrest people who tried to participate. In 1957, as a sign of protestagainst the ban, locals held a tomato burialevent, where they carried a large coffin filled with tomatoes through the streets. The ban was soon lifted and in the 1980s, the authoritiesassumed responsibility for organizing La Tomatina, which is now an official festival.
I was attracted to the picturesque view of the valley. 山谷如畫般的景色令我深深著迷。
多益藍色
英檢中高
●
blast
[blæst]
n. 一陣強風 / 氣流；爆
vt. & vi. 爆破
vt. 使炸出；炸開
=
explosion
=
explode
=
a gust of wind
A sudden blast of wind blew my hat away and I had to run after it.
突然一陣強風把我的帽子吹走，讓我得追著它跑。
It is reported that there were 20 people killed in the blast.
據報導，有 20 人在此爆炸中喪生。
We blasted the door open with a bomb.
我們用炸彈把門炸開了。
The workmen tried to blast away at the road surface, but to no avail.
工人們試圖爆破路面，但徒勞無功。
We watched the spaceshipblast off on TV.
我們在電視上看見太空船升空。
The sudden explosion blasted out many windows in the buildings.
那場突然的爆炸使許多建築物的窗戶被噴飛。
高中 Level 5
●
signify
[ˋsɪgnə͵faɪ]
vt. 表示；代表
This ring signifies my love for you.
這只戒指代表我對你的愛。
英檢中高
●
dump
[dʌmp]
vt. 丟棄，隨意扔；甩，分手
n. 垃圾集中處
The police finally found the stolen car, which had been dumped near the beach.
警方最後尋獲了這輛失竊的車子，它被丟棄在海灘附近。
That guy is really a jerk. I’m glad Lucy dumped him.
那個傢伙是個渾球。我很高興露西甩了他。
Mom asked me to take the garbage bag to the dump.
媽媽要我把那包垃圾拿去丟在垃圾集中處。
高中 Level 3
●
consensus
[kənˋsɛnsəs]
n. 共識
=
agreement
So far we haven’t reached any consensus on that matter.
到目前為止我們尚未就那件事達成任何共識。
多益金色
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
●
forbid
[fɚˋbɪd]
.vt. 禁止
三態
forbid / forbade [fɚˋbæd] / forbidden [fɚˋbɪdn]
Smoking is forbidden in this building.
本大樓內禁止吸菸。
Kimberly’s parents absolutely forbid her to go out after midnight.
金柏莉的父母嚴禁她半夜出門。
Kimberly’s parents absolutely forbid her from going out after midnight.
金柏莉的父母嚴禁她半夜出門。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
stall
[stɔl]
vt. & vi. (使) 引擎熄火；（飛機的）失速
n. (尤指露天的) 小攤位
=
stand
We saw a few stalls selling exotic food in the outdoor market.
我們在露天市集上看見有幾個攤位販賣異國食品。
The pilot of the small plane stalled the engine by climbing too steeply and too high.
這架小飛機的駕駛員因為攀升地太陡峭、太高而使引擎熄火了。
My car stalled this morning, and I had no money with me, so I had to walk all the way to work.
今天早上我的車子熄火了，同時我身上沒有錢，因此只好一路步行去上班。
多益棕色
英檢中高
高中 Level 5
●
reputation
[͵rɛpjəˋteʃən]
n. 名譽，名聲
The sex scandal has ruined the reputation of the politician.
這樁性醜聞毀了這位政治人物的名聲。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
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
●
protest
[prəˋtɛst]
vt. 反駁（用 that 子句作受詞）
.vt. & vi. 抗議
Thousands of students took to the streets to protest high tuition fees.
數千名學生走上街頭抗議高學費。
The villagers protested against the construction of the nuclear power plant in their neighborhood.
村民們抗議在他們住處附近興建核電廠。
All the staff members in the company had the feeling that Peter was very lazy, but he protested that it was not the case at all.
公司所有員工都覺得彼得很懶惰，但他反駁事實根本不是那樣。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
burial
[ˋbɛrɪəl]
n. 葬禮;埋葬
The soldier was given a state burial in honor of sacrificing his life for his country.
這位士兵獲得國葬禮遇，紀念他為國犧牲。
The burial site of the renowned writer has become a hot tourist spot.
那位名作家的葬身地點已成了熱門觀光景點。
高中 Level 5
●
authority
[əˋθɔrətɪ]
n. 權威（不可數）；權威人士（可數）；有關當局（恆用複數）
Our parents have authority over us when we are young.
小時候，父母可完全支配我們。
My cousin is an authority on photography.
我表哥在攝影方面是個權威。
The authoritiesconcerned should take immediate action to deal with the problem. 有關當局應立刻採取行動處理此問題。
英檢中級
高中 Level 4
●
indulge
[ɪnˋdʌldʒ]
vt. & vi. (使)沉溺，縱容
Elsie ’s grandparents always indulge her and give her everything she asks for.
艾爾希的祖父母一直很寵溺她，所以她有求必應。
Sophia absolutely loves chocolate, but she tries to control herself and not indulge her desires to avoid becoming fat.
蘇菲亞十分愛吃巧克力，但她試著克制自己、不放縱慾望以免變胖。
Shortly after his wife left him, Tom began to indulge in drinking.
湯姆的太太離他而去後不久，他便開始酗酒了。
高中 Level 5
●
swarm
[swɔrm]
n. 一群
vt. & vi. . 擠滿
Tourists swarmed the famous attraction and kept
taking pictures.
遊客擠滿了該知名景點，一直在拍照。
The rock concert was swarming with teenagers.
那場搖滾演唱會擠滿了青少年。
A swarm of locusts ate all the crops in the area. 一大群蝗蟲把這地區所有的農作物都吃光了。
高中 Level 6
Extra Words
●
idyllic
[aɪˋdɪlɪk]
a. 美麗寧靜的；田園詩的
●
cannon
[ˋkænən]
n. （舊時的）大炮／火炮／加農炮
vt. 砲轟，砲擊
vi. 開砲，砲轟；相撞
●
free-for-all
[ˋfrifɚˋɔl]
n. 不受控制的局面
●
truckload
[ˋtrʌk͵lod]
n. 一貨車之量
●
festivity
[fɛsˋtɪvətɪ]
n. 慶祝活動
●
attendee
[əˋtɛndi]
n. 出席者
●
impromptu
[ɪmˋprɑmptju]
a. 即興的
●
coffin
[ˋkɔfɪn]
n. 棺材，靈柩
The workers dug a hole and lowered the coffin into the grave.
工人們挖了一個坑，然後把棺材放進墓裡。
高中 Level 5
●
assume
[əˋsjum]
vt. 假定，認為（以 that ... 作受詞）；負起（責任）
Paul assumed that his girlfriend was joking when she said he was ugly.
保羅的女友說他很醜時，他認定她一定是在開玩笑。
After his parents passed away, the boy assumed the burden of raising the family.
男孩的父母雙亡後，他便負起養家的責任。
多益藍色
英檢初級
高中 Level 3
Practical Phrases
●
go so far as to
甚至到（做）⋯⋯的地步
To get a passing grade, Mark went so far as to cheat on the test.
為了讓成績及格，馬克甚至到了在考試上作弊的地步。
●
indulge (oneself) in...
(使自己) 沉溺於......
Shortly after his wife left him, Tom began to indulge in drinking.
湯姆的太太離他而去後不久，他便開始酗酒了。
●
swarm into
湧入⋯⋯
Excited fansswarmed into the pop-up store to buy limited items.
興奮的粉絲湧入那間快閃店購買限量商品。
●
be home to...
是⋯⋯的大本營／聚集地
The forest is home to many different types of animals.
這座森林裡有許多不同種類的動物。
