到澳洲的神秘巨石堆探險What is Uluru? by By Gary A. Warner / (c) 2004, The Orange County Re
Discover the mystery and wonder of Uluru 一探烏魯魯的神祕與奇觀
Australians have all sorts of cheery nicknames for the thousands of miles of hot, hard continent that lie beyond the coastal crust where anybody with an ounce of common sense lives.
So why am I smack in the middle of the hardest, hottest spot of all, swatting flies and picking burrs out of my socks? Why am I standing in a parking lot with hundreds of other people staring silently at a mound of sandstone partially buried in a sun-baked desert? Because it is the Rock. Ayers. Uluru.
People are drawn from around the world to this odd bulge in the desert. It’s the most visited single spot on the continent. Rebekah Francis, a feisty local tour guide who is one-quarter Aborigine, says she can tell poeple's attitudes simply by what they call the place. "For the Aboriginal people, it is Uluru, a place to be revered and respected as a central part of their history and culture, " she says. " A lot of people respect that . But there are those from the Western cultures who come here to climb and conquer what they call Ayers Rock."
Uluru's ancient mysteries begin with its geology. Uluru is likely two-thirds buried, with the invisible part jutting below the surface at an 80-degree angle. The Rock is a magical place for the Aboriginal people-a place to be respected, best-visited through a six-mile Base Walk around the perimeter. But climbing the 1,141-foot-high Rock has been a goal of generations of white Australians and other tourists. Climbing the Rock is banned during high heat, strong winds or thunderstorms.
When the trail is open, the hike takes the physically fit about one hour up and one hour down-sometimes it involves stepping backwards on the steep crevices. Those who are more cardio-challenged should count on a four-to six-hour round trip. I choose to stay on ground level, partially out of respect for the wishes of the Aborigines. Also I stay partially out of the knowledge that an average of one person a year dies on the hike, either from heart attack or falling on the steep, sometimes slippery trail. Making it to the top isn't my personal obsession, so no point in endangering my fragile hold on existence.
Grammar
Rebekah Francis, a feisty local tour guide who is one quarter Aborigine, says she can tell people's attitudes simply by what they call the place.
She is one-quarter Aborigine.
half-Spanish and half-Korean.
half Scottish, one-quarter Irish, and one-quarter French.
one-eighth Italian.
Vocabulary
smack in the middle of something or smack dab in the middle of something-正中间
smack/ smack dab-准确地，恰巧的。正好在，正好碰上（遇上）。。。
*When we visited Austria, we were smack in the middle of a big music festival.
*We were smack dab in the middle of an argument when the boss came in the office.
swat-swatted/swatting 驱赶 （拍打），
*He was swatting flies with a rolled-up magazine.驱赶苍蝇。
*The hitter swatted the ball so hard that the bat broke. 打击者击打球。。。
feisty- 发"ai"的音。据理力争的，活耀的。有胆有识的。
*Sean is a feisty advocate for equal right for immigrants.
*Janet is a feisty redhead who dares to say what she thinks.
jut-jutted/jutting- stick out 突出，凸出， 延伸出来（去）
*Her hip bones jutted out because of her birth defect.天生缺陷。
*The balcony of the hotel room juts out above the garden.
burrs out- 把芒草拔除。butts-芒草，芒刺，
mound-elevate or raise area.
cheery-happy, fun, joyful.
crust-hard outer covering of something.
bulge- curve stick out.
*You have bulge in your packet.
revere- sense of awe and respect.
perimeter-周围，边远，
*The police set road blocks around the perimeter of the town to stop the fugitive from running away.
*A river runs along the perimeter of this village.
*The perimeter of the football field can be calculated with a formula.周围的长度，周长
ban-banned/ banning-禁止，发禁令。
*This movie was banned in Mainland China.
*The player is banned till the competition is over.
cardio-challenged/ physical-challenged- 心脏弱的/ 肢体残障的. cardio-与心脏有关的
obsession- think out someone or something all the time, have whole heart for something or something.
endanger- in danger, may get harm or hurt.
fragile-delicate, easy get damaged.
Chat Room
parking-泊车，停车。
parking lot-户外停车场。
parking garage-室内立体停车场。
garage-修车厂
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round-circle, indirect, or go and come back..
one-way trip / round trip-单程/双程（来回旅程）
turn around-转回。转身。
one-way ticket-单程票
round trip ticket-双程来回票
roundabout-园寰（英） - rotary/ traffic circle 园寰（美国）
roundabout- 兜圈子，迂回委婉
say something in a roundabout way-用委婉的方法表达。
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