【英语趣味课堂】爱尔兰岛- Ireland

I come from Ireland¹. It's a small country in the west of Europe. It's just next to the United² Kingdom.

 

The Irish³ flag has three colors: green, white and orange. You often see the Irish flag above important buildings like the government building, or the town hall.

 

One of the most important symbols of Ireland is the shamrock. The shamrock is a small green plant with three leaves, so the shamrock looks like a four leaf clover, but it only has three leaves, and they look like three hearts joined together.

 

In Ireland, the countryside is very beautiful. We have lots of lakes, mountains, beaches, and cliffs⁴ along the west coast, especially. Some of these cliffs are among the highest in Europe.

 

All around Ireland you can see lots of castles. We have a very long history in Ireland and there are many castles all over. Sometimes people still live in these castles. Sometimes, they are only for tourists to visit.

 

学习内容：

just next to

 

Ireland is a small country just next to the United Kingdom. 

We can use the phrase⁵ 'just next to' to describe the location⁶ of something compared to something else. It means⁷ 'very close to.' Notice the following:

 

Their new house is just next to a lake and a big park.

A new school is being build just next to the old one.

the government building

 

You often see the Irish flag above the government building or the town hall. 

 

A 'government building' is a building that is owned and used by the government of a country or city. Notice the following:

 

Government buildings usually have very high security⁸.

Most of the government buildings are in that neighborhood.

one of the most important symbols

 

One of the most important symbols of Ireland is the shamrock. 

A 'symbol' is a design that has significance⁹ for a group of people. If a symbol is 'one of the most important' symbols in a place it means that there are other symbols that are used and important, but not as important as this particular symbol. Notice the following:

 

A sun was one of the most important symbols that appeared before written language.

One of the most important symbols of Mexico is an eagle.

a very long history

 

We have a very long history in Ireland and there are many castles all over. 

If a place has a 'very long history' it means that we know what has happened there from the present and far into the past. Notice the following:

 

Europe is a very interesting place to visit because it has a very long history.

This part of the country has a very long history.

only for tourists to visit

 

Sometimes, people still live in these castles; sometimes, they are only for tourists to visit. 

When a castle is 'only for tourists to visit' it means that it is no longer used as a place for people to live or what it was used for in the past. Now it is only a place for people to go and look at, like a museum. Notice the following:

 

When he died they turned the house into a museum. Now it's only for tourists to visit.

This is really only a place for tourists to visit. No locals come here.

1 Ireland   

n.爱尔兰(西欧国家)；爱尔兰岛(西欧)

参考例句：

• Ireland lies to the west of England.爱尔兰位于英格兰之西。
• Dublin is the capital of Ireland.都柏林是爱尔兰的首都。

2 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

3 Irish   

n.爱尔兰语；爱尔兰人；adj.爱尔兰(人)的

参考例句：

• He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.他来自爱尔兰海的马恩岛。
• The two volumes of collected Irish Stories are printed.两卷本的《爱尔兰故事集》已经印好了。

4 cliffs   

n.悬崖，峭壁（cliff的复数形式）

参考例句：

• the chalk cliffs of southern England 英格兰南部的白垩质峭壁
• Local folklore has it that prehistoric men drove cattle over these cliffs. 当地民间传说中称，史前人类把野牛从这些悬崖上驱赶下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 phrase   

n.短语，词组；成语，习语

参考例句：

• The phrase was caught on and immediately became popular.这个短语被采用后很快就流行了。
• That's exactly the phrase I was looking for.这就是我一直找的那个短语。

6 location   

n.地点，位置，定位

参考例句：

• It is a suitable location for a new school.那是建一所新学校的合适地点。
• I have to find a convenient location for the shelves.我得找一合适的地方放这些书架。

7 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

8 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

9 significance   

n.意义，含义；重要性，重大

参考例句：

• This fact has little significance for us.这一事实对我们没有什么意义。
• This is a matter of great significance.这是一个具有重大意义的问题。