Qatar Invites the World

⊙ By Kira Bray

翻譯：Wendy

Qatar Invites the World

卡塔爾向世界招手

⊙ By Kira Bray

翻譯：Wendy

直至不久以前，如果你不關心體育，你可能對卡塔爾這個國家知之甚少。不過，最近由于斷交風波而引發的一系列新聞報道使卡塔爾成了新聞熱點。對一個地方（國家、城市、公園、學校等）的介紹是我們經常會碰到的文體，更是同學們在考試中會遇到的常見內容。這次，我們來聽一段對卡塔爾的介紹。

對一個國家的介紹通常包括它的地理位置、自然環境、經濟發展和風土人情等內容。這也是同學們從課本上學習過的模式，但每篇此類文章的結構都不盡相同。這篇以鍛煉聽力為主的文章生詞不多，句型簡單，語速較慢；盡管文中有幾個語法錯誤，但依然很適合用于聽力理解練習。

學習步驟：

1. 不看文字，先把全文聽一次，熟悉發音、語速，及口音。

2. 第二次，邊聽邊做概要筆記，記下文章主要介紹了卡塔爾哪幾個方面的內容。

3. 反復聽音頻，就之前的筆記補充細節。

4. 把全文再聽一次，對照筆記，回答以下幾個問題：卡塔爾有多少人？它最大的外來族群是什么？卡塔爾的主

要出口商品是什么？2022年卡塔爾將舉辦什么賽事？卡塔爾的周末是從什么時候開始的？

5. 先學習文中注釋的單詞，然后看著文字聽一次，比照自己的筆記，標出自己沒有聽明白或聽錯的地方，嘗試

找出原因。

6. 最后不看文字再聽一次，力求聽懂音頻的大部分內容。

The country is a peninsula[半島]located in the east of Arabia[阿拉伯半島]that started out as a small nation that relied on pearl diving and fishing.

Since the 1950s, gas and oil became [sic] the principle[主要的]export [sic] of the kingdom. It now holds a growing population of approximately 1.8 million people. According to Doha News, only 50% of the population are Qatari nationals. The large ethnic[族裔的]group, at 24%, are Indian. Other ethnicities include Nepalese, other non-Qatari Arabsand Philippino.

Given Qatar’s arid[干旱的]climate, business starts early in the day to avoid[避免]the heat of the sun. The capital city of Doha is where the majority of work takes place and, thus, the majority of the population reside[居住]. Traditional policemen can be seen riding around parts of the capital, a patrolling[巡邏]method which has been used since the early 1900s. Doha is the home to the only remaining traditional souq[集市]in the Gulf region, Souq Waqif. Here, one can bargain and purchase a vast range of products, from traditional food and clothing to modern-day toys and perfumes. The maze[迷宮]of narrow streets invite all to soak up[吸收]the culture and rediscover what was once the norm[常態].

At midday, the temperatures have been known to reach the high 40s. Fortunately, the shopping can be continued inside, where air conditioning helps to combat[對抗]the extreme heat of the day. It is not unusual for locals to spend the day shopping and eating within the city.

Traditional dress in Qatar consists of the thobe[罩衫]for men and abaya[長袍]for women. They are worn not only for religious reasons, but also to demonstrate their pride in their Qatari heritage.

However, the desert calls for the more adventurous[愛冒險的], being only a short drive away. Even the nomads[游牧民族], known as Bedouins, have taken advantage of Qatar’s growing tourist appeal[吸引力]. Camels, once called “God’s gift” and“ships of the desert,” as they were essential to the life of the Bedouin, are now an exotic[異國情調的]attraction.

Qatar is host to world-class sporting events, from the Asian Games in 2006 to the future World Cup in 2022. National sports includes camel racing, handball and horse racing. Endurance racing takes place in the desert located next to Umm Sa’id city. The Arab [sic] horse, in particular, is said to be one of the most beautiful creatures on earth. Additionally, it has the highest stamina[耐力]of the equine[馬科的]kingdom. The races go on for many hours, and range between 60 to [sic] 160 kilometres.

Qatar is easily a land of leisure, and may have one of the highest growing economic growth rates in the world, but the culture here encourages people to make the most of the pleasures in life—tradition, comfort, entertainment, nature, and, of course, food.

With the sundown, the blinding[令人眩暈的]heat disappears, and Qatar is at its most active and social. Fish, lamb and chicken are principle meats for a Qatari diet. Pork is illegal as it is disallowed in the Islamic way of life. Many people enjoy eating under the stars. At night, the light pollution of the city does not extend[延伸]to the desert. Going out into the desert to barbeque with friends, family and colleagues, to enjoy the privacy[隱私]of the endless landscape, is a popular way to spend a Thursday afternoon, Friday being the start of the weekend. Campsites[野營地]are usually set up beneath the dunes[沙丘]to shield[保護]from the wind. Eating is a social activity. It is considered rude to eat alone when one has the opportunity to share food and company with their neighbours.

Everywhere, from traditional tea rooms and shisha bars[水煙店]to the modern-day coffee shops and supermarkets, stay open to do business until the early hours of the morning. It is a true cosmopolitan[世界性的]state inviting the world to enjoy the modernity as long as they respect the traditional ways of life.

這是一個地處阿拉伯半島東部的半島國家，它最初是一個經濟依賴于潛水采珍珠及捕魚業的小國。

自20世紀50年代以來，天然氣和石油成了這個王國的主要出口商品。它的人口日益增長，現在有大約180萬人。根據《多哈新聞》的數據，該國只有50%的人口為卡塔爾族人，此外較大的族群是占人口24%的印度人，其他民族還有尼泊爾人、非卡塔爾族的其他阿拉伯人，以及菲律賓人。

由于該國的氣候干熱，卡塔爾人為了避開炎熱的太陽，每天很早就開始工作了。大部分工作集中在首都多哈，所以這里也是大多數人居住的地方。你可以在首都各處經常看到身著傳統服裝的警察騎著馬到處巡邏，這種始于在20世紀早期的巡邏方式一直沿用至今。海灣地區僅存的傳統集市瓦吉夫老市場就在多哈。在這里，人們可以討價還價，買到種類繁多的物品，從傳統食物、衣服，到現代玩具和香水，應有盡有。狹窄的巷道像迷宮一樣，吸引著人們盡情感受當地文化，重新認識昔日的生活常態。

到了中午，當地氣溫會升到接近50度。幸運的是，購物可以在室內繼續，那里的空調有助于抵御白天的酷熱，因而當地人一整天泡在城里購物和吃飯實屬平常事。

卡塔爾的傳統服飾包括男性的托貝長袍及女性的阿貝亞長袍，他們穿著這些長袍不僅是出于宗教原因，更表達了他們對卡塔爾傳統的自豪感。

不管怎樣，距離城市僅有很短車程的沙漠召喚著喜愛冒險的游客。隨著卡塔爾對游客的吸引力與日俱增，即使是那里的游牧人（即貝都因人）也可從中獲益。駱駝曾是貝都因人生活的必需品，因而被稱為“上帝之禮”和“沙漠之舟”，如今也成了吸引游客的異域風光。

卡塔爾是世界級別體育賽事的主辦國，這些賽事包括2006年的亞運會和將要舉辦的2022年世界杯足球賽。全國性的體育運動項目包括駱駝賽跑、手球和賽馬。耐力賽在位于梅賽伊德市附近的沙漠舉行。特別值得一提的是阿拉伯馬，據說這是地球上最漂亮的生物之一；此外，若論耐力，它們在馬的王國中是最強的。這種耐力賽的賽時通常很長，賽跑距離在60到160公里不等。

卡塔爾無疑是個休閑圣地，或許是世界上經濟增長最快的地區之一，但當地文化鼓勵人們充分享受生活中的樂趣——傳統、舒適、娛樂、自然，當然，還有美食。

隨著太陽西下，令人眩暈的酷熱散去，這正是卡塔爾人一天當中社交生活最活躍的時候。魚、羊和雞是卡塔爾飲食中最主要的肉類，由于伊斯蘭風俗視豬肉為禁品，因而豬肉是被禁食的。許多人喜歡在星空下用餐。在夜里，沙漠不會受到城市光污染的影響。到沙漠中去，與朋友、家人及同事一起燒烤，享受沒有干擾的無邊風光，這是度過星期四下午的一種流行方式——星期五就是周末的開始了。野營地通常設在沙丘的下方，以躲避大風。在卡塔爾，吃飯是一種社交活動。如果一個人有機會與鄰居分享食物并相互陪伴卻選擇獨自進食，這種行為會被視為沒教養。

從傳統的茶室和水煙吧，到現代的咖啡店和超市，所有地方都會營業到凌晨。這是一個真正面向世界的國家，吸引著全世界尊重傳統生活方式的人們去那里享受現代生活。