知性英语－永不停歇的桑巴舞者--魅力巴西风情

 
　　Brazil is a country in South America. It covers almost half of South America and is the fifth largest country in the world! Because the country was first a colony of Portugal, the main language is Portuguese¹. Its capital, Brasilia, is famous for its futuristic architecture. Some of the world's greatest architects worked on the plans for this city and the result is like something that usually emerges only in fantasy. The color and luminescence of the lighting² at night are spectacular, and the layout of the buildings and roads is perfectly³ and beautifully organized.

　　More famous than its capital city, however, is the powerful Amazon River that runs through the country, carrying more water than any other river in the world. The Amazon Rainforest that is fed by the river has thousands of animal and plant species. Many of these plants form the basis of modern medicines. The forest provides a lot of the healthy oxygen that the earth's inhabitants need, and it is also the home of the Amazon Indians. Because of years of tree cutting by industries, the Rainforest has been in danger of destruction. Therefore, environmentalists from Brazil and from throughout the world are doing their best now to protect the forest and its many species.

1 Portuguese   

n.葡萄牙人；葡萄牙语

参考例句：

• They styled their house in the Portuguese manner.他们仿照葡萄牙的风格设计自己的房子。
• Her family is Portuguese in origin.她的家族是葡萄牙血统。

2 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

3 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。