英文杂志-The Island of Mauritius

 　　The Island of Mauritius

　　"God first made Mauritius and from it, he created Paradise." Mark Twain 1896

　　Where is it?

　　Over ten million years ago, the waters of the Indian Ocean boiled. Massive volcanoes erupted miles underneath¹ the surface. Huge amounts of lava² were forced up. This violence and force gave birth to a series of islands, today called the Mascarene Islands, located over 500 miles to the East of Madagascar, off the coast of Africa. These include the islands of Reunion, Rodrigues and the most famous of all - Mauritius.

　　Has it always been called Mauritius?

　　Mauritius is just 42 miles long and 29 miles wide, and has only been inhabited since the 17th Century, but already has a rich and varied³ history and is famous for many things. Early Arabic maps called the island Dina Mashriq (Eastern Island), the Portuguese⁴ called it the Island of the Swan when they first discovered it in the early 1500’s. The Dutch, who were the first to try to live there, renamed it Mauritius after Prince Maurice of Nassau, and under French rule from 1715, Ile de France was the name. With British rule in 1810 the name changed back to Mauritius, and has remained so, even after independence in 1968.

　　The island is also known as The Star and Key of the Indian Ocean because of its geographical⁵ position, and a local nickname is The Island of Rainbows and Shooting Stars – as these are commonly seen from Mauritius.

　　What is it famous for?

　　Historically, Mauritius was an important location on trade routes, and was one of the first countries in the world to produce postage stamps. The Blue Penny stamp from 1847 is one of the rarest in the world. However, it was (and is) sugar, introduced to the island in the 1600’s, that made the island. Mauritius has a perfect climate for growing sugar cane⁶, it now covers much of the island, and Mauritian sugar is exported throughout the world.

　　Today Mauritius is also a famous holiday location for tourists wishing to relax on a beautiful paradise island. The coral reef surrounding much of it makes it ideal for water sports, diving and fishing. Its tropical climate means there are many exotic plants and flowers to see, such as the orchid⁷ or palm tree. Its volcanic⁸ origins have also created a fascinating landscape, with volcanic peaks, craters¹⁰, coloured earths and waterfalls.

　　Music and dance are an important part of the culture and the traditional local dance (and style of music) is called Sega. This is a very rhythmic¹¹ joyful¹² dance to the accompaniment of drums and guitar.

　　What is it infamous¹³ for?

　　Because the island was isolated¹⁴, many plants and animals developed there unlike anywhere else in the world, the Dodo being the most famous of these. This large, flightless bird was described by the first Dutch settlers, but by the time they left the island in 1710, all Dodos were gone. There are many theories for this, as the Dodos themselves were not good to eat, but most people now think that the animals the sailors brought with them (goats, pigs, rats) were the cause of this extinction¹⁵ – as they ate the bird’s eggs on the forest floor.

　　Is there a Mauritian nationality?

　　Mauritius has been called a rainbow nation because of its huge number of different ethnic¹⁶ groups. Different nationalities coming to the island over the centuries have brought their own culture, language, traditions, and added it to the Mauritian mixture – from India, China, France, England, and other African countries. There are over 80 different religious denominations¹⁷ and more than 20 languages spoken. Unsurprisingly, there are 11 official public holidays; from the Chinese New Year to the Hindu, Maha Shivaratree festival, part of which involves walking to a lake in the crater⁹ of an extinct volcano.

　　One connecting aspect is the welcoming nature of all Mauritians. It is a famously friendly and hospitable¹⁸ place.

　　Sugar cane, tourists and…?

　　In the1970s and 80s the Government encouraged the growth of the clothing industry in the country and the economy grew as a result. Now there is a far greater project underway; an effort to turn Mauritius from a sugar-island to a cyber-island. A state-of-the-art ‘cyber-city’ is being built to provide IT, computing¹⁹ and communication technologies for local and international companies. Cyber city is focussed around a 12-storey high-tech²⁰ tower with excellent computing resources and internet connections. When completed, it will also contain more high-tech offices, a large supermarket and a housing development.

　　Perhaps in the future, Mauritius will have more ‘online’ tourists than real ones!

1 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

2 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

3 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

4 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。

5 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。

6 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

7 orchid   

n.兰花，淡紫色

参考例句：

• The orchid is a class of plant which I have never tried to grow.兰花这类植物我从来没种过。
• There are over 35 000 species of orchid distributed throughout the world.有35,000多种兰花分布在世界各地。

8 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

9 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

10 craters   

n.火山口( crater的名词复数 )；弹坑等

参考例句：

• Small meteorites have left impact craters all over the planet's surface. 这个行星的表面布满了小块陨石留下的撞击坑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The battlefield was full of craters made by exploding shells. 战场上布满弹坑。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

12 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

13 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

14 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

15 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

16 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

17 denominations   

n.宗派( denomination的名词复数 )；教派；面额；名称

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• The service was attended by Christians of all denominations. 这次礼拜仪式各教派的基督徒都参加了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

19 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

20 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。