08年9.15

Lesson 107 Can We Glide Now? 我們能滑行嗎？

　　Words:

　　gigantic adj. 巨大的

　　gilding n. 貼金箔，鍍金

　　girder n. 大梁（鋼架結搆）

　　girdle n. 腰帶，圍繞物

　　gust n. 要旨

　　glacial adj. 冰的，冰河的

　　glaciated adj. 凍結成冰的

　　glacier n. 冰河

　　glamorous adj. 迷人的，富有魅力的

　　glamour n. 魅力，魔力，迷人的力量

　　glare n. 炫目的光

　　glaring adj. 耀眼的，刺目的

　　glassware n. 玻璃制品
　　glaze vt. 上釉，使表麪光華

　　gleam n. 亮光，閃光

　　glean v. 點滴收集；拾

　　gleeful adj. 極高興的，興奮的

　　glide vi. 滑動，滑行

　　glimpse n. 一瞥，一看；vt. 瞥見

　　global adj. 全球性的

　　Alice and Bessie found themselves climbing the highest glaciated peak in Italy. The sun reflected off the snow, creating an awful

　　glare. It made Bessie dizzy. Gasping for air, Bessie asked, “When are we ever going to reach the top of this gigantic mountain?

　　The glaring light is making me sick.”

　　“I don’t know,” Alice said. “But I can see glacial ice. It must near the top.”

　　Bessie was becoming delirious. “With all this talk about global warning, how can there be so much ice left? Please tell me again, what is so glamorous about climbing to the top of a glacier?”

　　“There’s no glamour involved,” said Alice. “It’s just a personal challenge. With the information we glean from this difficult experience, maybe we can write a book, Anyway, don’t you want to glimpse the heavens? Listen, when you start to feel weak, just tell yourself, ‘I’m as strong as a girder’. It also helps to take your mind off the climbing. Let’s talk about girdles.”

　　“I get the gist of what you’re saying,” said Bessie. “I want a girdle with gilding. What do you think about that?”

　　“It makes about as much sense as a ceramic girdle with glaze on it,” replied Alice. “Let’s talk about glassware.”

　　“I like the gleam of crystal glassware,” said Bessie. 　　All of a sudden, Alice had a gleeful look in her eye. “We’ve reached the top! Aren’t you relieved?”

　　“Yes, I am,” said Bessie. She glanced around the top, still wondering why she bothered to climb so far. She also began to dread the long walk down the mountain. She turned to Alice and smiled. “Do you think we can glide down this glacier?”