Qatar Invites the World

⊙ By Kira Bray

翻译：Wendy

Qatar Invites the World

卡塔尔向世界招手

⊙ By Kira Bray

翻译：Wendy

直至不久以前，如果你不关心体育，你可能对卡塔尔这个国家知之甚少。不过，最近由于断交风波而引发的一系列新闻报道使卡塔尔成了新闻热点。对一个地方（国家、城市、公园、学校等）的介绍是我们经常会碰到的文体，更是同学们在考试中会遇到的常见内容。这次，我们来听一段对卡塔尔的介绍。

对一个国家的介绍通常包括它的地理位置、自然环境、经济发展和风土人情等内容。这也是同学们从课本上学习过的模式，但每篇此类文章的结构都不尽相同。这篇以锻炼听力为主的文章生词不多，句型简单，语速较慢；尽管文中有几个语法错误，但依然很适合用于听力理解练习。

学习步骤：

1. 不看文字，先把全文听一次，熟悉发音、语速，及口音。

2. 第二次，边听边做概要笔记，记下文章主要介绍了卡塔尔哪几个方面的内容。

3. 反复听音频，就之前的笔记补充细节。

4. 把全文再听一次，对照笔记，回答以下几个问题：卡塔尔有多少人？它最大的外来族群是什么？卡塔尔的主

要出口商品是什么？2022年卡塔尔将举办什么赛事？卡塔尔的周末是从什么时候开始的？

5. 先学习文中注释的单词，然后看着文字听一次，比照自己的笔记，标出自己没有听明白或听错的地方，尝试

找出原因。

6. 最后不看文字再听一次，力求听懂音频的大部分内容。

The country is a peninsula[半岛]located in the east of Arabia[阿拉伯半岛]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[巡逻]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[迷宫]of narrow streets invite all to soak up[吸收]the culture and rediscover what was once the norm[常态].

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[对抗]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[长袍]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[爱冒险的], 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[异国情调的]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[马科的]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[令人眩晕的]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[隐私]of the endless landscape, is a popular way to spend a Thursday afternoon, Friday being the start of the weekend. Campsites[野营地]are usually set up beneath the dunes[沙丘]to shield[保护]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[水烟店]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.

这是一个地处阿拉伯半岛东部的半岛国家，它最初是一个经济依赖于潜水采珍珠及捕鱼业的小国。

自20世纪50年代以来，天然气和石油成了这个王国的主要出口商品。它的人口日益增长，现在有大约180万人。根据《多哈新闻》的数据，该国只有50%的人口为卡塔尔族人，此外较大的族群是占人口24%的印度人，其他民族还有尼泊尔人、非卡塔尔族的其他阿拉伯人，以及菲律宾人。

由于该国的气候干热，卡塔尔人为了避开炎热的太阳，每天很早就开始工作了。大部分工作集中在首都多哈，所以这里也是大多数人居住的地方。你可以在首都各处经常看到身着传统服装的警察骑着马到处巡逻，这种始于在20世纪早期的巡逻方式一直沿用至今。海湾地区仅存的传统集市瓦吉夫老市场就在多哈。在这里，人们可以讨价还价，买到种类繁多的物品，从传统食物、衣服，到现代玩具和香水，应有尽有。狭窄的巷道像迷宫一样，吸引着人们尽情感受当地文化，重新认识昔日的生活常态。

到了中午，当地气温会升到接近50度。幸运的是，购物可以在室内继续，那里的空调有助于抵御白天的酷热，因而当地人一整天泡在城里购物和吃饭实属平常事。

卡塔尔的传统服饰包括男性的托贝长袍及女性的阿贝亚长袍，他们穿着这些长袍不仅是出于宗教原因，更表达了他们对卡塔尔传统的自豪感。

不管怎样，距离城市仅有很短车程的沙漠召唤着喜爱冒险的游客。随着卡塔尔对游客的吸引力与日俱增，即使是那里的游牧人（即贝都因人）也可从中获益。骆驼曾是贝都因人生活的必需品，因而被称为“上帝之礼”和“沙漠之舟”，如今也成了吸引游客的异域风光。

卡塔尔是世界级别体育赛事的主办国，这些赛事包括2006年的亚运会和将要举办的2022年世界杯足球赛。全国性的体育运动项目包括骆驼赛跑、手球和赛马。耐力赛在位于梅赛伊德市附近的沙漠举行。特别值得一提的是阿拉伯马，据说这是地球上最漂亮的生物之一；此外，若论耐力，它们在马的王国中是最强的。这种耐力赛的赛时通常很长，赛跑距离在60到160公里不等。

卡塔尔无疑是个休闲圣地，或许是世界上经济增长最快的地区之一，但当地文化鼓励人们充分享受生活中的乐趣——传统、舒适、娱乐、自然，当然，还有美食。

随着太阳西下，令人眩晕的酷热散去，这正是卡塔尔人一天当中社交生活最活跃的时候。鱼、羊和鸡是卡塔尔饮食中最主要的肉类，由于伊斯兰风俗视猪肉为禁品，因而猪肉是被禁食的。许多人喜欢在星空下用餐。在夜里，沙漠不会受到城市光污染的影响。到沙漠中去，与朋友、家人及同事一起烧烤，享受没有干扰的无边风光，这是度过星期四下午的一种流行方式——星期五就是周末的开始了。野营地通常设在沙丘的下方，以躲避大风。在卡塔尔，吃饭是一种社交活动。如果一个人有机会与邻居分享食物并相互陪伴却选择独自进食，这种行为会被视为没教养。

从传统的茶室和水烟吧，到现代的咖啡店和超市，所有地方都会营业到凌晨。这是一个真正面向世界的国家，吸引着全世界尊重传统生活方式的人们去那里享受现代生活。