One of Europe’s oldest cities pours on the charm
愛上里斯本歐洲最古老的城市之一
When the sun shines, the buildings of Lisbon sparkle. The elegant city drapes itself over seven hills. Beauty is everywhere you look. The best way to experience this capital city is to walk so that you can take in the atmosphere. Stop at a bakery selling famous Portuguese custard tarts. Sit outside a small restaurant, and enjoy a meal of fresh seafood.
Buildings from the time of the Moors stand next to other historic buildings decorated with colorful tiles. As you walk, take note of these unofficial symbols of the city. The decorative tiles also have a practical purpose. They protect the buildings from the humidity and keep them cool in warm weather. They are said to reduce street noise as well.
Wander around the cobblestone streets of Alfama, the oldest part of the city. The narrow, winding streets in this hilly area are home to delightful cafés and quaint little houses. Climb up to Castelo de São Jorge, Saint George’s Castle, for a marvelous view of the city spread out below.
Info Cloud
Topic: build castles in the sky
Hello, friends. Welcome to Info Cloud. We all have dreams in our lives that we want to fulfill. Rex, do you have any dreams that you have fulfilled? And do you have any advice for young people who have dreams?
I have become a professional singer like I planned. I would advise young people to be patient and learn the skills necessary for success. You don't want to build castles in the sky.
That is such valuable advice. You might want to explain what it means to build castles in the sky.
Well, we all know that castles need to be built on solid ground, or else they will collapse easily. When we build castles in the sky, we are planning or doing something that's unrealistic or impossible.
One example would be people who want to get rich quickly, so they're trying different tricks or shortcuts to make money. But we all know that building wealth is not that easy.
Exactly. Another example would be trying to learn the piano in the quickest way possible to become a concert pianist. But it takes at least 10 years of practice to become proficient at playing the piano.
So in whatever we do, we need to make sure we are building a solid foundation. You don't want to build castles in the sky.
很多人都在追求自己的夢想，只是夢想有分很多種，在追求夢想的過程中，我們要確定自己不是在 build castles in the sky，字面上是「在空中建築一座城堡」，聽起來好像是動畫電影中會出現的情節，非常夢幻。
build castles in the sky的真正涵義就是追求不切實際或是不可能實現的夢想。舉例來說，如果有人一直在尋找致富的捷徑，不肯腳踏實地，你就可以說: He is building castles in the sky. 可能很多年輕人也會聽到一些長者給他們的一些建議，那就是 Don’t try to build castles in the sky. 不要試著追求不切實際的夢想。
Language Lab
elegant adj.
showing good taste : graceful and attractive
- The actress looked very elegant when she stood on the stage.
- These elegant dresses are all from the same designer.
simple and clever
- Margaret wanted an elegant look for her room, but the designer came up with a very fancy design.
elegance n.
/ˈɛlɪgəns/
- Everyone admired the lady's elegance.
tart n.
an open pie that usually has a sweet filling (such as fruit or custard)
- Portuguese custard tart
- Trisha wants to make a strawberry tart.
- I want to try the restaurant's cheese and onion tart.
tart adj.
having a sharp or sour taste
- This slice of lemon cake is nice and tart.
having a sharp and unkind quality
- Gail's tart response made everyone in the house very quiet.
drape v.
/ˈdreɪp/
to loosely place or hang (something)
humidity n.
moisture in the air
- The tourists aren't used to the island's humidity.
- The weather is very nice today, and the humidity isn't very high.
humid adj.
having a lot of moisture in the air
- Linda doesn't want to go outside because it is a very humid day.
- These plants need to be in a humid environment, so it's best to keep them in a greenhouse.
quaint adj.
/ˈkweɪnt/
having an old-fashioned or unusual quality or appearance that is usually attractive or appealing
- The houses in the old district are all very quaint.
attractively unusual or old-fashioned.
- The old man wore a bow tie and a nice jacket, and everyone thought he looked very quaint.
- George likes to share his quaint ideas with people.
