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Albania: Europe’s Newest Travel Destination 
阿爾巴尼亞：歐洲觀光新熱點(上)
空中英語教室 20250502
(使用CapCut 自動字幕功能)
只要修正英文文法，保留原文，同時將簡體中文修改為繁體中文
Hello, friends.
My name is Anne Marie, and today is a great day to learn something new.
So let’s do that together!
My name is Garrett, and this is Studio Classroom.
Thank you so much, Garrett, for joining us for some of our lessons over the next few months.
We have a great lesson lined up for you today, friends.
But first, a question. Here it is—our Talk About It question:
What do you most like to see and do when you travel?
After all, we are talking about travel today.
My answer would be: I don’t like to have too many plans.
I like to have time just to walk around and see what I find.
I don’t want to have every hour planned out.
My favorite thing to do when I travel is eat.
I love to try new foods wherever I travel,
and I bet there are some great new foods to try in our travel destination today!
We are learning all about Albania,
Europe’s newest travel destination.
So let’s get right into our first reading for the day:
Albania: Europe’s Newest Travel Destination
This small nation is packed with natural wonders and interesting history.
Albania, once Europe’s best-kept secret, now attracts travelers eager to experience its impressive landscapes, rich history, and unique culture.
Located in the Balkans, along the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, Albania offers breathtaking coastlines, ancient ruins, lively cities, and warm, friendly people.
Hi, everyone. Welcome to Language Lab! I’m Jack.
先來看 ruin 這個名詞。它的意思是「廢墟」或「倒塌的建築物」。
讓我們來看例句：
A fire destroyed half of this village in 1900, but you can still find some ruins by the old stream.
1900 年的一場大火燒毀了半個村莊，但是你在老溪旁邊仍然可以找到一些廢墟。
片語 in ruins 的意思是「淪為廢墟」。例如：
I cry whenever I hear the words of this old love song, which says, ‘My heart is in ruins.’
每當聽到這首古老情歌的歌詞「我的心支離破碎」時，我都會流淚。
Ruin 也可以當動詞，意思是「毀壞」或「破壞」。
譬如：
Don’t ruin the surprise by telling John about the birthday party we are planning for him.
不要告訴 John 我們正在為他策劃生日派對，這樣會破壞驚喜。
Okay, thank you so much, Jack.
Friends, let’s get right into our lesson.
We read here:
This small nation is packed with natural wonders and interesting history.
The first thing we want to look at today is this word: nation.
Now, when we say nation, sometimes we are referring to a specific country,
and sometimes we are referring to a large group of people living in one area with their own government.
That’s right. You might say:
The United States celebrates the birth of the nation every year on July 4.
That’s right. Now we see:
This small nation is packed with natural wonders.
Now, if something is packed with something, what does that mean?
It means it's full of it—or full of something or many things.
So that could be things you can touch or ideas.
Ah, I see. For example, you could say:
The box from my mom was packed with goodies.
There were a lot of things inside.
Now we see that this nation is packed with natural wonders,
so I get the idea that there are a lot of things to see here.
There sure are!
And I think it’s an interesting country to talk about.
Millions of people go to Europe every year,
but not that many people choose Albania as their travel destination.
But it sounds like it might be a good choice.
It does—and it says in our title here that this is one of Europe’s newest travel destinations.
So this must be a trending destination for us.
Now, Garrett, could you read the next part of our article, please?
Sure. Well, we read that:
Albania was once Europe’s best-kept secret.
“Best-kept secret”—so not many people knew about it before.
That’s right. This is something that not many people know about,
and it’s something that’s very good.
That’s why we say it’s the “best-kept secret.”
Sometimes you could say something like a restaurant or an ice cream shop is a town’s best-kept secret.
People from outside of that town might not know about it,
but the people living in that town do.
There might be a café or a restaurant hidden in a small alley in your town that is your town’s best-kept secret.
Not many people know about it.
Well, we see here that Albania was once Europe’s best-kept secret.
But now, it attracts travelers eager to experience its impressive landscapes.
And we see this word eager here, friends. Let’s talk about that for a minute.
If you are eager to do something, you’re very excited and you want to do it—you can’t wait.
Here’s an example:
She was eager to start her music lessons.
Friends, what are you eager to do?
But we read on here that this now attracts travelers eager to experience its impressive landscapes,
rich history, and unique culture.
How does our lesson continue?
Well, we learn a bit more about where Albania is.
We see it’s located in the Balkans.
This is a part of Eastern Europe, toward the south and close to the popular country of Greece.
And it says here it’s near the Adriatic and Ionian Seas as well,
so that means there are some breathtaking coastlines there.
Yes! You can also see ancient ruins, lively cities,
and, of course, warm, friendly people.
Sounds like a pretty good place to visit.
It certainly does. I’m excited to learn about some of the things we can see and do in Albania.
So let’s get on with our next reading right now:
Albania: Europe’s Newest Travel Destination (continued)
One of Albania’s most popular attractions is the Albanian Riviera—a stretch of coast dotted with beautiful beaches and charming villages.
Well worth visiting is Sarandë,
a beach town known for its crystal-clear blue waters and sandy beaches.
Often compared to the Maldives,
Sarandë is perfect for swimming, sunbathing, and boat trips to nearby islands.
For those interested in history,
Butrint National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
These fascinating Greek and Roman ruins include an amphitheater, ancient city walls, and temples—
all surrounded by a thick forest and a beautiful lagoon.
接下來看 fascinating 這個形容詞。
它是動詞 fascinate 的現在分詞，意思是「有趣的」、「令人著迷的」。
比如：
His idea of designing flying taxis is fascinating, but also potentially dangerous.
他設計飛行計程車的想法很有趣，但也有潛在的危險。
動詞 fascinate 指的是「吸引」或「使著迷」，例如：
The design of that building fascinates me because it looks like a rocket ship.
那棟建築的設計讓我著迷，因為它看起來就像一艘火箭船。
它的名詞是 fascination，也指「著迷」，例如：
My young son has a fascination with bugs and collects them diligently.
我的小兒子對昆蟲非常著迷，並且很認真地收集牠們。
All right, friends,
let’s learn about some of the things to see and do in Albania.
How does our lesson continue?
Well, one of the most popular attractions in this country is the Albanian Riviera.
So let’s talk about this word: attraction.
Okay, an attraction in a place is something that draws visitors in because it usually provides something of interest.
You might think of a country like France—
the most popular attraction there is the Eiffel Tower.
That’s right!
What kind of attractions are there in your hometown, friends?
This is something that outside people come in to see because it’s interesting.
But we read on here:
A stretch of coast dotted with beautiful beaches.
Now, dotted with is an interesting thing for us to talk about.
What does that mean?
Well, you might think of a pen making small dots on something.
When we say or use this phrase dotted with, we’re saying:
having small amounts of something spread over an area.
Here’s an example:
The sky was dotted with stars.
When you look up at the night sky,
you might see a lot of stars all over the sky—little dots of stars.
So the Albanian Riviera is dotted with beautiful beaches and charming villages.
And we learn more about one other place.
That’s right—we see here:
Well worth visiting is Sarandë,
a beach town known for its crystal-clear blue waters and sandy beaches.
Anytime I’m talking about beaches or going swimming,
one word I like to hear—one term—is crystal clear.
Because if you’re swimming in a place with crystal-clear waters,
it means that these waters are completely transparent.
Yeah, it’s impressive when there are crystal-clear waters.
You can look right through the water and maybe even see the bottom of the lake or ocean.
We might say:
The instructions were crystal clear, so everyone understood what to do.
This is a little bit of a different usage—to mean you're being very clear so people can understand what you’re saying.
Well, when there’s crystal-clear water,
they are perfect for swimming, sunbathing, and boat trips.
And it looks like you could travel to nearby islands here.
Oh yes!
Often compared to the Maldives,
Sarandë is perfect for swimming, sunbathing, and boat trips to nearby islands.
Well, if you want to visit famous islands,
you can’t go wrong with the Maldives.
That’s right.
Now we learn a little bit more about what we can do in Albania here, friends.
For those interested in history,
Butrint National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We’ve talked a lot about UNESCO World Heritage Sites here on the program before.
All right, we know these are special areas that are protected for their beauty or cultural significance.
So these fascinating Greek and Roman ruins include an amphitheater.
Okay, so what exactly is an amphitheater, Garrett?
An amphitheater is a theater shaped in a semicircle or a full circle.
And they’re shaped like that because they didn’t have microphones in the olden days,
so they needed people’s voices to carry very far.
They needed people’s voices to amplify—to make them sound bigger or louder.
Now we move on here, friends.
There are also ancient city walls and temples,
all surrounded by a thick forest and a beautiful lagoon.
Now what is a lagoon?
It is a body of water separated from a larger body of water,
usually by a natural barrier.
Right, you might say:
Don’t go swimming in the lagoon. It does not have crystal-clear waters.
Okay, well friends,
we’ll be right back after today’s Info Cloud.
Hello, everyone! Welcome to Info Cloud.
Garrett, thanks so much for inviting my wife and me to your house last night.
We had a great time!
No problem!
We love having people over to our house.
Like I told you yesterday—Mi casa es su casa.
Oh, right! I remember you saying that,
but I’m still not totally sure what it means.
Well, let’s talk about it today then.
The phrase Mi casa es su casa is not English—it’s Spanish.
Directly translated, it means: “My house is your house.”
Thank you, Garrett—that’s very generous!
But you don’t need to give me your house.
No—I think I’ll stay there a while longer.
The phrase encourages someone to treat your home like their own and feel comfortable.
When you visit someone else’s house,
it can be easy to feel uncomfortable, nervous, or out of place.
You might be worried you’ll get things dirty or put things in a place where they don’t normally go.
Right. That’s why the host might say: Mi casa es su casa.
They hope their guests can relax and not worry about those things so much.
That way, everyone can feel welcome.

Mi casa es su casa 把這裡當自己家
我們常常對來家裡做客的人說：「把這裡當自己家」，讓他們不要客氣。
西方人也有一個類似的用語：Mi casa es su casa。
這其實是西班牙語，意思就是「我家就是你家」。
美國人也經常會這麼說，希望來訪的客人到家裡可以不要拘束，放輕鬆。
由於美國有廣大的拉丁裔族群，他們的母語都是西班牙文，如果你在美國說 Mi casa es su casa，大部分人都知道是什麼意思。
你也可能在別人家裡，聽到主人對你說：「Mi casa es su casa」。
雖然這是一句相當溫暖的話，但是到別人家做客，最好還是不要真的當成自己的家，以免失禮。這就是今天的 Info Cloud，那麼下次雲端見！

Albania: Europe’s Newest Travel Destination
For those who want to enjoy nature actively, Albania offers many options.
Hikers can explore the Albanian Alps, whose peaks offer several challenging hikes—some of which require several days to complete.
Visitors can also travel down the Vjosa River on a raft or a kayak.
While some sections of this river are fast and challenging, others are more tranquil.
今天的 Usage Tip 是 “while some... others...” 的句型。
這是一種對比連接詞，while 表示「雖然」或「儘管」，可以用來對比兩件事物，說明兩者的不同之處。
譬如課文裡的這一句：
While some sections of this river are fast and challenging, others are more tranquil.
其中的 some... others... 表示同一個類別中的不同部分，
在這裡都是指這條河流的不同區段，各具特色。
來看一個例句：
While some buildings in this region are designed with modern architecture, others retain a traditional style.
儘管該地區有些建築採用現代建築設計，其他則仍保留傳統風格。
Okay, friends, if you’re the type of person who enjoys getting out in nature when you travel, this next spot is for you.
How does our lesson continue?
Well, we learn that Albania is not flat.
For those who want to enjoy nature actively, Albania offers many options.
Hikers can explore the Albanian Alps, whose peaks offer several challenging hikes.
Well, the Alps are famous mountains in the middle of Europe, but these are the Albanian Alps.
Okay, so is this a separate mountain range, then, or just part of the Alps?
I believe they’re separate.
And here, our word peaks means the highest point of something—specifically, a mountain.
Or we might be talking about success in our careers or our lives.
Oh, that’s a really good point.
So, for example, you could say:
How many peaks does he plan to climb this summer?
Or you could say:
His career already peaked many years ago.
Those are two different usages for this word.
That’s right!
So we continue: it offers several challenging hikes, some of which require several days to complete.
Visitors can also travel down the Vjosa River on a raft or a kayak.
All right, let’s talk about what a raft is, friends.
Now, a raft is kind of like a boat, but it’s flat, and usually it’s made by tying some types of materials—like wood or plastic—together.
It is buoyant, meaning it can float on water, and it usually doesn’t have walls or anything around the sides.
So here’s an example:
The boys built a raft with wood they found in the forest.
We also have another type of flotation device in this sentence, friends—the word kayak.
A kayak is a kind of boat.
We can say it is a small boat paddled with a double-ended paddle, and it’s usually covered.
I’ve seen people put kayaks on top of their vans or trucks when going on vacation before.
Sometimes you’ll see the kayak flipped over, hanging over each end of the car.
They’re easier to transport than other types of boats.
Yes, and they’re not too hard to paddle—as long as the waves aren’t too big.
Okay, I don’t particularly like kayaking myself, but maybe it’s something that you enjoy doing, friends.
Now our next sentence was today’s Usage Tip.
We read:
While some sections of this river are fast and challenging, others are more tranquil.
Now tranquil is the word we want to take a look at here.
This means to be free from disturbance or calm.
I might say:
The park is a tranquil place I like to go to read a book and relax.
That sounds like a very relaxing afternoon.
Well, Garrett, of all the things we saw in our lesson today,
which one of these do you think you would like to try?
Well, I do like going for a hike,
so some of these places do sound nice.
And I also love that word “Riviera” we heard earlier.
There are a few places in the world called this—like the French Riviera or the American Riviera in California.
Ah, yes! I think I would enjoy going on hikes as well,
or taking a boat to some of those neighboring islands.
What about you, friends?
We’ll be right back after today’s Fun Fact!
Hello, Fact Friends!
I am Detective Ernest Finder, and I have a fun fact for you today!
Did you know that seventy percent of Albania is covered by mountains?
It’s true! Albania has a lot of mountains.
But since the mountains existed before Albania,
could we say that 100% of those mountains are covered by Albania?
Hmm... think about it!
And that is today’s Fun Fact!
Well, friends, we’re at the end of our lesson.
So let’s talk a little bit more about some of these places that we learned about today.
Which one do you think you would like to see, Garrett?
Well, I love history—especially Roman history—so seeing those amphitheaters would be amazing.
That would be really neat.
I really love to go to a new place and learn about the history and culture there.
So to be able to see some ancient ruins would be really special.
A special lesson, as we found out—this has been a best-kept secret for so long.
So maybe there aren’t too many tourists.
You can have a tranquil time as you explore.
That’s a good point.
A lot of times, when things become famous, a lot of tourists go there all at once.
If this is the newest travel destination and the best-kept secret,
it could be a good option for us to travel to this summer.
Well, friends, that’s all the time we have for today.
My name is Anne Marie.
And my name is Garrett.
Thanks for joining us.
We’ll see you next time, right here on Studio Classroom.
Bye!


Albania: Europe’s Newest Travel Destination 
阿爾巴尼亞：歐洲觀光新熱點(下)
空中英語教室 20250503
(使用CapCut 自動字幕功能)
只要修正英文文法，保留原文，同時將簡體中文修改為繁體中文
Hello, friends.
My name is Anne Marie, and today is a great day to learn something new.
So let’s do that together!
My name is Garrett, and this is Studio Classroom.
You’re just in time for Day Two of our article, where we are talking all about Albania—Europe’s newest travel destination.
What did we learn yesterday, Garrett?
Well, we learned that there is a lot to see there—especially natural wonders.
You can go hiking in the Albanian Alps or travel along the Vjosa River.
I’m very interested in Sarandë, the place where you can see crystal-clear waters along the coast.
And we learned there are ancient Roman ruins there, where you can even see an amphitheater!
What else is there to do and see in Albania?
We’ll have to go to our first reading to find out!
Albania: Europe’s Newest Travel Destination
The capital, Tirana, is a lively city with colorful architecture, busy markets, and historic sites like Skanderbeg Square.
Here, visitors can explore the National History Museum and Bunk’Art II—an underground bunker-turned-museum that showcases Albania’s communist history.
Tirana is also home to lively cafés and street art that reflect the creativity of its locals.
Welcome to Language Lab! I’m Jack.
首先我們來看communist這個字。它可以當形容詞，也可以當名詞使用。
當形容詞時，意思是共產主義的。
我們來看例句：
We are learning about the communist system of government in our history class this year.
今年我們在歷史課上學習共產主義政府制度。
communist當名詞則是指共產主義者。
譬如：
One of Darren’s favorite poets was an early communist of the 20th century.
Darren最喜歡的詩人之一是20世紀早期的一位共產主義者。
與communist相關的名詞是communism——共產主義。
例如：
It is important to understand the difference between communism and other systems as countries try to cooperate peacefully.
在各國努力和平合作時，了解共產主義與其他制度的不同非常重要。
Okay friends, let’s travel to the capital city of Albania now.
How does our lesson start?
Well, we read that the capital, Tirana—that’s the name of the city—is a lively city with colorful architecture.
Let’s talk about that word “colorful.”
The word “colorful” can mean something has many different colors in it or on it.
But it has another meaning as well, friends.
If something is very colorful, it can also mean that it is very exciting or lively—right?
“Lively” means full of life and excitement.
You might say, “The garden was full of colorful flowers,” or “The city had a colorful atmosphere.”
And it certainly sounds like this city has a colorful atmosphere because of its colorful architecture, busy markets, and historic sites like Skanderbeg Square.
We continue and read:
Here, visitors can explore the National History Museum and Bunk’Art II.
Bunk’Art II? What is this?
Well, our lesson tells us it’s an underground bunker turned museum.
But let’s talk about what a bunker is.
For sure—a bunker is a place that’s underground, where people can go for protection.
This was often during wartime.
That’s right.
So you could say, “The food was stored in an underground bunker.”
This is to keep people or things—or food—safe.
Exactly.
So it’s a bunker turned museum that showcases Albania’s communist history.
It showcases it.
Okay—if something “showcases” something else, it means that it exhibits or displays it.
It’s a way to show others what it is.
Here’s an example:
“The science fair at the school lets students showcase the things they are learning.”
So this is a museum, and it showcases Albania’s communist history.
What else can we see in Tirana?
Well, Tirana is also home to lively cafés and street art that reflects the creativity of its locals.
All right—creativity is a great word for us to take a look at.
Can you define it for us, Garrett?
No problem.
If you have creativity, you have the ability to create new and unique ideas.
Here’s an example of how you could use “creativity” in a sentence:
“He has a gift of creativity, and he loves expressing it through art.”
We often use this word for people who are artists—or maybe even musicians.
They come up with new and special ideas or pieces of art that others couldn’t.
I really like that this city showcases a lot of street art—because street art tends to be different than the type of art you’d see in a museum.
Absolutely.
And I think that’s special for a place like Albania that has had such a difficult history.
It’s only been an open country for around 32–35 years.
And so—it’s going through a lot of changes.
Mmm, very interesting.
And we are going to learn more about what you can see in Albania in just a moment.
So let’s get into our next reading right now!
Albania: Europe’s Newest Travel Destination
Albania has unique customs that make it different from other countries.
One is Besa—a traditional Albanian code of hospitality and honor.
Albanians take pride in welcoming guests, often treating visitors like family.
Another fascinating custom is the use of gestures that may have different meanings in Albania than in other places.
For example, nodding may mean “no,” while shaking one’s head might mean “yes.”

nodding 與 shaking one's head動作與意思？
ChatGPT 說：
「nodding」和「shaking one's head」是兩種常見的頭部動作，代表不同的意思，通常在跨文化溝通中也具有特定含義：
✅ Nodding one's head（點頭）
動作：將頭上下移動。
意思：通常表示「同意」、「肯定」、「是」。
也可表示理解、鼓勵、接受等正面反應。
在多數文化中，點頭是正面回答（yes）的肢體語言。
🗣️ 例如：
A: "Do you understand?"
B: (nods) "Yes."
❌ Shaking one's head（搖頭）
動作：將頭左右移動。
意思：通常表示「不同意」、「否定」、「不是」。
有時也用來表示懷疑、不相信、不贊成。
🗣️ 例如：
A: "Are you coming to the party?"
B: (shakes head) "No, I can't."
🧭 補充：文化差異
在大多數西方與東亞文化中，這些手勢意思固定。但在某些地區（例如保加利亞、阿爾巴尼亞），點頭和搖頭的意義可能相反。

接下來看code這個名詞。意思是「規範」或是「規定」。
來看例句：
Do the students at your high school like having a dress code?
你們高中的學生喜歡有服裝規定嗎？
code的另一個意思呢，是「程式碼」或「密碼」。
譬如：
Sam told me I could use his computer, but he forgot to give me the access code.
Sam 說我可以用他的電腦，但他忘了給我登入密碼。
或者是：
The movie The Imitation Game involves a secret war code that the English are trying to figure out.
電影《模仿遊戲》是關於英國人試圖破解的一個秘密戰爭密碼。
Thank you so much, Jack.
Well, friends, I am very curious to learn about the culture of Albania.
So let’s do that right now.
How does our lesson continue?
Well, whenever we talk about culture, we talk about customs and traditions.
Albania has unique customs that make it different from other countries, we read.
And one is Besa, a traditional Albanian code of hospitality and honor.
Very interesting! Let’s talk about this in a moment—after we define this word: hospitality.
Hospitality is the idea that you are very generous and friendly toward visitors.
You might say, "I visited my grandma’s house and felt warm hospitality."
It’s always great to visit people when you know they are good at showing hospitality to you.
When you visit someone’s house like that, oftentimes they make sure you’re comfortable,
and they get you something to drink right away—right?
One other way to use this word is if you want to work at a hotel or maybe a restaurant.
You can go to school to learn about hospitality.
Let’s hear about how Besa is used here in Albania.
We read: "Albanians take pride in welcoming guests."
What does it mean if you 'take pride in' something?
Well, if you take pride in something, you feel happy and proud about it—or about something that you’ve done.
Here’s an example of how you could use take pride in in a sentence:
"She takes pride in her work and always does her best."
You feel good about something that you’ve done well.
We keep reading.
We read that Albanians often treat visitors like family.
And another fascinating custom is the use of gestures.
Okay—so we have a few words we want to take a look at in this sentence.
The first word is fascinating.
If something is fascinating, it just means that it is extremely interesting.
Here’s an example:
"The documentary about ocean life was fascinating. I learned about so many new animals."
Friends, what kind of things do you find fascinating?
Try using that in a sentence today.
But we see something else here that we want to talk about—and that is the idea of gestures.
Let’s talk about that.
Sure! Gestures are hand motions or other movements you do with your body,
and those try to show an idea or a feeling.
Here’s an example:
"When speaking on stage, make sure you use the correct hand gestures."
Yes, gestures are important when you’re speaking on stage or communicating with others.
But a lot of times, gestures are part of a country’s culture as well.
Yeah, we think of gestures as being things that everyone in the world probably knows—like waving to say hello.
But things might be different in different countries.
Here, we can see they have gestures that may have different meanings in Albania than in other places.
And we see an example in this next sentence:
"For example, nodding may mean no, and shaking your head might mean yes."
So the total opposite of what we know—and that could be really confusing,
especially if you can’t totally understand the language someone is using.
That’s a really good point.
So this just shows, friends, that when you visit a new place or learn about a new culture,
it’s important to realize that things might be done in a different way than what you are used to.
It’s a good idea to do some research before you travel.
Yeah—you don’t need to know everything,
but doing a quick search online for some basic phrases and a little bit about the culture—maybe even gestures—could be very helpful.
All right, friends, we have more to learn in just a moment,
but first, let’s learn something new with today’s Info Cloud!
Hello, friends! Welcome to Info Cloud.
Dirk, you’ve lived in another country before.
You must be familiar with the expression “home away from home.”
Yes, I am.
It describes a place where you feel as comfortable and relaxed as you do at home.
My host family’s house in Los Angeles was like that for me.
That’s a good example!
Many people consider their grandparents’ house a home away from home
because it’s a place filled with love and comfort.
Another example might be a college dorm room.
For many students, dorm rooms become a home away from home during their studies.
The key feature of the phrase is not the “home” part though—
it’s the feeling of being at ease and welcomed in a place.
That’s why the phrase is also used to talk about places that you don’t actually live in.
You might hear people say it about a favorite vacation spot,
a friend’s house, or even a cozy café where they spend a lot of time.

home away from home 第二個家
當我們覺得一個地方有家的感覺，你可以稱呼它是 “home away from home”。
字面上是「離家很遠的一個家」，意思就是「第二個家」。
例如：
My host family’s house is a home away from home for me.
對我來說，寄宿家庭的房子是我第二個家。
“Home away from home” 通常用來描述一些令人相當舒適的地方，例如你最喜歡的度假勝地、朋友的家，或是你經常光顧的咖啡廳。
許多人認為祖父母的家是他們的 home away from home，因為那裡充滿了愛。
這就是今天的 Info Cloud，我們下次雲端見！

Albania: Europe’s Newest Travel Destination
Gjirokastër, known as “the City of Stone,” is a charming town in southern Albania
with unique stone architecture and steep stone streets.
Visitors should explore the old bazaar—a network of shops, cafés, and restaurants
bound together by beautiful paved stone alleyways.
Taste a pot of honey or purchase a hand-woven carpet
before heading up to the castle to look down at the town below.
Whether you enjoy history, culture, or natural beauty,
you’ll find an unforgettable adventure in Albania.
今天的 Usage Tip
要來看whether這個從屬連接詞。
課文裡這句話：
Whether you enjoy history, culture, or natural beauty, you’ll find an unforgettable adventure in Albania.
whether放在句首，引導出副詞子句，搭配對等連接詞，偶爾來說明無論是這種狀況還是另一種狀況，後面的主要子句中提到的內容都會成立。
在這種句型中，副詞子句的位置也可以放在主要子句後面。
我們來看一個相關的例句：
We’ll learn from the experience, whether we succeed or not.
無論成功與否，我們都會從經驗中學習。
Well, friends, we already learned about Albania’s capital city, Tirana,
and now it’s time to learn about another town there.
Yes! We’ve learned about a few different locations already.
This next one is called Gjirokastër.
Gjirokastër is known as “the City of Stone.”
It’s a charming town in southern Albania with unique stone architecture and steep stone streets.
Now, when you see the phrase “to be known as something,”
it usually means that something has a nickname or it’s famous for something.
Right—it’s known as something.
And here we also read:
Visitors should explore the old bazaar.
I love that word!
It’s very different from the word bizarre, that means strange.
That’s right. Here, when we’re talking about the old bazaar,
we’re talking about a network of shops, cafés, and restaurants.
But before we move on, let’s talk about what a network is—
and specifically what a network of something is.
This is a connected or related chain, group, or system.
Exactly! A city might have a network of bike paths—
they’re all connected together and allow cyclists to travel around the city conveniently.
And we hear here that the “City of Stone” connects together all of these shops, cafés, and restaurants
by beautiful paved stone alleyways.
We see that phrase “bound together.”
Can you explain what that means?
This is another phrase talking about things that are connected together.
It means things that are closely connected or tied to each other.
For example:
“The friends were bound together by their love of music.”
That’s what connected them.
All right—if things are bound together, they have something in common.
So friends, here we keep reading:
These restaurants and cafés are bound together by beautiful paved stone alleyways.
I think that’s one thing I love about going to Europe—
so many things are old and have a lot of stone.
Mmm—that is very different from the paved roads that I’m used to.
Right—it can be a little less convenient when you’re walking or biking around,
but it does look nice, I bet.
It certainly does!
Okay, but we see here that you can taste something delicious at this old bazaar.
You can taste a pot of honey or purchase a hand-woven carpet.
Now, we see this word “purchase” here, friends.
This means to acquire something by paying for it—to buy something, really.
It’s a good opportunity to use a word that sounds a little more formal.
If you want to use the word buy, you can switch it out for the word purchase.
That’s a great point!
So you could buy some honey, you could buy a woven carpet,
before heading up to the castle to look down at the town below.
Let’s talk about the idea of looking down at something.
If you look down, you are looking—but in a downward direction.
You can say: “to view something below you.”
Now friends, prepositions are important.
You could look down at something—but Garrett, if we switch that “at” to “on,”
that has a totally different meaning, doesn’t it?
Totally different. To look down on someone—now this is kind of like an idiom.
If you look down on someone, you think less of them.
You don’t think they are skilled or impressive.
That’s right. You generally think that you are better than they are.
But that’s not what we’re talking about here, friends.
We are literally talking about looking down at something that is below you.
In this case, it is the town below.
Now this next sentence was our Usage Tip for today:
Whether you enjoy history, culture, or natural beauty, you’ll find an unforgettable adventure in Albania.
I’m sure you would! I think it’s been interesting to talk about this.
Albania is not a country that many people think about, but it is in Europe—
mostly connected or bound to other popular destinations.
And it sounds like you can find a lot of similar things in Albania
that you could find in other European cities—things that people travel to see anyway.
Right. Now of course, when you travel, you want to be able to communicate,
understand signs, and figure out transportation.
We didn’t talk about that too much today.
I wonder what it’s like in Albania.
That’s a really good question.
That is something that you could look up and research on your own, friends,
if you’re interested in visiting this beautiful country.
Well, we’ll be right back, friends, after today’s Fun Fact!
Hello, fact friends!
I am Detective Ernest Finder, and I have a fun fact for you today.
Did you know that Albania has lots of empty bunkers—
seven hundred and fifty thousand, in fact?
What is a bunker?
Well, it’s a small defense shelter to hide in.
But that is a lot of bunkers!
That is one bunker for every four citizens!
They are called bunkerat—ah, that’s fun to say!
But that’s not English.
And that is today’s fun bunker fact: bunker!
All right, friends, it’s the end of our lesson,
which means it’s time for our Talk About It question. Are you ready, Garrett?
I think so. What is it?
Okay, here we go: What unique customs does your culture have?
Yes—every culture has its own unique customs.
And we’re both from the United States,
where one special thing is: we tip for all sorts of things.
That’s right. When you go to a restaurant,
when you get a haircut, when you get a massage—
you need to tip the person that helped you.
And this is not always the most fun.
It means things are more expensive than whatever price tag you see on a menu or on the product itself.
But this cultural thing is to show people that we appreciate their service.
So it is kind of interesting.
I agree.
All right, friends, that’s all the time we have for today.
My name is Anne Marie.
And my name is Garrett.
Thanks for joining us, friends!
We’ll see you next time, right here on Studio Classroom.

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