Throughout its history, Luxembourg has been known as a thriving state in a position of great importance for its European neighbors. One of the smallest countries in Europe, today it is the world’s only Grand Duchy. Find out more about this tiny trilingual country, and how it came to be an independent state surrounded by much bigger, more powerful countries.
溯其歷史,盧森堡對其歐洲鄰國一直是地位重要的昌盛之國。她是歐洲幾個蕞薾小國之一,如今是世界上唯一的公國。深入了解這個三語小國,以及她如何在超強大國環伺的情況之下成為獨立國家。
A closer look 說古論今
Although it is independent today, Luxembourg has been at the center of European history for centuries. It’s history goes as far back as the Roman Empire, when the Romans built two roads that intersected there. Hundreds of years later, a man built a small castle on that spot, and a town grew up around it. The castle was built at the top of a steep cliff, and rivers ran through the surrounding areas. This made it very difficult to attack Luxembourg. Today, Luxembourg’s position gives the capital city, Luxembourg City, lots of beautiful views, pretty bridges and lovely scenery. Long ago, this meant that all the European powers wanted to hold Luxembourg, and from the 15th century on, many of them did. Luxembourg is ruled by a Duke or Duchess, and has been independent since 1839, although at that time Luxembourg lost a lot of land to Belgium.
Until 1890, the Duke of Luxembourg and the King of the Netherlands were the same person. In 1890, the King of the Netherlands (who was also the Duke of Luxembourg) died, and he left no male heir. Since it was legal for a woman to be queen in the Netherlands, the King’s daughter became the next Queen of the Netherlands. However, Luxembourg’s laws at the time stated that only a man could rule, so another relative was chosen to become the Duke of Luxembourg, and the two countries have had separate rulers ever since. The people of Luxembourg enjoy a relatively tranquil and comfortable life. The country is economically very comfortable, and the citizens of Luxembourg live well and peacefully.
盧森堡今日雖為獨立國家,幾百年來卻一直是歐洲歷史的中心。她的歷史最遠可回溯至羅馬帝國,當時羅馬修築的兩條道路交會於此,數百年後一名男子在此地蓋了一座小城堡,周圍發展為城鎮。這座城堡蓋在陡峭的懸崖上,有河流流經周圍地區,使盧森堡成為難以攻陷的據點。今日盧森堡的地理位置讓其首府盧森堡市擁有綺麗的視野、美麗的橋樑和宜人的景緻,但很久以前,這意味著所有歐洲強權都覬覦盧森堡,而十五世紀後盧森堡也確實被許多歐洲國家掌控。盧森堡為公爵或公爵夫人統治,一八三九年後成為獨立國家,不過當時比利時取走盧森堡許多領土。
一八九○年以前,盧森堡公爵及荷蘭國王為同一人。一八九○年,荷蘭國王駕崩(同時也是盧森堡公爵),膝下無子,因法律准許女人登基為后,國王的女兒便繼任為荷蘭皇后,不過當時盧森堡法律明定統治者只能為男性,國王的另一位親戚便被選為盧森堡公爵,從此這兩個國家有各自的統治者。盧森堡的人民享受較寧靜舒適的生活,經濟富裕,生活優逸安和。
(翻譯︰鄭湘儀)
Like people in many other countries, Taiwanese are fond of delicious fried snacks. For example, Spain is known for its churros, and in Taiwan there is a traditional fried dessert made of sticky rice called beh teung guai. The snack consists of sticky rice flour that is mixed with water, kneaded into a dough and shaped into small pieces. Once fried, the sticky rice balls are coated in crushed peanuts and sugar mixture. 世界上有許多國家愛吃炸甜點,台灣也不例外。舉例來說,西班牙有吉拿棒,台灣人則有油炸糯米的點心──白糖粿。作法先將糯米粉和水混合揉成糰,再捏成小塊,炸好後裹上花生糖粉。 knead (v.) 揉(麵糰、黏土),捏;捏製;揉捏形成 Beh teung guai is a traditional snack that has been enjoyed by many senior citizens since
WHEN ARE THE OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC GAMES? The Paris 2024 Olympics will run from Friday to Aug. 11, while the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be held from Aug. 28-Sept. 8. WHERE WILL THE GAMES TAKE PLACE? In September 2017, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded Paris the 2024 Games when its only remaining rival, Los Angeles, agreed to wait another four years to be the host city. Paris has hosted two Olympics and will stage the event 100 years after its last Games in 1924. The Games will be staged in 35 venues across Paris, Ile-de-France, on both mainland France and overseas. Some notable venues
A: The 2024 Paris Olympics is set to open tomorrow (Saturday Taiwan time), and will run until Aug. 11. B: How many Taiwanese athletes will compete in the Olympics? A: About 60 Taiwanese athletes will participate in 16 sports. B: I’ve heard some Olympic gold medalists, such as weightlifter Kuo Hsing-chun, and badminton duo Lee Yang and Wang Chi-lin, will compete in the Olympics again. A: Asian tennis star Hsieh Su-wei, who is the World No. 1 in women’s doubles, is also on the Taiwan team. Let’s give our support to the Taiwanese players. A: 巴黎奧運自7月26日(台灣時間27日),至8月11日要登場啦。 B: 台灣有多少選手參賽? A: 台灣有60名選手參賽,將參加16項運動種類。 B: 這次奧運金牌舉重名將郭婞淳、羽球男雙李洋/王齊麟都會參賽。 A:
You might have seen athletes gracefully bending and leaping in rhythm with melodies. This is “rhythmic gymnastics,” a sport often mistaken for artistic gymnastics. However, the two are distinct in focus and presentation. Artistic gymnastics focuses on strength, flexibility, and balance, with athletes performing solo on various equipment. They are scored based on the difficulty of their movements, their execution of certain skills on each apparatus, and their ability to combine multiple skills into different movements. Rhythmic gymnastics, on the other hand, emphasizes style and presentation, with athletes often performing in teams. Moving in harmony with music, they use