A
People are always looking for lost cities and occasionally one is found: Borobudur in Indonesia, for example. But perhaps some of the places people look for never existed—or did they? Here are just a few famous mythical(传说中的) cities.
El Dorado
El Dorado is a story that began in 1537 when Spanish explorers found the Muisca people in the mountains of what is now Colombia. They heard the story of a man who covered himself with gold and dived into a lake. Then people began to talk of El Dorado—“the golden man”. Soon people started to think of El Dorado as a place, too— a city of gold and amazing riches. Nowadays, the name “El Dorado” is still used to mean “a place where you can get rich quickly”.
Atlantis
There was once an island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. It was the mythical island of Atlantis. The people of the island were very rich, thanks to the natural resources on their island. For hundreds of years, they lived simple lives. But slowly they began to change. They started to want power. So the gods decided to destroy Atlantis. Suddenly, the island and its people were swallowed(淹没) by the sea and were never seen, again.
Shambhala
In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala is a mystical country that is hidden somewhere behind the Himalayas. Shambhala is a word from an old language that means “place of peace” or “place of happiness”. It is said that there is no war in Shambhala, and in the future, when the world is full of war, a huge army will come out of Shambhala, destroy the world’s bad rulers, and start a new Golden Age. Some people say this will happen in 2424.
21. What does “El Dorado” mean nowadays?
A. Colombia. B. A golden man.
C. A place of great wealth. D. A city with mountains.
22. According to legends(传说), Atlantis was destroyed by _______.
A. the gods B. its people
C. its powerful enemies D. its neighbouring country
23. What will probably happen in 2424 according to the last paragraph?
A. The Himalayas will disappear.
B. The world will be full of peace.
C. An army from Shambhala will save the world.
D. There will be a war in Shambhala.
