湖中央的童话城堡

胡金莹

埃爾肯城堡与俄罗斯其他旅游景点不同，它不仅模仿了欧洲中世纪城堡的堡垒式设计，而且位于一个充满鱼类和野生鸟类的人造湖中间，令人印象深刻。

1Chateau Erken， in the Russian FederationsKabardino⁃Balkaria， looks like an extremely well⁃preserved medieval（中世纪的）castle， but in re⁃ality， this architectural wonder is just over a de⁃cade old.

2Located in the vineyard⁃dominated country⁃side of Kabardino⁃Balkaria， Chateau Erken is a tourist attraction unlike any other in Rus⁃sia. Not only does it imitate the fortress⁃like design of European medieval castles， but its lo⁃cation in the middle of a man⁃made lake full of fish and wild birds is just as impressive.People from all over the country come to this rural area in Southern Russia to see ChateauErken in person. Photos and videos of this amazing castle have been doing the rounds onsocial media for years， but some people still can’t believe it exists and that it was built notby a king， but by a legendary businessman.

3The name“Tembulat Erkenov”is familiar to the wine industry of Kabardino⁃Balkaria.After graduating from the Faculty of Agronomy， he was sent to work in a communist collec⁃tive， but quickly rose through the ranks and eventually became Deputy Chairman of theGovernment of Kabardino⁃Balkaria. Later in life， he went on to found his own winery， Cha⁃teau Erken， which is recognized as one of the best in Russia.

4Inspired by the castles he visited during his many travels through Europe， Erkenovdecided to build his very own medieval castle; not just a small⁃scale replica， but an actuallife⁃size castle. This architectural wonder was believed to have been completed after onlytwo years， in 2010.

5Today， the main operations of Chateau Erken are located inside this magnificentcastle， but the place serves as a local tourist attraction as well. Those who want to see theinside of the place have to pay for a tour， but there is plenty to see from the outside aswell， considering that the castle is located in the middle of a man⁃made lake populatedwith fish and wild birds.

6Tembulat Erkenov passed away in 2017， leaving his son to handle the affairs of Cha⁃teau Erken. The five⁃story castle he built also remains a testament to his life’s work. Cha⁃teau Erken is located near the village of Chernaya Rechka， close to the highway leading toNalchik in Kabardino⁃Balkaria.

Reading Check

Inference

1. What is special about the castle？

A. It was set up by a businessman.

B. It is designed in a Russian style.

C. It is located in the middle of a lake.

D. It is suitable to take photos or videos.

Detail

2. What inspired Erkenov to build the castle？

A. His travels in Europe.

B. Great need for his career.

C. Wishes of the local people.

D. Working as Deputy Chairman.

Inference

3. What can we learn about the castle from the text？

A. It was constructed within a decade.

B. Admission fees are required to visit it.

C. The fish and wild birds are very scarce.

D. It contributes a lot to the local tourism.

Inference

Inference 4. Which section of the newspaper is the text probably taken from？

A. Entertainment.

B. Architecture.

C. Technology.

D. Society.

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the textThose who want to see the inside of the place have to pay for a tour， but there is plentyto see from the outside as well， considering that the castle is located in the middle of a man?made lake populated with fish and wild birds. 想要参观城堡内部的游客需要支付费用，但考虑到城堡位于鱼类和野生鸟类栖息的人工湖的中心，其外部也有很多可看的东西。

【点石成金】本句中，who want to see the inside of the place为定语从句，修饰先行词those;considering that the castle is located in the middle of a man⁃made lake populatedwith fish and wild birds为现在分词作原因状语，considering意为“鉴于;考虑到”;popu⁃lated with fish and wild birds为过去分词作定语，修饰a man⁃made lake。

Ⅱ. Text⁃centered chunks

graduate from 毕业于…… rise through the ranks 晋升

be recognized as 被认为是…… serve as 充当……

pass away 去世 handle the affairs 处理事务