Dear Jade

I can’t believe I’ve finally made it India! Mumbai is a huge, modern city but there are still a lot of unusual things here that are reminiscent of the image that I have of India. Cows wander through the streets with the cars, and the city is so colorful and chaotic. It can be a bit too much to handle at times!

I’ve been escaping to Chowpatty Beach which isn’t as chaotic as being on the streets, but still as interesting and colorful. A lot of young Indians hang out here, and since almost everybody speaks English, I’ve been having a great time meeting the locals!

Hope you’re having fun too!

Troy

親愛的潔兒：

真不敢相信我已經到印度了！孟買是一個很大的現代城市，但也有很多我對印度舊有印象的奇特東西。牛走在街上和車輛並行，這城市真是面貌多變又混亂，有時會讓人有點錯愕！

我已經逃到秋帕逖海灘來了，這裡不像街道上那麼亂，但一樣有趣，很多采多姿。很多年印度的年輕人會來這裡閒晃，幾乎每個人都說英文，我在這裡認識了一些當地人，很開心！

希望你也開心！

特洛依

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Dear Troy,

No, Chowpatty Beach doesn’t sound anything like Camps Bay, but it definitely sounds interesting! Maybe it’s not as beautiful, but you get to see carnivals, and monkey shows and other things that I’d never expect to see on a beach!

There certainly haven’t been any of those here. I must say, however, that I’ve completely relaxed since I’ve come to the beach. Camps Bay has been beautiful but I’m ready to move on to the next country. Australia is next and I’m so excited!

Talk to you soon,

Jade

親愛的特洛依：

不，秋帕逖海灘聽起來一點也不像坎普斯灣，但的確很好玩的樣子！那裡可能沒那麼美，但你一定要去看看嘉年華會、猴子表演，還有其他我從沒想過會在海灘上出現的事物！

我得說，我這裡的確沒有那些好玩的東西，但是我來了這個海灘後，就非常悠哉。坎普斯灣很美，但我準備要出發到下個國家了。澳洲是我下一站，真興奮耶！

再和你聊！

潔兒

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Reading Passage



Mumbai used to be called Bombay when it was still a British colony. When India acquired its independence in 1945, all cities that were renamed by the British were given back their old, Indian names. Mumbai is easily India’s most dynamic city. It’s the country’s biggest port and home to Bollywood, India’s film industry which produces more films than Hollywood in America. Mumbai is a hectic, big city where people from all over the country come to find their fame and fortune. All this fast living requires some recreation and relaxation. Chowpatty Beach is the perfect place to do just that.

孟買以前還是英國殖民地的時候，英文名稱為Bombay。1945年，印度取得獨立，原本被英國重新命名的城市都改回原本的印度名Mumbai。孟買無疑是印度最有生命力的城市，它是國家最大的港口，也是寶萊塢的家鄉。寶來塢是印度的電影工業，製作了比美國好萊塢更多的電影。孟買是一個喧鬧的大城市，來自世界各地的人在這裡成名或賺大錢。這裡快速的生活步調需要一些娛樂休閒，秋帕逖海灘是最完美的娛樂休閒地點。

Unlike Camps Beach in Cape Town, Chowpatty Beach isn’t known for its beauty. In fact, you probably wouldn’t want to go swimming here because of how dirty the water is. You would be hard pressed to see people in their bathing suits laying out in the sun due to the modesty of the Indian people. In fact, most of the action that takes place on this beach happens at night. Ferris wheels carrying happily screaming children, balloon hawkers, monkey shows, and even the odd elephant taking people on its back for a stroll down the beach all contribute to Chowpatty’s carnival atmosphere. Families, couples, and groups of friends come here at night to take part in the festivities and just have a good old time.

秋帕逖海灘不像開普敦的坎普斯海灘，它不是以美景著名。事實上，你可能不會想在這裡游泳，因為這裡的水很髒。因為印度人很拘謹，很難看到有人穿著泳衣在陽光下作日光浴。事實上，大部分的海灘活動都發生在晚上。摩天輪載著不停尖叫、玩得很快樂的小朋友，以及賣氣球的小販和猴子表演，甚至還有幾隻大象讓人坐在象背上，在沙灘上漫步，這些活動都形成了秋帕逖海灘的嘉年華會。家庭、情人或幾群朋友來這裡參加慶祝活動，都很開心。

Many Bollywood movies are filmed here, and if you’re lucky, you just might catch one being shot during your visit. At one end of the beach is a row of stands selling bhelpuri, that quintessential Mumbai treat that is made of crisped rice and spicy chutneys all scooped up with a puri. Snacking on bhelpuri is the Chowpatty Beach experience and can’t be missed when here!

很多寶萊塢電影都在這裡拍攝，如果幸運的話，你還可以在遊覽時看到別人在拍片。海灘的盡頭處有很多人在賣「必黑鋪里」，這是一種典型的孟買點心，用炸麵包片來包裹酥脆的米和印度甜辣醬。到孟買的秋帕逖海灘時，一定不能錯過在海灘上享用「必黑鋪里」的經驗。

－－摘自 寂天文化《寄英文明信片給你（亞洲篇）》@

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