【明報專訊】Situated in North Africa, Morocco is still a monarchy (君主制國家) and it was heavily influenced by French culture. Let's know more about its past!
◆Flag's tale
The flag of Morocco was once in plain red. This is a tradition that dates back to Early Middle Ages (中世紀早期) when the Muslim forces preferred military flags with simple colours, usually red or white, which they associated with specific dynasties. The green pentacle (五角星) was added to the centre of the flag in 1915 during the French colonisation. It is called the Seal of Solomon, which is associated with King Solomon in the Old testament (舊約) in the Bible.
◆World Cup titbit
The Morocco national team was absent from World Cup finals for 20 years, until it won itself a seat in the 2018 game. Hervé Renard, its coach, had previously helped two different countries (Zambia and Ivory Coast) to win the Africa Cup of Nations. Its star player Medhi Benatia, who is now playing for Juventus F.C., is deemed to be the major contributor in this year's match.
◆Sightseeing
Bab Agnaou is one of the few ancient stone gates of Marrakesh (馬拉喀什) that have survived to the present day. Marrakesh enjoys the status of being the first among the four imperial cities in Morocco. The ancient red walls of the city have given it the nickname of "Red City". When the country was still a French protectorate, the colonisers developed a part of the area into what is known as Gueliz, a modern town famous for its restaurants, cafes and galleries. (picture 4)
(Sources: FIFA, Encyclopedia Britannica)
■English highway﹕
develop... into...
If you develop something into something, you change something so that it can make progress to become another thing.
e.g. The government wants to develop this area into a shopping centre.
■Quiz
1. Which word in the passage has the same meaning as "old"?
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2. Which country colonised Morocco in the past?
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(Answers on next text)
■Glossary
military (adj) 軍事的
deem (v) 視作
status (n) 地位
imperial (adj) 帝國的
[Smarties' Power English 第213期]
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