库姆博斯克罗：一个不说意大利语的意大利村庄

Called Italy’s “Little Provence”, Sancto Lucio de Coumboscuro is a village far away from any others in almost every sense.

Sited near the border(边界) between the Piedmont region of Italy and France, visitors either need to fly to Turin, and take a train and then a bus, or drive south from Provence in order to reach it.

Those who do make the trip here would be forgiven for wondering if they’re in the right country, particularly when local people say goodbye to them with the unfamiliar “arveire” rather than “arrivederci.” The official language of Coumboscuro is Provençal, an ancient medieval neo-Latin(中世纪新拉丁语) dialect of Occitan, the language spoken across the Occitania region of France.

Only around 30 or so people live in the village, and life is far from easy for locals. Coumboscuro is largely made up of shepherding families, who often find their sheep under attack from the wolves here.

The electricity is often out for weeks during the winter time, while the Internet connection here is the least possible. But the village’s quiet, mountain meadows and bright purple lavender fields are ideal for visitors looking for a place not affected by modern factors, as are the breathtaking views from its Alpine peaks, which stretch to the Cote d’Azur.

Forget bars, supermarkets and restaurants. Any social buzz(社交) is limited to the occasional(偶尔的) folk events that take place in the village, or when visitors start weekend mushroom hunts alone. 

1.Which of the following is the right order to visit Coumboscuro ?

A By car-by bus-by plane.

B By plane-by bus-by car.

C By train-by plane-by bus.

D By plane-by train-by bus.

解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据第二段可知，游客要么飞往都灵，然后乘坐火车和公共汽车到那里，要么从普罗旺斯向南开车到那里。故选D。

2.Which of the following is TRUE according to paragraph three?

A “Arveire” is an Italian word.

B Coumboscuro is a secret place.

C People in Occitania can speak Provençal.

D Visitors to Coumboscuro can’t talk to local people.

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第三段可知，库姆博斯克罗的官方语言是普罗旺斯语(Provençal)，这是古代中世纪新拉丁语欧西坦语的一种方言，在法国的欧西坦尼亚地区使用。由此推断法国欧西坦尼亚的人能说普罗旺斯方言。故选C。

3.What does the underlined word “shepherding” probably mean?

A 贫困的.

B 放牛的.

C 偏僻的.

D 牧羊的.

解析：选D。D词义猜测题。根据第四段单词所在句子可知，库姆博斯克罗主要由shepherding家庭组成，他们经常发现自己的羊受到狼的攻击，可推知那些家庭是牧羊的，故选D。

4.What can visitors do in Coumboscuro according to the passage?

A They can watch TV on cold winter days.

B They can enjoy the natural beauty there.

C They can herd sheep in the mountain.

D They can chat with friends through the Internet.

解析：选B。B推理判断题。根据第六段可知，在冬季，这里经常断电数周，同时在这里连接互联网也是最不可能的。但是，该村的宁静、山地草甸、鲜亮的紫色薰衣草田，以及从阿尔卑斯山脉一直延伸到(普罗旺斯)蔚蓝海岸的壮丽景观，都是寻找原生态旅游地的游客的理想之选。由此推断游客在这里可以欣赏自然美景。故选B。

5.The last paragraph intends to tell us that _________.

A life in Coumboscuro is full of challenges

B folk events in Coumboscuro are rich and fun

C visitors have to stand loneliness in Coumboscuro

D the mushroom hunt is the only activity for visitors

解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据最后一段可知，游客要忘了酒吧、超市和餐馆吧，因为在这里，任何社交都只限于偶尔发生在村子里的民俗活动，或者当游客们在周末开始独自搜寻蘑菇时。由此推断游客在库姆博斯克罗要耐得住寂寞才行，故选C。