【明報專訊】The Smarties are in Central Australia to visit the famous Uluru, or Ayers Rock. They met a thoughtless tourist on their way.

“ MoMo: The scenery is amazing! I can't wait to get closer! ”

“ Eason: Look at these rocks I've taken from the top of Uluru! ”

“ Dr Panda: You should neither climb Uluru nor take the rocks away! ”

“ Eason: No way! I'm bringing them home! ”

“ Bill: You had better return the rocks to the national park. ”

■Culture tips

Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is a huge sandstone rock in central Australia. It is a sacred site to the local Aboriginal people. To them, Uluru bears great spiritual significance. Climbing Uluru is not prohibited, but the locals consider it offensive and disrespectful. Moreover, there have been reports of people under spells of bad luck after taking away rocks from Uluru. No matter whether these stories are real or not, respect the place and local culture when you visit there!

(See photo C )

■English highway﹕neither... nor...

"Neither... nor..." connects two or more negative alternatives.

e.g. Neither Bill nor Dr Panda understands the Australian Aboriginal languages.

■Glossary

thoughtless (adj) 不顧及他人的

Aboriginal (adj) (尤指澳洲)土著的

prohibited (adj) (以法例)禁止的

offensive (adj) 冒犯的