Berlin　柏林之旅 4

The Bermas walk back through the Hackeschen Hofe headed for a special event which Alexander M has lined up specially for soccer fan Jants. Let's see if he takes the bait. This year, with the World Cup taking place in Germany, there are loads of event connected with football happening all over Berlin too. Like this international football film festival in the cinema Zentral . But it looks like football is still man's stuff in the Berma household.

So you know, Germany is feverishly awaiting the big event of this year which is the Football World Cup. There are a lot of exciting activities going on everywhere in the run-up to it. And since I know, that Jants is a real football fanatic, I included a small detour just for him.

Together Jants and Alexander watch a Cuban-German short film about an enthusiastic young soccer player.

Jants is really excited about the World Cup. He himself won a ticket in the soccer tournament for the match between France and South Korea. Congratulations!

Jants is a goalkeeper for his local football club and is missing a tournament to come on this trip to Berlin. This miniature version may not be the real thing, but Jants and Alexander certainly seem to be enjoiying it.

So we are now going to Potsdamer Platz. Its history really is unbelievable. Back in the 20th, it was the vibrant center of Berlin, but when the city was divided after the war, the Square faded to become a gloomy barren wasteland on the frontier between the East and the West. And now , some years ago, its fate changed once again, and this wasteland was transformed into the new center of Berlin. There is loads going on there, we are going to go and get the share of our action.

The daring plan of creating a brand new town center from scratch really has worked here. Potsdamer Platz offers everything you'd expect in a metropolis. Musical theatre, a casino, cinemas, shopping malls, hotels, bars and restaurants.

The SONY Center has a huge covered courtyard. Its roof is the size of a soccer pitch, but seems to float above the courtyard like a feather, despite being made of 2500 tons of glass and steel. Yet, right in the midst of this futuristic center lies an architectural classic .

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feverishly: adv. 興奮地

fanatic: n. 入迷者

enthusiastic: adj. 熱情的

wasteland:n. 荒地

from scratch: 白手起家，從無到有

casino: n. 娛樂城

futuristic: adj. 未來派的