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本课您将学到：craze（狂潮；酷爱），怎样区分lay, lie, lie？ 郁金香（tulip）是荷兰的国花，可你知道吗，当年，她也曾有过一段疯狂的历史呢！ Tulips were introduced into Holland before the 17th century but it did not take long for the flowers to gain popularity（流行） among the upper classes（上流社会）. Flowers of such beauty and rarity（稀有） soon became symbols（象征） of power and prestige（名望） and the rich tried their best to lay their hands on some to display（展示） in their gardens. By 1634, the whole country was so fascinated（着迷的） by tulips that all other activities almost came to a stop. People were trading（交易） in tulips and even buying and selling un-sprouted（未生长的） flowers. It was documented（记载） that one rare bulb（球茎） fetched（售得） a price equivalent（相等的） to ten tons of cheese. When the prices of tulips reached such an exorbitant（过高的） level, few people bought them for planting in their gardens. The real demand for the flowers was exaggerated（夸张，夸大） by people who were buying them for speculation（投机）, not appreciation（欣赏）. The bubble（泡沫） finally burst（破裂） in 1637. Soon the nobles（贵族） became poor and the rich became paupers（乞丐）. Cries of distress（困苦，不幸） resounded（回响） everywhere in Holland. | 
