Populated by Malays， Chinese， Indians and other groups， Malaysia is rich in festivals and wonderful foods. Theres great natural beauty to take in too， including beautiful beaches and some of the worlds oldest rainforest， much of which is surprisingly accessible. Malaysias national parks are the best for wildlife-watching.

Malaysias capital， Kuala Lumpur （usually referred to as KL）， is trying to better itself， a fact shown in the continuous usage of air-conditioners in shopping malls and restaurants. Just a couple of hours drive south of the capital lies the birthplace of Malay civilization， Melaka. Its historical buildings make it a must on anybodys plan. Much further up the west coast， the island of Penang was the place that British settled in Malaysia. Its capital， Georgetown， still has beautiful old buildings. For a taste of Old England， head for the hill stations of Frasers Hill and the Cameron Highlands. There are lots of opportunities for walks and bird-watching. Going further north， the best tourist place is Pulau Langkawi， an island with international-style hotels and picture-postcard beaches.

Across the sea from the Peninsula lie the east Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah. For most travellers， their first taste of Sarawak comes at Kuching， the old colonial capital， and then the Iban longhouses of the Batang Ai river system. Sibu， much further north on the Rajang River， is the starting point for trips to less traveled Iban， Kayan and Kenyah longhouses.

知識链接：马来西亚是东南亚的国家之一，1957年8月31日独立。马来西亚是由13个州和3个联邦直辖区组成的联邦体制国家，首都为吉隆坡，政治中心位于布城，是东南亚国家联盟的创始国之一。与此同时，马来西亚也是一个自然资源十分丰富的国家，是世界上最大的天然橡胶、棕榈油及锡的出产国，也是优质热带硬木、石及天然气的重要出产国。马来西亚的旅游资源十分丰富，阳光充足，气候宜人，拥有很多高质量的海滩、奇特的海岛、原始热带丛林、珍贵的动植物、千姿百态的洞穴、古老的民俗民风、悠久的历史文化遗迹以及现代化的都市。

Vocabulary

accessible adj. 可进入的

civilization n. 文明

colonial adj. 殖民的

（Do you want to go to Malaysia？ Why？）

Iris 改编