Mirage
“Mirage” 是名词。在地理环境中，它是指因底层空气密度差异导致光线折射，使远处景物出现在地平线上的现象（常见于沙漠或炎热的公路）。在比喻意义上，它指代那些虚无缥缈、难以实现的梦想或幻觉。
- “Thirsty travelers in the desert are often fooled by a mirage of water.” (沙漠中口渴的旅行者经常被水的幻影所愚弄。)
- “The promised economic recovery turned out to be a mere mirage.” (承诺的经济复苏最后被证明只是海市蜃楼。)
- “On a hot summer day, you can see a mirage of a pool of water on the asphalt road ahead.” (在炎热的夏天，你可以看到前方柏油路上有积水的幻影。)
源自法语 “mirage”，其根源是拉丁语 “mirari”（惊奇、凝视），这也是 “mirror”（镜子）和 “admire”（钦佩）的词源。
“Mir-”：意为“惊奇、凝视”。
在探险故事中，沙漠中的海市蜃楼常被用来象征绝望中的虚假希望。它代表了人类感知与现实之间的鸿沟。
- 近义词：illusion, phantasm, hallucination
“Mirage” 听起来像 “mirror”（镜子）。海市蜃楼就像大自然在大气中放的一面“镜子”，反射出虚幻的影像。
“After three days without water, the lost explorer saw a shimmering lake in the distance. He ran toward it with all his strength, but the closer he got, the further it seemed to move away. Finally, it vanished completely, leaving him only with the hot sand. It was a cruel mirage.” (在断水三天后，迷路的探险家看到远处有一个波光粼粼的湖泊。他用尽全力向它跑去，但越靠近，它似乎就移得越远。最后，它完全消失了，只给他留下了滚烫的沙子。这是一个残酷的海市蜃楼。)