Scripts for lesson 30

The photo shows a bustling beach adjacent to an urban area, with crowds of people enjoying swimming and sunbathing on what seems to be a sunny summer weekend.
Although the beach appears man-made, the stretch of pristine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise waters look incredibly inviting for taking a swim.
In the foreground, the shadows cast by palm trees provide shady respite where some beachgoers are lounging comfortably on picnic mats.
Taking a closer look, you'll notice a lifeguard stationed in a watchtower across the shore, with beach umbrellas scattered around.

The explanation will be long, so I'll pause here.

(100 words)

Looking at the surroundings, you’ll see that this beach area is surrounded by trees, likely acting as a barrier to prevent sand from blowing away.
Just beyond the tree line, the downtown skyline’s high-rises come into view.
A gleaming glass skyscraper at the forefront stands out, probably offering panoramic beach views from its upper floors, possibly housing a pricey hotel.
Given it’s the weekend, the business district is likely quieter compared to the lively beach scene.
Incidentally, when I ran this image through Google Lens, it pinpointed this location as Street Beach in Brisbane, Australia.
It looks like an ideal spot to spend a weekend, close to both the city center and the picturesque waterfront.

(121 words)

The photo captures dusk as downtown high-rises light up.
Despite clouds obscuring the sunset, glimpses of the bluish-white twilight sky peek through.
As darkness falls, the illuminated skyline stands out vividly.
In the center, a dark patch framed by skyscrapers and a street appears to be a park surrounded by greenery.
Once crowded, the park now lies cloaked in darkness and stillness, without streetlamps.
The glowing orange and greenish-white streaks on the main road are likely from streetlights and the headlights of passing cars.
Capturing such a crisp low-light shot with an old iPhone seems unlikely.
Living in the countryside, I rarely get to photograph city skylines, but a professional DSLR would let me capture an urban twilight scene like this at least once.

(124 words)

This photo captures a dazzling fireworks display lighting up a pitch black sky over a waterfront in vivid colors.
On either side of the photo, several fuchsia-colored fireworks shoot upwards, leaving trails behind.
They are accompanied by small orange sparklers that are shaped somewhat like a bird's footprint, and are bursting outward from their trajectories.
In the center of the photo and at the highest point in the night sky, we can see the largest firework.
It is a massive bluish-purple firework with a glowing red core that explodes gracefully through the air.

The explanation will be long, so I'll pause here.

(102 words)

Shifting our focus to the bottom right corner, neon lights softly illuminate what appears to be a stadium entrance.
If you don't zoom in on the image and look closely, you might miss that the pink fireworks on the right are being launched from the stadium field, and the lights there are turned off.
Along the shore, the sparkling trails of fireworks and neon lights are reflected on the surface of the water.

Culturally, such fireworks displays are often associated with New Year's celebrations in the West.
In Japan, they're a staple of the summer Bon festival season, celebrated nationwide.
Incidentally, the Japanese Bon festival has cultural similarities to Christianity's All Souls' Day, a time to honor ancestral spirits.

(119 words)