【英语趣味课堂】南非的风景-South African Landscape

 Jana: You mentioned snow. I had no idea it snows in South Africa.

Peter: Yeah, maybe I should qualify¹ that. The central part of South Africa actually there's a range of mountains that run straight through from the northern part of South Africa right through almost to the southern tip of Africa called the Drakensberg and around these mountains and obviously on top of these mountains, you can find snow during wintertime. Actually it doesn't compare with snow in the Northern Hemisphere² where you really have deep snow and things like that but it gets really cold during winter and temperatures would be far below zero for most of the time up in these mountainous areas. So, yeah, it's not enough snow to ski in but it's pretty cold.

 

Jana: Hmm, that's sounds interesting. I always thought South Africa is really wild and rugged³ and hot. Are there any such areas?

 

Peter: Oh, yeah, right. Actually South Africa is very diverse when it comes to areas. Like there are many different climate zones, different landscapes and actually if you travel around the country, you'd be really struck by how the vegetation⁴ can be so different within a morning's drive or an afternoon's drive. You could be in a completely different landscape and different vegetation, animals around you, different plant life. On the western side of the country, it can be really hot. It's almost got a desert type of, well it does have a desert type of landscape, very sparse⁵ vegetation, very little rainfall, not many people, not many animals, very beautiful. It's really a place I recommend people to visit because you can hear silence and it'd be quiet around you and yeah it's really beautiful but almost a bit strange, strange to be confronted⁶ by so much raw nature, I guess, if you can put it that way.

 

Jana: Wow, it sounds really interesting. What about, are there any tropical areas?

 

Peter: Hmm. I think on the eastern side of the country, close to the seaside, it's really hot and tropical most of the year. Winter it's a bit cooler but especially the north eastern parts of the country lush tropical vegetation, wonderful fruit of course, but really, really hot. Temperatures of forty five, forty degrees Celsius⁷ every day and ninety per cent humidity⁸. Yeah, like really, really hot.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

rugged

 

 

I always though South Africa was really wild, rugged and hot.

 

'Rugged' landscape is rough, rocky, hilly or full of mountains. Notice the following:

 

Much of the coast is very rugged, and there aren't a lot of nice, sandy beaches.

Most of the trails are very rugged, so be sure to wear good walking shoes.

struck by

 

 

You'd be really struck by how the vegetation can be so different within a morning's drive.

 

If you are 'struck by' something, it is really noticeable and it surprises you, because it isn't something you expected. Notice the following:

 

I've lived here for so long that I'm no longer struck by the beauty.

Everyone is struck by how tall he is.

sparse

 

 

It has a desert type of landscape with very sparse vegetation.

 

If vegetation is 'sparse,' it means there are very few plants and trees on the landscape. It is not covered by plants. Notice the following:

 

The hair on his head is getting a little sparse.

My garden is a little sparse this year, because it didn't get enough water.

raw nature

 

 

It's almost a bit strange to be confronted by so much raw nature.

 

'Raw nature' has not been touched or contaminated⁹ by humans. Notice the following:

 

The northern part of the country has a lot of raw nature and great places to go camping.

His cabin is surrounded by raw nature on all sides.

lush

 

 

Especially in the north-eastern part of the country, there is lush tropical vegetation.

 

'Lush' is the opposite of sparse. Lush vegetation is extremely thick, almost to the point where you can't walk through it. Notice the following:

 

Many of the women in this country have very long, lush, beautiful hair.

This area is most beautiful in the summer when all the trees are lush and full of leaves.

1 qualify   

vt.取得资格，有资格，限定，描述；vi.取得资格，有资格

参考例句：

• I won't qualify until next year.我明年才具备资格。
• You must qualify yourself for the post.你必须使自己具备担任这一工作的资格。

2 hemisphere   

n.半球，半球地图

参考例句：

• This animal is to be found only in the Southern Hemisphere.这种动物只有在南半球才能找到。
• In most people,the left hemisphere is bigger than the right.多数人的左脑比右脑大。

3 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

4 vegetation   

n.植物，草木，（植物）生长

参考例句：

• As we drove towards the desert,the vegetation became sparse.我们驱车前往沙漠，沿途的草木渐渐变得稀疏。
• The earth bore a thick green mantle of vegetation.大地覆盖着一层厚厚的绿色植物。

5 sparse   

adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的

参考例句：

• The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
• The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。

6 confronted   

面对( confront的过去式和过去分词 )； 使面对； 使对质； 处理

参考例句：

• When we confronted him, he denied everything. 我们与他当面对质时，他什么都不承认。
• The writer confronted his pile of work with determination. 那作家下决心面对成堆的工作。

7 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

8 humidity   

n.湿度，潮湿，湿气

参考例句：

• The house is not comfortable tonight ,because of the high humidity.由于湿度高，今晚屋子里不舒服。
• It's difficult to work because of the humidity.由于空气潮湿，工作很困难。

9 contaminated   

把…弄脏，污染( contaminate的过去式 )； 玷污，毒害，腐蚀（人的思想或品德）

参考例句：

• The drinking water has become contaminated with lead. 饮用水被铅污染了。
• The site was found to be contaminated by radioactivity. 发现此地受放射线污染。