美国学生世界地理教材 第109期:天空之国(2)

 Another river with the same name as the Rh?ne, all except one letter, is the Rhine.  还有一条河流的名字和罗讷河（Rhone）很像，除了一个字母不一样之外其余都一样，叫做莱茵河（Rhine）。

It, too, starts from underneath¹ a glacier², but flows north between France and Germany, through Holland, and empties into the North Sea. 它也是发源于冰川的底部，但是往北从法国和德国之间流过去，再穿过荷兰，最后流入北海。

There are many people in the World who think it great sport to climb mountains 世界上有很多人都认为爬山是一种很好的运动——山峰越高，

—the higher the mountain and the more difficult and the more dangerous it is, the more they like to climb it.  越难攀登，越有危险，他们就越喜欢爬。

Now the highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc, which means White Mountain.  现在阿尔卑斯山脉最高的山峰是勃朗峰，意思是白色的山。

Part of it is in Switzerland, but the top is in France.  勃朗峰有一部分位于瑞士，但顶峰位于法国。

Every summer many people climb Mont Blanc and other mountains in the Alps.  每年夏天都有很多人去攀登勃朗峰和阿尔卑斯山脉的其他山峰。

These mountain-climbers use long poles with spikes³ on the ends to catch on the ice, and they wear heavy shoes with hobnails;  这些登山者使用一种末端带尖钉的可以抓住冰面的杆子，还穿着沉重的带平头钉的鞋子；

and they take along guides who know the way to go and the way to climb,  他们还请熟悉路线的导游带路，他们用绳子拴在一起，

and they are tied together so that if one slips over a ledge⁴ the others may pull him back.  这样如果有人滑下岩架其他人就可以把他拉回来。

But every summer people lose their lives in such mountain-climbing.  但是每年夏天都有人在登山时丧命。

They slip and fall and are dashed to their death or they are covered by an avalanche⁵ and buried alive under the falling pile of snow. 有人滑倒，跌落下去被摔死，有人遭遇雪崩被活埋在掉下来的雪堆里。

Probably the hardest of all Swiss mountains to climb is a mountain that looks like a huge horn.  也许瑞士所有高山之中最难攀登的是一座看起来像个大尖角的山。

It is called the “Matterhorn.”  叫做“马特洪恩山”。

Only the most skilled⁶ and the most daring⁷ ever attempt to climb it,  只有登山技术极为熟练又极富冒险精神的人才敢尝试去攀登这座山，

though the only thing you can do after you have risked your life to reach the top is to admire the view.  尽管冒着生命危险爬到顶峰，也只不过欣赏一下那壮丽的风景。

The reason most people climb it, however, is simply so they can say “I’ve done it.”  然而大多数人之所以去攀登这座山，只是为了最终能说“我做到了”。

So many people go to Switzerland to see the giant snow-covered mountains, even if they do not climb them,  很多人去瑞士并不是为了爬山，而是去观赏白雪皑皑的山峰，

that the Swiss people have built hotels wherever there is a fine view of a mountain, or a waterfall, or some other wonderful or beautiful sight.  所以凡是有美丽风景的地方瑞士人都建造了宾馆，供游客观赏高山、瀑布或者其他奇妙的美景。

There are thousands of such hotels all through Switzerland,  瑞士各地有几千家这样的宾馆，

so that the chief business of the Swiss people seems to be hotel-keeping, and they keep them very well indeed.  因此瑞士人最重要的生意看来就是宾馆经营，他们也确实把宾馆经营得很好。

In fact, it is said they are the finest hotel-keepers in the World.  甚至，有人说瑞士人是世界上最善于经营宾馆的老板。

They are famous for other things too: Swiss milk chocolate, which you have probably eaten;  他们还有其他东西也很有名：瑞士牛奶巧克力，你大概吃过吧；

Swiss cheese with big holes in it, which you may have eaten;  瑞士奶酪，中间有个挺大的洞，你可能也吃过；

Swiss watches;Swiss wood-carving, and cuckoo-clocks and cowbells and music boxes. 还有瑞士手表、瑞士木雕、布谷鸟自鸣钟、牛颈铃和八音盒等产品。

1 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

2 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

3 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。

5 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

6 skilled   

adj.(in)熟练的，有技能的；需要技能的

参考例句：

• Unskilled workers usually earn less money than skilled workers.无技能的工人通常比有技能的工人挣钱少。
• She was skilled enough in French to translate a novel.她法语娴熟，足以翻译小说。

7 daring   

adj.大胆的，勇敢的，敢作敢为

参考例句：

• It was a daring attempt but he carried it off.那是个大胆的尝试，而他成功了。
• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。