英国学生科学读本 第80期:我们脚下的土地(2)

 　　The rock called sandstone is made up of a great many grains of sand. The beating of the rain on this rock washes the grains apart, and so the hard sandstone slowly changes into loose sand.

　　砂岩主要由大量沙粒组成。当雨水打下来的时候, 这种岩石中的沙粒便被冲刷下来。久而久之, 坚硬的砂岩逐渐变成了松散的沙子。

　　All rocks are full of tiny cracks and pores¹. After rain these are filled with water. In winter it often happens that the rain is followed by frost, which changes this water into ice. Now the ice takes up more room than the water, and as it freezes it widens the cracks and pores of the rocks, and thus breaks off some pieces.

　　任何岩石中都存在许多细微的裂缝与孔洞。雨天, 这些地方便充满了雨水。如果是冬天, 雨水之后便会降霜, 而缝隙中的雨水也就变成了冰。冰比水占据的空间要大, 当它凝结时就会使得岩石中的裂缝与孔洞变得更宽。于是, 一些岩石碎块便会掉落下来。

　　The waves of the sea beat on the cliffs all round the coast, break off large pieces of the rocks, and dash them about on the shore, until at last they are broken into the tiny particles which we call "sand" and "mud. " The rivers, too, which run over the land wear away their rocky banks in the same way.

　　海浪反复拍打着海岸周围的崖壁, 巨大的岩石碎块随着海浪来到了海滩上。经过岁月的沉淀, 它们变成了细小的微粒, 这就是我们所说的“沙子”与“泥土”。河流也是这样, 当它们流过时都会将周围的河畔冲刷成这样的微粒。

　　Do you know why the soil is so much darker in colour than the subsoil and the rock beneath it? It is because a good deal of matter from decayed² plants is mixed with the soil. The roots of plants, the leaves which fall off the trees, and the greater part of the manure³ which we add to the soil, are all made of vegetable matter; and there is sometimes so much of this in the ground that the soil is nearly black.

　　你知道吗, 土壤的颜色为什么比底土及其下方的岩石深那么多? 这是因为很多腐烂的植物与土壤混合在了一起。植物的根部、树上飘落的叶子以及我们在土壤中添加的肥料, 这些都是土壤中的植物成分。有时候, 土壤中的这一类物质过多, 土壤也就几乎变成了黑色。

1 pores   

（皮肤上的）毛孔，微孔( pore的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pores of your body secrete sweat. 身上的毛孔分泌汗液。
• Sweat exudes through the pores. 汗从毛孔中渗出。

2 decayed   

a.腐败的，被蛀的

参考例句：

• New Shoreham, now sadly decayed, has barely 100 inhabitants. 如今已经衰落的新肖勒姆仅有100 名居民，很令人伤感。
• The place stank of decayed fish. 那地方有烂鱼的臭味。

3 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。