Wild Europe - Genesis 肇始之初- 1

Europe, an ancient continent. Within its borders lies unrivalled richness of both natural and human wonders.

At its northern limits, Europe reaches into the icy wastes of the high Arctic. To the south and west, its fringes have been shaped by the Mediterranean¹ Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Far to the east, it is bounded by the primeval forests of Russia, rubbing shoulders with Asia. These boundaries enclose an area just half the size of North America, yet 713,000,000 people make Europe their home. It's hard to find a space unmarked by human occupation.

The Europe that we see today is the product of a long and complex history. Thousands of years of settlements, invasions, revolutions and inventions have allowed us to reorder nature's ancient patterns to suit our needs.

On a human time scale, the story of the changing face of Europe seems immense, but there is an even more extraordinary story to be told, one that stretches back half a billion years, and tells of the events that have really shaped the continent. 8,000 years ago, the skyscrapers² of Frankfurt would have risen over endless primeval wildwood, stretching from Lisbon to Leningrad. Over the last 2 million years, Europe has seesawed between perishing cold and stifling⁴ heat. During the Ice Ages, Amsterdam and London would have been smothered⁵ by huge glaciers⁶.

~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。~。

words and expressions

wastes:large areas of land that are not cultivated and have few living animals or plants荒地

fringe:the outer or less important part of an area, group or activity边缘,四周

rub shoulders with sth:和...接触
also: rub shoulders with sb.=rub elbows with sb.
to meet and spend time with:与某人有来往
eg:She claims that she rubs shoulders with royalty⁷ all the time.

tell of:讲述

seesaw:vi.to change repeatedly from one emotion, situation, etc. to another and then back again交替；起伏

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

3 seesawed   

v.使上下（来回）摇动( seesaw的过去式和过去分词 )；玩跷跷板，上下（来回）摇动

参考例句：

• The boat seesawed in the heavy sea. 小舟在波涛汹涌的海中颠簸不已。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He seesawed between two opinions. 他在两种意见之间举棋不定。 来自互联网

4 stifling   

a.令人窒息的

参考例句：

• The weather is stifling. It looks like rain. 今天太闷热，光景是要下雨。
• We were stifling in that hot room with all the windows closed. 我们在那间关着窗户的热屋子里，简直透不过气来。

5 smothered   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
• The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

6 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

7 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。