【一起听英语】火山爆发

我们都知道火山很危险，它的形成机制到底是什么呢？

Neil: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English, I'm Neil and

joining me in this programme to talk about dangerous holiday activities is Rob. Hi

there Rob.

Rob: Hello Neil.

Neil: So tell me Rob, I know that you've done a fair amount of travelling in your time.

You must have come across a few situations or signed up for some activities

which you look back on now and think… hmmm, that was really dangerous.

Rob: Yes, I went white water rafting in Indonesia a few years ago and that was quite

scary, particularly because of the size of the boat they brought along – it was the

sort of boat you get at the seaside, almost like a toy that you'd go out on the sea on.

So what about you, Neil? What's the most dangerous thing you've done on holiday?

Neil: Well, I was backpacking in South America with a friend of mine a few years ago

and I saw a sign advertising¹ 'The most dangerous bike ride in the world', so we

thought… ooh that sounds interesting.

Rob: What a challenge! But how was it?

Neil: It was insanely dangerous, I have to say! It started at an altitude of almost 5,000

metres, so for a start it was very difficult to breathe. Then there was this descent

of over 3,500 metres down into the jungle. And as if that wasn't enough, part of

the ride was along a road that was so dangerous, it's actually known as 'the road of 

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death'! And on one side of this road there's a sheer drop of over a kilometre. So it

was pretty hair-raising stuff!

Rob: I bet!

Neil: I have a question for you, Rob. We're talking about danger, so I would like to

know which of these three countries the British government advises against all

travel to. Is it:

a) Iraq

b) Somalia

c) Afghanistan

Rob: That's a tricky² one, because all those countries have their problems, don't they. I'm

going to go for the middle one, a bit of a guess, Somalia.

Neil: OK, well, we'll see at the end of the programme. We have a story for you today

which combines dangerous places with dangerous activities. It's the Democratic

Republic of Congo. Can you tell us Rob what's going on there at the moment?

Rob: Yes, elections are planned in the volatile³ country. There are fears violence will

break out as the country's been ravaged⁴ by decades of civil war. It has amongst

the lowest living standards in the world and has been described as one of the worst

places in the world to be a woman because of the use of sexual violence as a

weapon of war.

Neil: But despite its troubled history, it is actually a very beautiful country with

amazing scenery and rich mineral resources. And right now a very unusual - and

possibly dangerous - tourist attraction has come into being.

Rob: Oh really, what's that then? 

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Neil: An erupting volcano. Here's the BBC World Service reporter Chakuchanya

Harawa.

Chakuchanya Harawa, BBC

Nature at its most violent often keeps tourists away. But this volcano eruption⁵ in the Democratic

Republic of Congo is proving an exception. Since Nyamulagira began spewing out lava⁶ on 6

November rangers⁷ in Virunga National Park have set up a tented camp. Hikers can safely watch

the 300 m fountains of molten rock from a safe distance of 1.5 km.

Neil: It sounds spectacular, doesn't it?

Rob: It does. The reporter said that lava was spewing out.

Neil: People are apparently⁸ flocking to see this volcano. You can get as close as 1.5 km

away and watch it spew out fountains of molten rock which reach 300 metres in

height.

Rob: But surely it's at least a little bit dangerous to watch a live volcano from such

close proximity⁹?

Neil: Yes, you'd think so, wouldn't you! Well, in 2002 another volcano in the region

destroyed parts of the city of Goma and forced 350,000 people to flee. Here's the

BBC's Chakuchanya Harawa again talking about how safe this volcano is.

Chakuchanya Harawa, BBC

It's a 3-4 hour hike to the camp, and a visit costs $300 per person. Experts say the volcano doesn't

currently pose a threat to tourists, the local population or the area's endangered mountain gorillas¹⁰.

Rangers have, however, worked for years to protect the park from poachers, rebel groups, illegal

miners and land invasions.

Neil: So, according to the experts, the volcano doesn't pose a threat to tourists.

Rob: Hmm, I wonder who these so-called experts are?! The reporter said that the local

population needn't worry and the endangered mountain gorillas are safe too. 

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Neil: The gorillas are actually a major tourist attraction in themselves. The area had no

tourists in 2008 but the tourism industry's now growing so fast it expects to make

$1million this year for the very first time. But it's the volcano which is making

some money. As we've heard, $300 per person to see it. Do you think you'd be

tempted¹¹, Rob?

Rob: Absolutely! It's been my dream to get close to an erupting volcano – I'd go like a

shot!

Neil: Right, well, book a flight!

Rob: OK, I will!

Neil: Let's go back to the question at the beginning of the programme. I asked which of

these three countries the British government advises against all travel to. Is it:

a) Iraq

b) Somalia

c) Afghanistan

Rob: And I said Somalia. So was I right?

Neil: You were right, actually. Did you know that answer, or was it just a guess?

Rob: Well, I had heard that it was a lawless country, so I suspected that you shouldn't

really go there at the moment.

Neil: Well, yes, you were right. Well, that's all we have time for in today's programme.

But do join us again for more 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

Goodbye.

Rob: Bye. 

1 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

2 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

3 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

4 ravaged   

毁坏( ravage的过去式和过去分词 )； 蹂躏； 劫掠； 抢劫

参考例句：

• a country ravaged by civil war 遭受内战重创的国家
• The whole area was ravaged by forest fires. 森林火灾使整个地区荒废了。

5 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

6 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

7 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

10 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。