[00:02.39]第三单元 课文A [00:04.78]The Atlantic Ocean [00:07.01]大西洋 [00:09.25]The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans [00:11.91]大西洋是分隔新大陆 [00:14.58]that separate the old World from the New. [00:17.40]与旧大陆的大洋之一。 [00:20.22]For centuries it kept the Americas [00:22.65]几个世纪里, [00:25.08]from being discovered by the people of Europe. [00:27.56]它使南北美洲未被欧洲人发现。 [00:30.04]Many wrong ideas about the Atlantic [00:32.82]许多有关大西洋的错误 [00:35.60]made early sailors unwilling to sail far out into it. [00:39.14]导致早期的海员不愿意远航驶入大西洋。 [00:42.68]One idea was that it reached out to "the edge of the world." [00:46.37]一个想法是,大西洋洋已远达“世界的边缘”, [00:50.05]Sailors were afraid that they might sail right off the earth. [00:53.54]海员们担心他可能会航行到地球队边上彻底掉下去; [00:57.03]Another idea was that at the equator the ocean would be boiling hot. [01:00.85]另一个想法是,在赤道处,大西洋的海水是滚烫的。 [01:04.68]The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the Pacific, [01:08.40]尽管大西洋的面积只有太平洋的二分之一, [01:12.12]but it is still very large. [01:14.10]但它仍然非常大。 [01:16.07]It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 kin) wide where Columbus crossed it. [01:21.36]哥伦布穿越的那部分有4000多英里(6000公里)宽。 [01:26.65]Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 kin) wide. [01:31.87]即使在最窄处,也有大约2000英里(3200公里)宽。 [01:37.10]This narrowest place is between the bulge [01:40.23]最窄处在美非大陆 [01:43.37]of south America and the bulge of Africa. [01:46.15]凸出部分之间。 [01:48.93]Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual. [01:52.10]使大西洋不同寻常原因有二: [01:55.28]For so large an ocean it has very few islands. [01:58.66]首先,如此大的海洋只有很少几个岛屿; [02:02.04]Also, it is the world's saltiest OCean. [02:04.97]其次,它是世界上含盐分最多的海洋。 [02:07.90]There is so much water in the Atlantic [02:10.32]大西洋里的水 [02:12.75]that it is hard to imagine how much there is. [02:16.03]多得不可想象。 [02:19.31]But suppose no more rain fell into it [02:22.34]假设不再有雨水落进大西洋, [02:25.37]and no more water was brought to it by rivers. [02:28.65]河水也不再流入 [02:31.93]It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. [02:35.56]大西洋也需要大约四千年的时间才能干涸。 [02:39.19]On the average the water is a little more than two miles (3.2 km) deep, [02:43.97]平均水深两英里(3。2公里)多一点, [02:48.75] but in places it is much deeper. [02:51.23]但有些地方更深。 [02:53.71]The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. [02:56.05]最深处在波多黎各岛附近, [02:58.39]This "deep" measures 30,246 feet--almost six miles (9.6 km). [03:04.37]深达30246英尺,几乎有六英里(9。6公里)。 [03:10.35]One of the longest mountain ranges of the world [03:13.23]世界上一条最长的山脉 [03:16.10] rises from the floor of the Atlantic. [03:18.78]从大西洋海底升起, [03:21.46]This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean. [03:25.43]它由北向南延伸,直达大西洋中部, [03:29.40]The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands. [03:34.09]几座山峰露出海面便形成岛屿。 [03:38.78]The Azores are the tops of peaks in the mid-Atlantic mountain range. [03:42.85]亚速尔群岛是大西洋中部山脉的峰尖。 [03:46.93]Several hundred miles eastward from Florida [03:49.71]从佛罗里达往东几百英里处的 [03:52.49]there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. [03:55.66]一部分洋面称为马尾藻海。 [03:58.84]Here the water is quiet,for there is little wind. [04:02.72]这里水面平静,几乎没有一丝风。 [04:06.60]In the days of sailing vessels the crew were afraid they would be becalmed here. [04:10.57]在使用帆船的时代,般员们担心他们会因无风而在此处无法航行, [04:14.54]Sometimes they were. [04:16.57]有时的确如此。 [04:18.61]Ocean currents are sometimes called "rivers in the sea." [04:22.03]洋流有时被称为“海上河流”。 [04:25.46]One of these "rivers" in the Atlantic is called the Gulf Stream. [04:28.94]大西洋其中有一条“河流”被命名为墨西哥湾流,[04:32.43]It is a current of warm water. [04:34.86]是条暖流; [04:37.29]Another is the Labrador Current--cold water coming down from the Arctic. [04:41.31]另一条叫拉布拉多流,这是来自北冰洋的寒流。 [04:45.34]Ocean currents affect the climates of the lands near which they flow. [04:48.67]洋流对其充经地区的气候有影响。 [04:52.00]The Atlantic furnishes much food for the people on its shores. [04:55.28]大西洋为岸上的人们提供了丰富的食物。 [04:58.55]One of its most famous fishing regions,the Grand Banks,is near New-found land. [05:02.52]最有名的渔业区之一是大浅滩渔业区,位于纽芬兰附近
[05:06.49]Today the Atlantic is a great highway. [05:09.12]今天的大西洋是一条主要交通干线。 [05:11.75]It is not,however,always a smooth and safe one. [05:14.87]所以大西洋并不总是一个平静和安全的海洋。 [05:17.99]Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. [05:21.52]然而,横扫而来的暴风雨卷起层层巨浪 [05:25.04]Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships. [05:28.83]遥远的北极漂浮而下的冰川穿过般只经过的航道, [05:32.62]We now have such fast ways of traveling [05:35.19]今天我们拥有的快捷旅行方式 [05:37.76] that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. [05:40.55]使大西洋显得小了。 [05:43.33]Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. [05:46.71]哥伦布花了两个多月的时间才穿越大西洋, [05:50.09]A fast modem steamship can make the trip in less than four days. [05:54.56]今天现代化的快速轮船只需不到四天的时间就可以完成 旅行。 [05:59.03]Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours [06:02.80]从纽约到伦敦飞行只需8小时, [06:06.58] and from South America to Africa in four! [06:09.52]而从南美到非洲四小时就够了。 [06:12.45]Text B [06:13.93]课文 B [06:15.41]The Moon [06:17.03]月球 [06:18.64]We find that the moon is about 239,000 miles [06:21.92]我们发现月球离地球大约有大约23。9万英里 [06:25.20](384,551 km) away from the earth, [06:29.03](384,551万公里), [06:32.86]and,to within a few thousand miles,its distance always remains the same. [06:36.58]它与地球保持这个距离,变化不超地几千英里。 [06:40.30]Yet a very little observation shows that the moon is not standing still. [06:43.72]然而略加观察就可以发现月球并非静止不动。 [06:47.14]Its distance far the earth remains the same, [06:49.43]它与地球之间的距离不变, [06:51.72]but its direction continually changes. [06:53.90]但其方位却不断变化。 [06:56.08]We find that it is traveling in a circle-- [06:58.65]我们发现月球以圆周或者 [07:01.22]or very nearly a circle--round the earth, [07:04.01]非常接近圆周绕地球一周。 [07:06.79]going completely round once a month,or,more exactly,once every 27 1/3 days. [07:11.87]月球是我们在太空中紧近的邻居。 [07:16.95]It is our nearest neighbour in space, [07:18.87]如同我们自己一样, [07:20.79]and like ourselves it is kept tied to the earth [07:23.57]地球引力月球 [07:26.35]by the earth's gravitational pull. [07:28.34]与球紧紧联系在一起。 [07:30.32]Except for the sun,the moon looks the biggest object in the sky. [07:34.01]除太阳以外,月球是空中看起来最大的物体。 [07:37.69]Actually it is one of the smallest, [07:39.82]其实它是最小的天体之一, [07:41.95]and only looks big because it is so near to us. [07:44.68]只是因为离我们很近,所以看起来大。 [07:47.41]Its diameter is only 2,160 miles (3,389 kin), [07:52.39]它的直径只有2160英里(3389公里), [07:57.36]or a little more than a quarter of the diameter of the earth. [08:00.29]或者说比地球直径的四分之一略多一点。 [08:03.21]Once a month,or,more exactly,once every 29 1/2 days, [08:06.90]我们所说的“满月”每月有一次,确切地说,每29天半有一次, [08:10.58]at the time we call "full moon,"its whole disc looks bright. [08:13.75]这时整个月面明亮照人。 [08:16.93]At other times only part of it appears bright, [08:19.87]其它时间,月球只有一部分发亮, [08:22.80]and we always find that this is the part which faces towards the sun, [08:26.44]我们发现这正是面朝太阳的那一部分, [08:30.07]while the part facing away from the sun appears dark. [08:32.74]而背靠太阳的那部分显得淡无光。 [08:35.42]Artists could make their pictures better if they kept this in mind-- [08:38.20]假使美术家们记住月球只有受到太阳照射的那部分才是明亮的, [08:40.99]only those parts of the moon which are lighted up by the sun are bright. [08:44.56]他们的绘画也许会更美好。 [08:48.14]This shows that the moon gives no light of its own. [08:50.66]这也说明月球本身并不发光, [08:53.19]It merely reflects the light of the sun, [08:55.46]它如同悬挂在天空中的一面巨大的镜子, [08:57.73]like a huge mirror hung in the sky. [09:00.15]仅仅反射太阳光。 [09:02.56]Yet the dark part of the moon's surface is not absolutely black; [09:05.68]不过月球表面黑暗的并不是绝对的漆黑。 [09:08.81]generally it is just light enough for us to be able to see its outline, [09:12.39]一般说来它的亮度刚好足以让我们看清它的轮廓, [09:15.96]so that we speak of seeing "the old moon in the new moon's arms." [09:19.74]因此我们将这一景色称为“新月抱旧月”。 [09:23.51]The light by which we see the old moon [09:25.64]看旧月所凭借的光线 [09:27.77]does not come from the sun,but from the earth. [09:30.45]来自地球而不是太阳。 [09:33.13]We know well how the surface of the sea or of snow, [09:36.07]我们很清楚海面、雪面 [09:39.00]or even of a wet road, [09:40.92]或者湿漉漉的路面 [09:42.84]may reflect uncomfortably much of the sun's light on to our faces[09:46.03]如何将大量的太阳光反射到我们的脸上, [09:49.22]In the same way [09:50.84]使我们感觉不舒服。 [09:52.46]the surface of the whole earth reflects enough of the sun's light [09:55.49]整个地球表面同样将充足的太阳光反射到月球表面, [09:58.52]on to the face of the moon for us to be able to see [10:01.60]使我们得以看见 [10:04.68] the parts of it which would otherwise be dark. [10:07.22]本来会是很暗的那部分月面。 [10:09.75]If there were any inhabitants of the moon, [10:11.97]假使月球上有居民, [10:14.19]they would see our earth reflecting the light of the sun, [10:17.27]他们也会见到反射太阳光的地球 [10:20.36]again like a huge mirror hung in the sky. [10:23.14]如同悬挂在天空中的一面巨大的镜子; [10:25.92]They would speak of earthlight just as we speak of moonlight. [10:29.24]他们也会像我们谈论地球之光。 [10:32.56]"The old moon in the new moon' s arms" [10:34.83]“新月抱旧月” [10:37.10]is nothing but that part of the moon's surface on which it is night, [10:40.38]只不过是在夜间被地球 [10:43.66]lighted up by earth light. [10:45.49]照亮的那部分月面。 [10:47.31]In the same way, [10:48.84]同样, [10:50.37]the lunar inhabitants would occasionally see part of our earth in full sunlight, [10:54.25]月球人有时也会见到地球的一部分阳光普照, [10:58.13]and the rest lighted only by moonlight; [11:00.45]而剩下的另一部分被月光照亮, [11:02.78]they might call this "the old earth in the new earth's arms." [11:06.04]他们也会把这一景色称为“新地抱旧地”。
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