VOA慢速英语--气候变化威胁着苏格兰的历史遗迹

Climate Change Threatens Scottish Historical Treasures

Historians² are warning that some ancient British structures are being threatened by climate change.

One of the most affected³ places is around the Orkney Islands, which are off the northern coast of Scotland. The area is home to more than 3,000 historical places. But, the islands have been severely⁴ affected by rising sea levels, heavy rainfall and severe weather events in recent years.

Evidence has been found around the Orkney Islands that humans lived there as far back as 8,500 years ago. Some structures on the islands were built during the Iron Age, Viking rule and the Middle Ages.

Archaeology⁵ experts have estimated that about 1,000 historical sites are under threat. One of those identified is the Iron Age building South Howe Broch on the island of Rousay. Now, the sea has eaten away much of the site’s western area. The main wall has started falling into the sea.

Julie Gibson is with the University of the Highlands and Islands. She told Reuters news agency that she fears the whole structure will one day completely disappear. “Each year a little more falls as the sea batters⁷ it,” Gibson said.

She said experts have discovered in recent years that all of the settlement archaeology in the area is within 100 meters of the coast edge. “So as the sea takes this heritage⁸ of ours away, it’s taking all that we have,” she said.

A few hundred meters away from South Howe Broch is Midhowe Broch. This Iron Age building is still in good condition because it has been protected by a sea wall built in the 1930s. But experts say even this site faces risks if climate conditions continue to worsen.

A climate risk report for the Orkney’s historical sites was published in July by the environmental group Historic¹ Environment Scotland (HES). The group described the possible effects of climate change on sites as “extreme,” with a “high” level of vulnerability⁹.

HES reported that the average precipitation rate has risen 27 percent in Scotland since the early 1960s. During the same period, winter precipitation has increased more than 70 percent in parts of northern Scotland, it found.

Wetter weather means buildings stay wet longer. This increases the chances of water entering deeply into structures and causing damage. The precipitation also can harm metal parts of buildings and lead to the ground becoming unstable¹⁰. Over time, such damage can cause structural¹¹ collapse¹².

Climate records show that since 1970, some Orkney beaches have narrowed by an average of 40 centimeters a year. That compares to a yearly average loss of 20 centimeters between 1890 and 1970.

In addition, increasing and more intense storms are threatening the Orkney’s historical sites, HES reports. One example is Skara Brae, one of Orkney’s most famous places. Back when people lived in the area, it was about one kilometer from the sea. Today it is just a few meters away from the North Atlantic Ocean.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

site – n. place where something important happened in the past

archaeology –n. the study of past human life including bones, tools and structures

batter⁶ – v. to hit hard

heritage – n. the buildings, paintings, customs, etc. that are important in a culture or society

vulnerable¹³ – adj. easily hurt or attacked

precipitation – n. rain or snow falling to the ground

1 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

2 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 archaeology   

n.考古学

参考例句：

• She teaches archaeology at the university.她在大学里教考古学。
• He displayed interest in archaeology.他对考古学有兴趣。

6 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

7 batters   

n.面糊（煎料）( batter的名词复数 )；面糊（用于做糕饼）；（ 棒球） 正在击球的球员；击球员v.连续猛击( batter的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pitcher has beaned as many as three batters in this game. 在这？热？投手投球竟打中了三个击手的头。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• A storm batters the ship. 一场风暴袭击了这条船。 来自辞典例句

8 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

9 vulnerability   

n.脆弱(性)

参考例句：

• A baby is the embodiment of vulnerability. 婴儿极为脆弱。
• Saudi Arabia obscures its vulnerability by opaqueness. 沙特阿拉伯人以其神秘莫测来掩饰其脆弱。

10 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

11 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

12 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

13 vulnerable   

adj.易受伤的，脆弱的，易受攻击的

参考例句：

• He volunteered to protect her as she looked so vulnerable.她看上去很脆弱，他就主动去保护她。
• The company is in an economically vulnerable position.该公司目前经济状况不稳定。