VOA慢速英语2021--参观阿拉斯加阿留申群岛

Visiting Alaska's Distant Aleutian Islands

Halfway¹ between the United States and Japan is Alaska's Adak Island. It is one of the remote Aleutian islands.

It is a place known for its natural beauty. The coast is home to rich wildlife. Purple lupine flowers can be seen along roads through grassy² hills. Hot springs cover the landscape. Snow-topped mountains and the Great Sitkin volcano³ rise in the distance.

It is also a strange place, with an important military history. Adak became a U.S. Army airbase during World War II to protect against a feared Japanese invasion⁴ of Alaska. The base was later used by the Navy⁵. Because of its closeness to Russia, it remained an important military base and submarine⁶ look-out center throughout the Cold War.

Adak Island is home to the native Aleut people. It is not easy to get to. It requires a four-hour plane trip from Anchorage. People visit Adak to hunt, watch birds, climb mountains, or examine one of the many abandoned military bases.

American writer Nicole Evatt recently described her travels there for The Associated Press. She describes two Adaks: one filled with beautiful nature and one filled with Cold War military remains⁷.

Like many other historical areas on Adak, the old LORAN --- long range navigation⁸ --- station is covered with painted words, called graffiti. And it is falling apart. The doors and windows are broken. Evatt calls the inside of the buildings "spooky." As she walked through dark, partly wet rooms, paint was coming off the surfaces and broken equipment sat in disrepair.

Through broken windows, she saw the blue-black Bering Sea crashing into nearby Horseshoe Bay. This is the Adak experience: equal parts spooky and breathtaking natural beauty.

But the real reason to visit Adak is not the military buildings.

Most people come to hunt caribou⁹. The animal was introduced to the area in the 1950s as a possible emergency food source.

Along with hunting, people also come to hike. There are many beautiful hikes on the island. One at Finger Bay offers views of the volcano. A hike to Lake Bonnie Rose includes an old abandoned military building built into hills.

At Horseshoe Bay, brave people can climb down a rope to the coast below and nearby hot springs. At Clam¹⁰ Lagoon¹¹ you can watch sea otters¹², harbor¹³ seals and sea lions playing in the water and warming themselves on the rocks.

For bird watchers, the area is wonderful. And Adak's strange "national forest" is also worth a visit. This is a small collection of evergreen¹⁴ trees in an otherwise nearly treeless landscape.

Locals

In town, fewer than 100 people live full-time¹⁵ in old military houses. These houses sit in mostly empty neighborhoods with other buildings in need of repair.

So why do people stay? Some love the quiet. Others say they feel safe from the coronavirus. Some get extra pay for remote work.

People who live there often do many different jobs. One man who serves drinks at a bar also works¹⁶ at the airport.

Supplies are limited

Adak locals learn to live with very limited supplies. The only food store is in the old daycare center. It is open just a few hours on some evenings. The old high school and middle school now hold city hall, a healthcare center and the post office. A drink store that was once a gas station sells a case of beer for $50. In most states, a case of beer is under $20.

Food choices are limited. Restaurants and stores are often closed. One eatery in Adak does not open often, but when it does, it serves a large pizza for $28. Reporter Nicole Evatt wrote that it was surprisingly tasty considering how far the tomato sauce and cheese had to travel.

Words in This Story

remote – adj. far away from other people, houses, cities, etc.

landscape – n. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance

abandoned – adj. left without needed protection, care, or support

graffiti – n. writing or drawing made on a public structure without permission

spooky – adj. strange and frightening

bar – n. a place of business for the sale of alcoholic¹⁷ drinks

beer – n. an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavored¹⁸ with hops¹⁹

hike – n. a usually long walk especially for pleasure or exercise : hike – v. to walk a long distance especially for pleasure or exercise

view – n. the things that can be seen from a particular place

1 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

2 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

3 volcano   

n.火山

参考例句：

• The volcano unexpectedly blew up early in the morning.火山一早突然爆发了。
• It is most risky to go and examine an active volcano.去探察活火山是非常危险的。

4 invasion   

n.入侵，侵略，侵犯

参考例句：

• They are ready against the possible invasion.他们防备可能的入侵。
• It is our duty to shield our country from invasion.保卫祖国不受侵犯是我们的责任。

5 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

6 submarine   

n.潜水艇；adj.水底的，海底的；vt.用潜艇袭击；vi.滑入...底下

参考例句：

• Within a short time,everything on the submarine was buttoned up.不一会儿，潜水艇内所有的东西都扣紧了。
• The submarine signaled for help.潜水艇发出求救的信号。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 navigation   

n.航行；航海；航空

参考例句：

• The compass is an instrument of navigation.罗盘是导航仪器。
• Navigation is difficult on this river because of hidden rocks.由于多暗礁，在这条河上航行很困难。

9 caribou   

n.北美驯鹿

参考例句：

• Afar off he heard the squawking of caribou calves.他听到远处有一群小驯鹿尖叫的声音。
• The Eskimos played soccer on ice and used balls filled with caribou hair and grass.爱斯基摩人在冰上踢球，他们用的是驯鹿的毛发和草填充成的球。

10 clam   

n.蛤，蛤肉

参考例句：

• Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀！我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
• The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。

11 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。

12 otters   

n.（水）獭( otter的名词复数 )；獭皮

参考例句：

• An attempt is being made to entice otters back to the river. 人们正试图把水獭引诱回河里去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Otters are believed to have been on Earth for 90 million years. 水獭被认为存活在地球上已经9千多万年。 来自互联网

13 harbor   

n.海港，港口；vt.庇护，藏匿；心怀(怨恨等)

参考例句：

• The harbor lies to the south of the city.港口在城市的南边。
• At that time,our ship was tied up at this harbor.当时我们的船停靠在这个港口。

14 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

15 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

16 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

17 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

18 flavored   

v.给…调味( flavor的过去式和过去分词 )；给…增添风趣

参考例句：

• She flavored the fish with sugar and vinegar. 她用糖和醋给鱼调味。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The olives are steeped in flavored oil. 橄榄浸泡在加过香料的油里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 hops   

跳上[下]( hop的第三人称单数 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• The sparrow crossed the lawn in a series of hops. 那麻雀一蹦一跳地穿过草坪。
• It is brewed from malt and hops. 它用麦精和蛇麻草酿成。