VOA标准英语2008年-Experts Say Caves May Hold Key to Predicting Au

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
23 January 2008

Scientists say stalagmites, the mineral spears that rise from the floors of some caves, could help Australia prepare for drought. Researchers at a rainfall conference in Sydney say the cave formations have accurately¹ recorded past rainfall patterns, and can help predict what the future holds. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

The rainfall conference is looking at ways to manage increasingly scarce water resources on the world's driest inhabited continent.

Scientists believe one way is to study stalagmites, which hold the key to Australia's rainfall patterns over centuries.

The upward-growing mounds² are created by minerals dropping in water from the roof of a cave. Carbon dating techniques of stalagmites have been able to identify dry and wet periods in Australian history.

Scientists say the stalagmites could therefore be a valuable and accurate ecological³ archive - especially in Australia, where the climate has been documented only over the last century or so.

Environmental scientist Ed Hodge says learning more about the amount of rain that has fallen in the past could provide a great insight into what is in store in the years ahead.

"The instrumental records for Australia only go back 100 to 150 years in most places," Hodge explained, "so the real goal is to extend these patterns - for example the drought cycles - back for several hundred years to maybe a thousand years, so that we can get a better idea of how the patterns occur over time, and then we can feed this into climate models, which hopefully will tell us what to expect in the future specifically under changing climate conditions."

Scientists say the predictive techniques involving stalagmites are also being used in other dry parts of the world, including Africa.

Shedding light on future levels of precipitation could be vital for a country prone⁴ to situations that are exacerbated⁵ by climate change: widespread flooding at the moment in the northern state of Queensland, the worst drought in memory elsewhere.

Managing the supply of water to Australia's cities and farms has emerged as one of the key challenges of the 21st century. Millions of residents are subject to tough water restrictions⁶, and drought has forced many farmers off the land.

Concerns about climate change have prompted much political debate. Following last November's nation elections, the first formal act of the new government was to ratify⁷ the Kyoto Protocol⁸ on climate change, ending Australia's international isolation⁹ on the issue.

The Sydney one-day rainfall conference has brought together environmental researchers, water companies, weather forecasters and government representatives.

1 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

2 mounds   

土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆

参考例句：

• We had mounds of tasteless rice. 我们有成堆成堆的淡而无味的米饭。
• Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. 'You see the mounds? 啊，这就是同墓，”——我想他要说的一定是公墓，“看到那些土墩了吗？

3 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

4 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

5 exacerbated   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs. 这些症状可能会因为某些药物而加重。
• The drugs they gave her only exacerbated the pain. 他们给她吃的药只是加重了她的痛楚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

7 ratify   

v.批准，认可，追认

参考例句：

• The heads of two governments met to ratify the peace treaty.两国政府首脑会晤批准和平条约。
• The agreement have to be ratify by the board.该协议必须由董事会批准。

8 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

9 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。