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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Voice 1
Hello, I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Ruby1 Jones. Welcome to Spotlight2. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
A tall man stands still in the distance. He is wearing very few clothes – a white rubber cap on his head, small black swimming shorts. He also wears special rubber goggles3. These protect his eyes. This man is an expert swimmer. Another man stands close by him. He is wearing skis4 on his feet. The long skis make it possible to slide over the ice. The men are standing5 by a narrow split6 in the ice. Between the pieces of ice is deep water. The man wearing the skis asks the swimmer if he is ready. The swimmer nods his head. Yes, he is ready. The two men shake hands. Then, the swimmer dives into the deep, black water. The man with the skis slides along the ice next to the water. He tries to encourage the swimmer – he shouts loudly and tells him to keep going. Eighteen minutes later, the swimmer stops. The man with the skis helps him to climb out of the water. The temperature of the swimmer’s body is dangerously low. His skin is turning blue. He is hardly able to speak. But he does not care. He has achieved his goal – to be the first person to swim in the water around the North Pole – the place at the very top of the world!
Voice 2
Normally7, ice covers the area around the North Pole all the time. It has been like that for one hundred thousand [100,000] years! No one has ever been able to swim there – until now. Many people believe that the ice there is melting8 because of climate change. Every year humans produce increasing amounts of ‘greenhouse’ gases. These gases cause the earth’s atmosphere to trap9 more of the sun’s heat than it should. And the earth’s temperature rises as a result. So, the large areas of ice and snow in the world are slowly disappearing.
Voice 1
Lewis Pugh is one of the people worried about climate change. And it was this concern that led him to swim in the icy10 water of the North Pole. He said,
Voice 3
“I hope my swim will make world leaders think seriously about climate change. The decisions that they make over the next few years will have a strong effect on the environment. I want my children, and their children, to know that polar11 bears are still living in the Arctic12.”
Voice 1
People sometimes compare Lewis Pugh to a polar bear. Both like to swim in cold water! In fact, polar bears can swim or walk thousands of kilometres in a year. These large, fierce13 creatures live in the extremely14 cold parts of the world. But they could not survive in a warmer climate. Lewis was very pleased that he did not meet one during his swim!
Voice 2
Polar bears were one concern during Lewis’s swim. Another major difficulty15 was the water temperature. The water at the North Pole is salty. Salt water freezes at a lower16 temperature than fresh water. So the temperature was minus17 one point eight [–1.8] degrees – the coldest water any human has ever been swimming in! Lewis described what it was like:
Voice 3
“The water was completely18 black – it was like diving into a dark, black hole. It was frightening. The pain was immediate19. It felt like my body was on fire. I was in terrible pain from beginning to end. And I almost stopped a few times. It was the hardest swim of my life.”
Voice 1
So, what effects did such cold water have on Lewis’s body? Most people who tried such a thing would die after a few minutes. Their body temperature would drop. The intense20 cold would freeze their muscles21 so they could not move their legs or arms. Lewis explains how he prepared:
Voice 3
“I have spent a lot of time in cold places. So I am used to cold temperatures. When I enter cold water, my body reacts22 quickly. It sends all my warm blood to the places that need it most – my heart, my lungs. My body then makes a lot of heat. However, even before I enter the water I am able to prepare myself. I am able to raise my body temperature by as much as one point four [1.4] degrees. I do this by concentrating23 on increasing my heart rate. This increases my production of heat and energy. Not many people are physically24 able to do this. And, I also needed to gain weight. So I had to eat five meals a day for three months!”
Voice 2
However, when Lewis came out of the water, his toes and fingers were blue. Cuts made by the ice covered his body. His body temperature had dropped from the normal thirty–seven degrees to thirty–six point five degrees. His team of helpers25 got him back into their small speedboat very quickly. Then they hurried back to their base. This was a large Russian ice–breaking ship that had brought them to the North Pole. Soon, Lewis was under a hot shower of water. After some time, his body temperature increased to its normal level. And Lewis was left feeling very pleased at having performed this amazing act.
Voice 1
Lewis has now completed swims at the North Pole and the South Pole. And he has swum in all five oceans of the world. In February 2007, Lewis Pugh managed to swim from one side of the Maldive Islands to the other – a distance of one hundred and forty [140] kilometres. He wanted people to know about the particular problems these islands face. They are in the Indian Ocean And they are very flat – most are below one metre high. If the earth’s temperature continues to rise, then the Maldives risk being lost under water forever.
Voice 2
Lewis will need some time to recover from his latest swim. But one thing is sure – his desire to help protect the environment will encourage him to keep swimming. He says,
Voice 3
“Climate change is the biggest danger to life as we know it. But we can do something about it. I have chosen to swim. It is my way of telling people about the problems that our environment faces. And I hope my efforts make people want to act – not to swim, but to do something about climate change where they are.”
收听单词发音 |
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ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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spotlight
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| n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目 | |
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goggles
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| n.护目镜 | |
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skis
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| n.滑雪板( ski的名词复数 )v.滑雪( ski的第三人称单数 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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split
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| n.劈开，裂片，裂口；adj.分散的；v.分离，分开，劈开 | |
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normally
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| adv.正常地，通常地 | |
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melting
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| adj. 融化的 动词melt的现在分词 | |
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trap
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| vt.使陷入困境，使受限制；设陷，坑害；n.陷阱，诡计；困境；活板门，存水弯；（双轮）轻便马车；vi.设圈套，设陷阱 | |
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icy
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| adj.寒冷的；冰冷的 | |
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polar
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| adj.两极的，极地的，南辕北辙的，南极的，北极的，极性的；n.极线，极面 | |
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Arctic
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| adj.北极的；n.北极 | |
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fierce
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| adj.凶猛的，残忍的；狂热的，强烈的 | |
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extremely
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| adv.极其，非常，极度 | |
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difficulty
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| n.困难，费劲；难事，难题；麻烦，困境 | |
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lower
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| adj.较低的；地位较低的，低等的；低年级的；下游的；vt.放下，降下，放低；减低 | |
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minus
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| n.负号；adj.减的，负的，阴性的；prep.减，缺 | |
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completely
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| adv.完全地，十分地，全然 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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intense
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| adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的 | |
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muscles
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| n.肌肉( muscle的名词复数 )；（操纵他人的）力量；权力；肌肉组织 | |
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reacts
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| 起反应( react的第三人称单数 )； 反对； （对食物等）有不良反应； 物质起化学反应 | |
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concentrating
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| v.专心于( concentrate的现在分词 )；注意；集中；聚集 | |
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physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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helpers
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| n.助手( helper的名词复数 ) | |
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