新奇事件簿 齐兰迪亚是地球第八大陆吗?

We were taught at school that there were nine planets, but now there are eight (scientists said Pluto¹ is not a planet). Now we may have to change our thinking about how many continents there are. We are taught there are seven continents - Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. Geologists³ (people who study the land and the earth) now say there is an eighth continent - Zealandia. This is a huge, largely underwater landmass in the southern Pacific Ocean. Six per cent of this landmass is above water and is what we know as New Zealand and New Caledonia. Around 94 per cent of it is under the ocean. In total, it measures five million square kilometres, which scientists say is big enough to be a continent.

我们在学校时经常被教导地球上有九大行星，但是现在证实只有八颗（科学家表示冥王星并不是行星）。现在，关于地球上有多少个大陆，或许我们也要改变想法了。我们一直被告知地球上有七大陆：亚洲大陆，非洲大陆，北美大陆，南美大陆，南极大陆，欧洲大陆和澳大利亚大陆。研究陆地和地球的地质学家现在表示，地球上存在第八大陆——齐兰迪亚。这是位于南太平洋的一块巨大的水下大陆。6%的陆地位于水面以上，就是我们知道的新西兰和新喀里多尼亚。94%的面积位于海面以下。这块大陆总面积为500万平方千米，科学家称，这个面积足以构成一块大陆。

Geologists explained why they think Zealandia is a continent. They wrote a research paper and published it in the Geological Society of America's Journal. They argue that the land does not have to be above water for it to be a continent. They said four different points make Zealandia a continent. It is a lot higher than the surrounding area, it has a unique geology, it is easy to find the shape of the continent, and it is a lot thicker than the ocean floor. Nick Mortimer, a geologist² at GNS Science in New Zealand, said it would be easy to understand that Zealandia is a continent, "if you could pull the plug on the world's oceans" and let the water out. However, it may take some time before scientists agree that there are eight continents.

地质学家解释了他们认为齐兰迪亚是一个大陆的原因。他们撰写了一份研究论文，发表在《美国地质学会期刊》上。他们辩称，一块陆地不一定要在水面以上才能叫做大陆。他们说，齐兰迪亚能够被叫做大陆主要有四个不同的因素。比周围区域地势更高，有独特的地质状况，很容易看到这块大陆的形状，比大洋底厚得多。新西兰地质学与核科学研究所(GNS Science)地质学家Nick Mortimer表示，要理解齐兰迪亚是一块大陆非常容易，“如果你把世界海洋上的塞子拔掉，水就会流出来。”然而，要让科学家一致认同世界上有八个大陆还需要一定的时间。

1 Pluto   

n.冥王星

参考例句：

• Pluto is the furthest planet from the sun.冥王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Pluto has an elliptic orbit.冥王星的轨道是椭圆形的。

2 geologist   

n.地质学家

参考例句：

• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley.在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。
• He was a geologist,rated by his cronies as the best in the business.他是一位地质学家，被他的老朋友们看做是这门行当中最好的一位。

3 geologists   

地质学家，地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
• Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。