大學英語自學教程 unit 03

[00:00.00]Unit 3 Text A [00:02.39]第三單元 課文A [00:04.78]The Atlantic Ocean [00:07.01]大西洋 [00:09.25]The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans [00:11.91]大西洋是分隔新大陸 [00:14.58]that separate the old World from the New. [00:17.40]與舊大陸的大洋之一。 [00:20.22]For centuries it kept the Americas [00:22.65]幾個世紀里， [00:25.08]from being discovered by the people of Europe. [00:27.56]它使南北美洲未被歐洲人發(fā)現(xiàn)。 [00:30.04]Many wrong ideas about the Atlantic [00:32.82]許多有關(guān)大西洋的錯誤 [00:35.60]made early sailors unwilling to sail far out into it. [00:39.14]導致早期的海員不愿意遠航駛?cè)氪笪餮蟆? [00:42.68]One idea was that it reached out to "the edge of the world." [00:46.37]一個想法是，大西洋洋已遠達“世界的邊緣”， [00:50.05]Sailors were afraid that they might sail right off the earth. [00:53.54]海員們擔心他可能會航行到地球隊邊上徹底掉下去； [00:57.03]Another idea was that at the equator the ocean would be boiling hot. [01:00.85]另一個想法是，在赤道處，大西洋的海水是滾燙的。 [01:04.68]The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the Pacific, [01:08.40]盡管大西洋的面積只有太平洋的二分之一， [01:12.12]but it is still very large. [01:14.10]但它仍然非常大。 [01:16.07]It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 kin) wide where Columbus crossed it. [01:21.36]哥倫布穿越的那部分有4000多英里（6000公里）寬。 [01:26.65]Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 kin) wide. [01:31.87]即使在最窄處，也有大約2000英里（3200公里）寬。 [01:37.10]This narrowest place is between the bulge [01:40.23]最窄處在美非大陸 [01:43.37]of south America and the bulge of Africa. [01:46.15]凸出部分之間。 [01:48.93]Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual. [01:52.10]使大西洋不同尋常原因有二： [01:55.28]For so large an ocean it has very few islands. [01:58.66]首先，如此大的海洋只有很少幾個島嶼； [02:02.04]Also, it is the world's saltiest OCean. [02:04.97]其次，它是世界上含鹽分最多的海洋。 [02:07.90]There is so much water in the Atlantic [02:10.32]大西洋里的水 [02:12.75]that it is hard to imagine how much there is. [02:16.03]多得不可想象。 [02:19.31]But suppose no more rain fell into it [02:22.34]假設不再有雨水落進大西洋， [02:25.37]and no more water was brought to it by rivers. [02:28.65]河水也不再流入 [02:31.93]It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up. [02:35.56]大西洋也需要大約四千年的時間才能干涸。 [02:39.19]On the average the water is a little more than two miles (3.2 km) deep, [02:43.97]平均水深兩英里（3。2公里）多一點， [02:48.75] but in places it is much deeper. [02:51.23]但有些地方更深。 [02:53.71]The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico. [02:56.05]最深處在波多黎各島附近， [02:58.39]This "deep" measures 30,246 feet--almost six miles (9.6 km). [03:04.37]深達30246英尺，幾乎有六英里（9。6公里）。 [03:10.35]One of the longest mountain ranges of the world [03:13.23]世界上一條最長的山脈 [03:16.10] rises from the floor of the Atlantic. [03:18.78]從大西洋海底升起， [03:21.46]This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean. [03:25.43]它由北向南延伸，直達大西洋中部， [03:29.40]The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands. [03:34.09]幾座山峰露出海面便形成島嶼。 [03:38.78]The Azores are the tops of peaks in the mid-Atlantic mountain range. [03:42.85]亞速爾群島是大西洋中部山脈的峰尖。 [03:46.93]Several hundred miles eastward from Florida [03:49.71]從佛羅里達往東幾百英里處的 [03:52.49]there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea. [03:55.66]一部分洋面稱為馬尾藻海。 [03:58.84]Here the water is quiet,for there is little wind. [04:02.72]這里水面平靜，幾乎沒有一絲風。 [04:06.60]In the days of sailing vessels the crew were afraid they would be becalmed here. [04:10.57]在使用帆船的時代，般員們擔心他們會因無風而在此處無法航行， [04:14.54]Sometimes they were. [04:16.57]有時的確如此。 [04:18.61]Ocean currents are sometimes called "rivers in the sea." [04:22.03]洋流有時被稱為“海上河流”。 [04:25.46]One of these "rivers" in the Atlantic is called the Gulf Stream. [04:28.94]大西洋其中有一條“河流”被命名為墨西哥灣流， [04:32.43]It is a current of warm water. [04:34.86]是條暖流； [04:37.29]Another is the Labrador Current--cold water coming down from the Arctic. [04:41.31]另一條叫拉布拉多流，這是來自北冰洋的寒流。 [04:45.34]Ocean currents affect the climates of the lands near which they flow. [04:48.67]洋流對其充經(jīng)地區(qū)的氣候有影響。 [04:52.00]The Atlantic furnishes much food for the people on its shores. [04:55.28]大西洋為岸上的人們提供了豐富的食物。 [04:58.55]One of its most famous fishing regions,the Grand Banks,is near New-found land. [05:02.52]最有名的漁業(yè)區(qū)之一是大淺灘漁業(yè)區(qū)，位于紐芬蘭附近。 [05:06.49]Today the Atlantic is a great highway. [05:09.12]今天的大西洋是一條主要交通干線。 [05:11.75]It is not,however,always a smooth and safe one. [05:14.87]所以大西洋并不總是一個平靜和安全的海洋。 [05:17.99]Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves. [05:21.52]然而，橫掃而來的暴風雨卷起層層巨浪 [05:25.04]Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships. [05:28.83]遙遠的北極漂浮而下的冰川穿過般只經(jīng)過的航道， [05:32.62]We now have such fast ways of traveling [05:35.19]今天我們擁有的快捷旅行方式 [05:37.76] that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller. [05:40.55]使大西洋顯得小了。 [05:43.33]Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it. [05:46.71]哥倫布花了兩個多月的時間才穿越大西洋， [05:50.09]A fast modem steamship can make the trip in less than four days. [05:54.56]今天現(xiàn)代化的快速輪船只需不到四天的時間就可以完成 旅行。 [05:59.03]Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours [06:02.80]從紐約到倫敦飛行只需8小時， [06:06.58] and from South America to Africa in four! [06:09.52]而從南美到非洲四小時就夠了。 [06:12.45]Text B [06:13.93]課文 B [06:15.41]The Moon [06:17.03]月球 [06:18.64]We find that the moon is about 239,000 miles [06:21.92]我們發(fā)現(xiàn)月球離地球大約有大約23。9萬英里 [06:25.20](384,551 km) away from the earth, [06:29.03]（384，551萬公里）， [06:32.86]and,to within a few thousand miles,its distance always remains the same. [06:36.58]它與地球保持這個距離，變化不超地幾千英里。 [06:40.30]Yet a very little observation shows that the moon is not standing still. [06:43.72]然而略加觀察就可以發(fā)現(xiàn)月球并非靜止不動。 [06:47.14]Its distance far the earth remains the same, [06:49.43]它與地球之間的距離不變， [06:51.72]but its direction continually changes. [06:53.90]但其方位卻不斷變化。 [06:56.08]We find that it is traveling in a circle-- [06:58.65]我們發(fā)現(xiàn)月球以圓周或者 [07:01.22]or very nearly a circle--round the earth, [07:04.01]非常接近圓周繞地球一周。 [07:06.79]going completely round once a month,or,more exactly,once every 27 1/3 days. [07:11.87]月球是我們在太空中緊近的鄰居。 [07:16.95]It is our nearest neighbour in space, [07:18.87]如同我們自己一樣， [07:20.79]and like ourselves it is kept tied to the earth [07:23.57]地球引力月球 [07:26.35]by the earth's gravitational pull. [07:28.34]與球緊緊聯(lián)系在一起。 [07:30.32]Except for the sun,the moon looks the biggest object in the sky. [07:34.01]除太陽以外，月球是空中看起來最大的物體。 [07:37.69]Actually it is one of the smallest, [07:39.82]其實它是最小的天體之一， [07:41.95]and only looks big because it is so near to us. [07:44.68]只是因為離我們很近，所以看起來大。 [07:47.41]Its diameter is only 2,160 miles (3,389 kin), [07:52.39]它的直徑只有2160英里（3389公里）， [07:57.36]or a little more than a quarter of the diameter of the earth. [08:00.29]或者說比地球直徑的四分之一略多一點。 [08:03.21]Once a month,or,more exactly,once every 29 1/2 days, [08:06.90]我們所說的“滿月”每月有一次，確切地說，每29天半有一次， [08:10.58]at the time we call "full moon,"its whole disc looks bright. [08:13.75]這時整個月面明亮照人。 [08:16.93]At other times only part of it appears bright, [08:19.87]其它時間，月球只有一部分發(fā)亮， [08:22.80]and we always find that this is the part which faces towards the sun, [08:26.44]我們發(fā)現(xiàn)這正是面朝太陽的那一部分， [08:30.07]while the part facing away from the sun appears dark. [08:32.74]而背靠太陽的那部分顯得淡無光。 [08:35.42]Artists could make their pictures better if they kept this in mind-- [08:38.20]假使美術(shù)家們記住月球只有受到太陽照射的那部分才是明亮的， [08:40.99]only those parts of the moon which are lighted up by the sun are bright. [08:44.56]他們的繪畫也許會更美好。 [08:48.14]This shows that the moon gives no light of its own. [08:50.66]這也說明月球本身并不發(fā)光， [08:53.19]It merely reflects the light of the sun, [08:55.46]它如同懸掛在天空中的一面巨大的鏡子， [08:57.73]like a huge mirror hung in the sky. [09:00.15]僅僅反射太陽光。 [09:02.56]Yet the dark part of the moon's surface is not absolutely black; [09:05.68]不過月球表面黑暗的并不是絕對的漆黑。 [09:08.81]generally it is just light enough for us to be able to see its outline, [09:12.39]一般說來它的亮度剛好足以讓我們看清它的輪廓， [09:15.96]so that we speak of seeing "the old moon in the new moon's arms." [09:19.74]因此我們將這一景色稱為“新月抱舊月”。 [09:23.51]The light by which we see the old moon [09:25.64]看舊月所憑借的光線 [09:27.77]does not come from the sun,but from the earth. [09:30.45]來自地球而不是太陽。 [09:33.13]We know well how the surface of the sea or of snow, [09:36.07]我們很清楚海面、雪面 [09:39.00]or even of a wet road, [09:40.92]或者濕漉漉的路面 [09:42.84]may reflect uncomfortably much of the sun's light on to our faces. [09:46.03]如何將大量的太陽光反射到我們的臉上， [09:49.22]In the same way [09:50.84]使我們感覺不舒服。 [09:52.46]the surface of the whole earth reflects enough of the sun's light [09:55.49]整個地球表面同樣將充足的太陽光反射到月球表面， [09:58.52]on to the face of the moon for us to be able to see [10:01.60]使我們得以看見 [10:04.68] the parts of it which would otherwise be dark. [10:07.22]本來會是很暗的那部分月面。 [10:09.75]If there were any inhabitants of the moon, [10:11.97]假使月球上有居民， [10:14.19]they would see our earth reflecting the light of the sun, [10:17.27]他們也會見到反射太陽光的地球 [10:20.36]again like a huge mirror hung in the sky. [10:23.14]如同懸掛在天空中的一面巨大的鏡子； [10:25.92]They would speak of earthlight just as we speak of moonlight. [10:29.24]他們也會像我們談論地球之光。 [10:32.56]"The old moon in the new moon' s arms" [10:34.83]“新月抱舊月” [10:37.10]is nothing but that part of the moon's surface on which it is night, [10:40.38]只不過是在夜間被地球 [10:43.66]lighted up by earth light. [10:45.49]照亮的那部分月面。 [10:47.31]In the same way, [10:48.84]同樣， [10:50.37]the lunar inhabitants would occasionally see part of our earth in full sunlight, [10:54.25]月球人有時也會見到地球的一部分陽光普照， [10:58.13]and the rest lighted only by moonlight; [11:00.45]而剩下的另一部分被月光照亮， [11:02.78]they might call this "the old earth in the new earth's arms." [11:06.04]他們也會把這一景色稱為“新地抱舊地”。

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