国家地理-2008-01-01 Glacier Melt - 冰川融化

Some are remains¹ of the last ice-age, and alpine² glaciers⁴ are quickly disappearing. There is hard strong evidence that Europe's rising temperatures are melting away Austria's gold-berg glacier³. Records here date back to the 19th century, and document drastic changes in the landscape, and as recently as 1979, this valley was filled by the glacier, solid ice 300 feet thick. Now bare rock and a small river are evidence of the glacier’s retreat. Scientist Wolfgang Schoener studies the changes here. He pounded this pole 18 feet into the glacier one month ago, now a third of it is exposed. He's brought his young son to see what he describes as the tangible⁵ effects of global warming.

If you are speaking about aspects of climate change, it’s very hard to show something where you can see it. The glaciers are the most important possibility to show it that something it happens.

The melting of polar ice shelves has scientist worrying about  rising sea levels. But as Europe's glaciers vanish, the primary concern is the flow of / rivers throughout the continent. Glaciers hold precipitation in the winter and slowly release it during the hot dry summer. Shrinking glaciers could exaggerate seasonal⁶ flooding and droughts. And icy lakes sit at the foot of / gold-berg glacier, it’s the source for a small river that eventually ends up as part of the Danube. Schoener’s team collects data to calculate how much of the glacier/ is flowing downstream. Millions of gallons a day during the summer and this is a small glacier. Higher up the mountain where not long ago the ice was 30 feet thick. Runoff has carved a cavernous tunnel. This tunnel has since collapsed⁷ and a new one has formed nearby.

So the glaciers are loosing miles from one year to the next, then they will be, er, will go smaller and smaller. For this glacier, I think it could happen that this lower part will completely disappear.

As long as gold-berg glacier survives, Schoener and his team will continue to gather data, hoping for insight into what rising temperatures might mean for Europe and the rest of the world.

1 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。

2 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

3 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

4 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

5 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

6 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

7 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。