实战口语情景对话 第370期:California 加利福尼亚

 　　California is best known for its coastline and beaches. The state has nearly 2,000 km of coastline, so the state is known as a surfer's paradise¹. From the tall cliffs² that line the coast, you are almost always guaranteed a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean, especially at sunset.

　　加利福尼亚州以海岸线和海滩出名。加州的海岸线近2千米长，所以加州有冲浪者的天堂之称。你可以在海岸边的悬崖上欣赏太平洋美丽的风景，日落时景色尤其美丽。

　　The state is also famous for its giant redwood trees. These trees can grow to be over 100 meters tall. Some trees are so wide you can drive a car through them. These trees have a long life, for they can live for over 1,000 years. One tree in California is over 2,200 years old.

　　加州还以巨型红杉树而出名。这些树可以长到100多米高。有些树非常粗，你可以开着车绕树一圈。这些树的寿命很长，树龄超过1000年。加州有一棵树龄2200岁的红杉树。

　　On the eastern side of California, you will find the Sierra Mountains. These mountains start in Alaska and run all the way to Chile, in South America. People usually think of California as a warm place, but the Sierra Mountains provide a great playground for both skiers and snowboarders.

　　内华达山脉位于加州东部。这些山脉自阿拉斯加州绵延至南美州的智利。通常人们认为加州是个温暖的地方，不过内华达山脉是滑雪爱好者和滑板爱好者的滑雪胜地。

　　In the Sierras you can find Yosemite National Park. This is by far the most popular national park in California, because it offers a little bit of everything: tall mountains, high cliffs, deep forests, wide meadows³, great hiking trails, and beautiful views everywhere you look.

　　尤塞米提国家公园就位于内华达山脉。这是加州最受欢迎的国家公园，因为那里有各种景色：高山、高耸的悬崖、深邃的森林、广阔的草原、很棒的健行步道，各处都有优美的景色。

　　In Southern California, the weather can be very hot and dry, so not surprisingly you will find many deserts in the south. These dry lands are home to many wildlife such as iguana⁴, foxes, coyotes, eagles, bighorn sheep and rattlesnakes.

　　南加州的天气又热又干，所以南部地区有很多沙漠这不足为奇。这些干旱地区是许多野生动物的家园，比如鬣蜥、狐狸、草原狼、老鹰、巨角岩羊、响尾蛇等等。

　　California is not all wild terrain⁵. It is also home to large areas of farm land. In fact, California produces nearly half of all the fruit and vegetables grown in the United States. For this reason, California is sometimes referred to as America's fruit basket.

　　加州并不是只有野生环境。它还拥有大面积的农田。实际上，美国近一半的水果和蔬菜都是加州产出的。因为这个原因，加州有时也被称为美国的水果篮。

1 paradise   

n.伊甸乐园，天堂

参考例句：

• My house had a small backyard,the paradise of children.我那幢房子有一个小后院，那是孩子们玩耍的乐园。
• On a hot day a dip in the sea is sheer paradise.热天洗个海水澡是十分令人惬意的事。

2 cliffs   

n.悬崖，峭壁（cliff的复数形式）

参考例句：

• the chalk cliffs of southern England 英格兰南部的白垩质峭壁
• Local folklore has it that prehistoric men drove cattle over these cliffs. 当地民间传说中称，史前人类把野牛从这些悬崖上驱赶下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 meadows   

草地，牧场， （河边的）低洼地( meadow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The trail wends its way through leafy woodland and sunny meadows. 这条小径穿过葱郁的林区和洒满阳光的草地。
• They have railed the meadows off from the new railway cutting. 他们已用栏杆把草地和新铁道的路堑隔离开来。

4 iguana   

n.美洲大蜥蜴，鬣鳞蜥

参考例句：

• With an iguana,you really don't have to say surprise.惊喜两字已经不足以形容这只鬣鳞蜥了。
• I'm going to turn on my computer and make a movie starring my pet iguanadj.打开计算机准备制作一部关于我的宠物蜥蜴的电影。

5 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。