VOA慢速英语2021 研究人员发现地球最北端岛屿

A team of Arctic¹ researchers from Denmark say they accidentally discovered what they believe is the world's northernmost island. Northernmost is a term that means farthest to the north.

来自丹麦的一组北极研究人员表示，他们意外地发现了他们认为的世界上最北端的岛屿。Northernmost是一个术语，意思是最北端。

The island is located off of Greenland's coast.

这座岛屿位于格林兰海岸附近。

At first, the scientists from the University of Copenhagen thought they had arrived at Oodaaq, an island discovered in 1978.

最初，哥本哈根大学的科学家以为他们已经抵达了欧达克岛，这是1978年发现的一座岛屿。

They arrived, instead, on an undiscovered island farther north.

实际上他们到达了更北的一座未被发现的岛屿。

Morten Rasch was the group's leader.

莫滕·拉施是这个小组的负责人。

"We were convinced that the island we were standing² on was Oodaaq, which until then was registered as the world's northernmost island," he said.

他说：“我们本来认定我们所在的岛屿是欧达克岛，在那之前它被注册为世界上最北端的岛屿。”

Registered is a term that means to be part of an official list.

Registered是一个术语，意思是列入官方名单。

In a statement, Rasch explained "When I posted photos of the island and its coordinates³ on social media, a number of American island hunters went crazy and said that it couldn't be true."

拉施在一份声明中解释说：“当我在社交媒体发布这座岛屿的照片及其坐标时，一些美国岛屿猎人疯狂了，他们说这不可能是真的。”

"Island hunters" are adventurers who enjoy searching for unknown islands.

岛屿猎人是指喜欢寻找未知岛屿的冒险家。

The yet-to-be-named island is 780 meters north of Oodaaq, an island off Cape⁴ Morris Jesup, the northernmost point of Greenland and one of the most northerly points of land on Earth.

这座尚未命名的岛屿位于欧达克岛以北780米处，欧达克岛是莫里斯·杰塞普角附近的一座岛屿，它是格陵兰岛的最北端，也是地球上最北端的陆地之一。

The island was discovered as a result of moving ice. It is about 30 by 60 meters in size and rises to about three to four meters above sea level, the university said. The research team reportedly does not consider the discovery to be a result of climate change.

这座岛屿的发现是由于冰块的移动。该大学表示，它的大小是30×60米，海拔约3至4米。据报道，该研究小组并不认为这一发现是气候变化的结果。

Rasch said the island has small, raised areas of soil and rocks. He said it may be the result of a major storm that, with the help of the sea, slowly pushed material from the seabed together until an island formed. The island is not expected to exist a long time, Danish researchers believe.

拉施表示，岛上有小片隆起的土石区域。他说，这可能是一场大风暴的结果，在大海的帮助下，它慢慢地将海底物质堆积在一起，直到形成一座岛屿。丹麦研究人员认为这座岛屿不会存在很长时间。

"No one knows how long it will remain... it could disappear as soon as a powerful new storm hits," Rasch said.

拉施表示：“没人知道它能维持多久，只要一场新的强风暴来袭，它可能就消失了。”

1 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。