VOA标准英语2010年-Know Where the 'Swamp Thing' Monster C

The state of Florida is best known for its beaches and swaying palm trees. But a good chunk¹ of it is swampland. The famous Everglades, a slow-moving sheet of water full of plants and alligators², cover much of the southern part of the state.

To the north, the Okefenokee, which is partly in Florida and mostly in neighboring Georgia, is a true swamp, with its own gators and snakes and even beautiful orchids³.

The Okefenokee seems primeval. It was formed when waters from an ancient ocean receded⁴ and a mammoth⁵ sandbar blocked most of the water flow to the sea. Left behind was an 1,800-square-kilometer swamp.

A watery⁶ reflection of a cypress⁷ tree that manages to survive despite being submerged.

There's no big city within 200 km, but tourists from all over the world manage to find it. They all want to know about its unusual name. Okefenokee is a Miccosukee Indian word meaning land of trembling earth. Way back in the swamp are small, floating islands, called hammocks, that one can walk across. And they tremble. Standing⁸ on them is like trying to balance on a floating mattress⁹.

Better to avoid the unstable¹⁰ hammocks altogether, since they're filled with snakes, occasional bears, and flesh-eating plants that, helpfully, feed on mosquitoes.

CanalDiggersTrail_wmg, Flickr Creative Commmons

Don't let this photo of the Okefenokee Swamp fool you. It looks like there's nice, steady ground to walk on, but the surface is spongy at best and submerged in many places.

Water in the Okefenokee is dark, like tea that has steeped a long time. The color comes from tannin that seeps¹¹ from towering cypress trees draped in Spanish moss¹².

Every once in awhile, the rangers¹³ must crack down on reckless pilots of air boats that skim across the swamp, endangering themselves and others and tearing up delicate foliage¹⁴. And developers, logging companies, and strip-mine operators on the edge of the swamp can easily upset the delicate balance of nature in the area. 

The Okefenokee, which is already nearly choked with plants, would probably fill in, dry up, and become just another cypress and pine forest were it not for range fires that come along every once in awhile and burn out decayed vegetation. So the water in this protected National Wildlife Refuge keeps moving - slowly, very slowly.

 

1 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

2 alligators   

n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
• In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句

3 orchids   

n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wild flowers such as orchids and primroses are becoming rare. 兰花和报春花这类野花越来越稀少了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She breeds orchids in her greenhouse. 她在温室里培育兰花。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

5 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

6 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

7 cypress   

n.柏树

参考例句：

• The towering pine and cypress trees defy frost and snow.松柏参天傲霜雪。
• The pine and the cypress remain green all the year round.苍松翠柏，常绿不凋。

8 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。

9 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

10 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

11 seeps   

n.（液体）渗( seep的名词复数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出v.（液体）渗( seep的第三人称单数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water seeps through sand. 水渗入沙中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Water seeps out of the wall. 水从墙里沁出。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

13 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

14 foliage   

n.叶子，树叶，簇叶

参考例句：

• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
• Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。