2019年经济学人 正在消失的冰岛冰川(1)

 

Okjokull, in western Iceland, was officially declared dead in 2014, aged¹ around 800

冰岛西部的奥乔屈尔冰川于2014年正式宣布死亡，享年约800岁

It was not the smallest glacier² around, nor the most remote. You could see it from outlying parts of Reykjavik, Iceland's capital, and from a long section of the country's ring road. Nor was it striking. It had none of the beauty of its neighbour Snafellsjokull, draping the perfect volcanic³ cone⁴ where Jules Verne found the tunnelthat led to the centre of the Earth, nor the unearthly blueness of Svinafellsjokull, which played a background in "Game of Thrones".

它不是周围最小的冰川，也不是最遥远的冰川。从冰岛首都雷克雅未克的偏远地区，以及该国环形公路的一段长路上，你都能看到它。奥乔屈尔冰川也不壮观。它也没有斯奈菲尔半岛的美丽，斯奈菲尔半岛覆盖着完美的火山锥，那里是儒勒·凡尔纳发现通往地心的隧道的地方，它也不像作为《权利的游戏》的一个背景的拥有神秘的蓝的斯维纳冰川。

Among 300 or so other glaciers⁵ sprawling⁶ across Iceland, covering 11% of the land surface, it was easily ignored. It sat low above the valley it had helped hollow out, a white cloak across the flattened⁷ peak of a shield volcano called Ok. From this it drew its full name, Okjokull, "the yoke⁸ glacier". It remained "Ok" for short. The writers of the Icelandic sagas⁹ noticed Ok only once, when a man crossing Iceland on horseback passed it by.

在遍布冰岛的覆盖了11%的地表的大约300个冰川中，它很容易被忽略。它低低地坐落在它帮助挖空的山谷之上，它是一座名为Ok的覆盖在盾状火山的平顶上的白色冰川。由此，它得到了它的全名，奥乔屈尔冰川，“OK冰川”。它在短时间内保持完好。冰岛传奇的作家只注意到OK冰川一次，当时有个人骑马跨越冰岛时从那经过。

The mountain was compared back then, when the sky was "the dwarf's helmet" and the earth "Odin's bride", to a dead female troll lying on her back. The snow, only starting then to compact into Okjokull, was the whiteness of her breast. How she came to be lying there was amystery; the story had disappeared. An odd image and an odder name, which made Icelanders laugh—if they had heard of Ok at all.

这座山那时被拿来作比较，当时天空是“侏儒的头盔”，大地是“欧订神的新娘”，直到一个死去的女山精躺在她的背上。雪，从那时才开始把它压成奥乔屈尔冰川，是她洁白的胸脯。她怎么会躺在那里是一个谜，故事已经消失了。一副奇怪的景象，一个更加奇怪的名字，这让冰岛人发笑-如果他们听过OK冰川的话。

1 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

2 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。

3 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

4 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

5 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）

6 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

7 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

8 yoke   

n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶

参考例句：

• An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
• The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。

9 sagas   

n.萨迦（尤指古代挪威或冰岛讲述冒险经历和英雄业绩的长篇故事）( saga的名词复数 )；（讲述许多年间发生的事情的）长篇故事；一连串的事件（或经历）；一连串经历的讲述（或记述）

参考例句：

• Artwork depicted the historical sagas and biblical tales for the illiterate faithful. 墙上的插图为不识字的信徒描绘了历史传说和圣经故事。 来自互联网
• It will complete one of the most remarkable transfer sagas in English football. 到时候，英格兰史上最有名的转会传奇故事之一将落下帷幕。 来自互联网