国家地理 冰川融化

Some are remains¹ of the last ice-age, and alpine² glaciers⁴ are quickly disappearing.

最后一个冰河时代的遗迹，高山冰川正在迅速消失。

There is hard strong evidence that Europe's rising temperatures are melting away Austria's gold-berg glacier³.

有确凿的证据表明，欧洲不断上升的气温正在融化奥地利的金堡冰川。

Records here date back to the 19th century, and document drastic changes in the landscape,

这里的记录可以追溯到19世纪，记录了大地的剧烈变化，

and as recently as 1979, this valley was filled by the glacier, solid ice 300 feet thick.

直到1979年，这个山谷还被300英尺厚的冰川填满。

Now bare rock and a small river are evidence of the glacier’s retreat.

现在裸露的岩石和一条小河是冰川退缩的证据。

Scientist Wolfgang Schoener studies the changes here.

科学家沃尔夫冈·舍纳在这里研究这些变化。

He pounded this pole 18 feet into the glacier one month ago, now a third of it is exposed.

一个月前，他把这根杆子砸进了18英尺深的冰川，现在有三分之一的杆子露在外面。

He's brought his young son to see what he describes as the tangible⁵ effects of global warming.

他带着年幼的儿子去看他所说的全球变暖的有形影响。

If you are speaking about aspects of climate change, it’s very hard to show something where you can see it.

如果你在谈论气候变化的各个方面，你很难展示你能看到的东西。

The glaciers are the most important possibility to show it that something it happens.

冰川是最可能显示气候变化的。

The melting of polar ice shelves has scientist worrying about rising sea levels.

极地冰架的融化让科学家担心海平面上升。

But as Europe's glaciers vanish, the primary concern is the flow of rivers throughout the continent.

但随着欧洲冰川的消失，人们最关心的是整个欧洲大陆的河流流动。

Glaciers hold precipitation in the winter and slowly release it during the hot dry summer.

冰川在冬季保存降水，在炎热干燥的夏季缓慢释放降水。

Shrinking glaciers could exaggerate seasonal⁶ flooding and droughts.

冰川的消融可能会加剧季节性洪水和干旱。

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.

在戈尔德伯格冰川脚下，冰湖是一条最终成为多瑙河一部分的小河的源头。

Schoener’s team collects data to calculate how much of the glacier is flowing downstream.

舍纳的团队收集数据来计算有多少冰川流向了下游。

Millions of gallons a day during the summer and this is a small glacier.

在夏季，每天有数百万加仑的水，这是一个小冰川。

Higher up the mountain where not long ago the ice was 30 feet thick.

不久之前，山上的冰厚达30英尺。

Runoff has carved a cavernous tunnel. This tunnel has since collapsed⁷ and a new one has formed nearby.

径流形成了一个巨大的隧道。这条隧道已经坍塌，附近形成了一条新的隧道。

So the glaciers are loosing miles from one year to the next, then they will be, er, will go smaller and smaller.

所以这些冰川从一年到下一年融化了几英里，然后它们会越来越小。

For this glacier, I think it could happen that this lower part will completely disappear.

对于这个冰川，我认为下面的部分会完全消失。

As long as gold-berg glacier survives, Schoener and his team will continue to gather data,

只要戈尔德伯格冰川幸存下来，肖纳和他的团队就会继续收集数据，

hoping for insight into what rising temperatures might mean for Europe and the rest of the world.

希望能深入了解气温上升对欧洲和世界其他地区意味着什么。

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。