【趣谈英语】死海是湖不是海-The Dead Sea Is A Lake

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

 

surrounded: enclosed; to have something on all sides

outlet¹: a means for going out or escaping

evaporate: to change from liquid into vapour

effortlessly: without trying hard

ingest: drink or eat

spa: health treatment using mineral waters

salinity²: proportion of salt

elevation³: height of a point on Earth

 

The Dead Sea Is A Lake

Did you know that the Dead Sea is technically⁴ a lake? A lake is a body of water that is surrounded by land. The Dead Sea is surrounded by Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. A lake can be made up of salt water or fresh water. The Dead Sea is famous for being one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world. Water enters the Dead Sea through local rivers and streams, but there is no outlet for it to drain out. The water evaporates quickly, which results in a high salt content. In fact, it is so high that people can float effortlessly when in the Dead Sea. While it is dangerous to ingest the water due to the dissolved mineral salts, it is a natural health spa for your skin. The salt is what gave this lake its name. Almost no life can survive in the water due to the salinity. The Dead Sea is also famous for its low elevation. The surface of the Dead Sea is about 400 meters below sea level.

1 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

2 salinity   

n.盐分；咸度；盐浓度；咸性

参考例句：

• In the sea water sampled the salinity is two parts per thousand.在取样的海水中，盐度为千分之二。
• In many sedimentary basins the salinity of the formation water increases with depth or compaction.在许多沉积盆地中，地层水的含盐量随深度或压实作用而增高。

3 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

4 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。