Loch Ness Monster

美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习

Table of Contents The Loch.

目录 The Loch.

4 The Monster.

4"魔兽".

9 The Legend.

9"传奇".

15 A Sighting?

15 一次目击？

18 Glossary.

18 词汇。

19 The Loch Skye and Ross thought they were too old to look for fabled monsters in the British Isles.

19"斯凯湖"和"罗斯"认为他们已经太老了,无法在英属岛上寻找有寓言的怪物.

They just wanted to stay in their hotel room and play with their PSPs.

他们只想留在酒店房间 跟他们的PSP玩

But like much of their trip to Scotland, they had to go along for the ride.

但和他们去苏格兰的旅程一样,他们不得不一起搭车.

As they drove through green glens dotted with sheep, Ross asked from the backseat, “So what’s a loch, anyway?”

当他们用绵羊驾车穿过绿地时,罗斯从后座问道 : “ 那么什么是地峡? “

Many hillsides in Scotland seem greener than green.

苏格兰的许多山坡看起来比绿色更绿.

Their mom said, “It sounds like a door lock that keeps people out of a house.

他们的妈妈说,“这听起来像一个门锁,它把人们拒之门外。

But this loch is a lake that invites people in.

但这个湖是邀请人们进来的湖.

People don’t want to swim in it because it’s so cold, but it invites people’s imaginations to play.”

人们不想在其中游泳, “

Their dad added, “Loch is the word used in Scotland for ‘lake,’ and Ness is the name of this lake.

他们的爸爸补充道, “洛克是苏格兰用来‘Lake'的词,

Scotland has many other lochs, but Loch Ness has the most water.

苏格兰还有许多其它的克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克克.

In fact, Loch Ness is the largest fresh water lake in the British Isles.”

事实上,尼斯湖是英国各岛最大的淡水湖. “

“How big is it?”

“有多大? “

asked Skye as they drove along the shore.

问斯凯,他们开车沿岸。

“It sure isn’t very wide like the lakes at home in Wisconsin.”

与威斯康辛的湖水不同, “

“It looks more like a river than a lake,” Ross chimed in as he stared at the loch through the car window.

Ross在车窗旁盯着湖面时,

“Let’s stop at this information center,” their mom suggested.

“让我们到这个信息中心去,

“We’ll learn more about it.”

“我们会了解更多情况。 “

Inside the center were displays, signs, and brochures to look at and read.

中心内部有展示、标志和小册子供观看和阅读。

They learned that Loch Ness was formed during the last ice age.

他们得知尼斯湖形成于上个冰河时代.

In the same period, North America was created, Britain pulled away from Europe’s mainland, and Scotland split in two.

同期,北美被创立,英国从欧洲本土被拉出,苏格兰被一分为二.

Earthquakes made a trench that glaciers covered until about 12,000 years ago.

地震使冰川覆盖了12,000年前的地沟。

When the ice melted, it filled the trench with water to form the loch.

当冰融化时,它把水填满了壕沟,以形成湖面.

A map showed that Loch Ness is 24 miles (39 km) long, 1 mile (1.

有地图显示尼斯湖有24英里(39公里)长,1英里(1.

6 km) wide, and over 800 feet (244 m) deep in some places—much deeper than the seas around the British Isles.

宽6公里,一些地方有800多英尺(244米)深——远比不列颠群岛周围的海洋更深.

“Check this out,” Skye said, reading from an information panel near the map.

Skye说,“看看这个,从地图附近的一个信息面板上阅读。

“Peat, a layer of dead plant material, is so thick in the water that light only travels as deep as a few yards.

“泥炭,一层已枯的植物材料,在水中是如此地厚,光线只有几码那么深。

As a result, sunlight can’t warm the loch, so it’s too cold for people to swim in.”

阳光无法暖和湖水, “

Ross picked up where Skye left off.

罗斯找到斯凯留下的地方了

“The top 100 feet, or 30.

"前100英尺,或30英尺。

5 meters, warm up to 54 degrees Fahrenheit in summer.

5米,夏季取暖至华氏54度.

That’s 12 degrees Celsius.

这是12摄氏度。

The rest stays at 42 degrees Fahrenheit, or 6 degrees Celsius, year round.

其余停留于华氏42度,或为6摄氏度,全年.

Because of this, most life in the loch, such as fish and seals, stays close to the surface.”

由于这个原因,大部分活在湖中,如鱼和海豹等,都与地表相近. “

“Look here,” their dad said.

"看这里,"他们的父亲说。

“Guided boat rides are available on Loch Ness for fun, or you can search for the Loch Ness Monster with sonar.”

“在尼斯湖上可提供游船指导, “

“Maybe we could windsurf or water-ski on the loch,” Ross said, thinking that sounded like more fun than a boat ride.

罗斯说,“也许我们可以在湖上漂出水来,”比坐船更有趣。

“But we would need special cold-water equipment, and it says here that people usually do those activities only on the weekends.”

“但我们需要特殊的冷水设备,这里指出,人们通常只在周末才从事这些活动。 “

“They don’t want to disturb Nessie, the monster,” joked Skye as she pointed to the last information panel.

他们不想打扰那个怪物Nessie,

“Yeah, right,” Ross snorted.

"是的,没错" 罗斯喘了口气。

“ As if anyone would take a legend seriously!”

“...... 好像有人会认真对待一个传说! “

“Let’s take a boat ride and hear what the local expert has to say about it,” said their dad.

他们的爸爸说,

Loch Ness is long and narrow.

巢湖又长又窄.

The Monster On the boat, their guide said, in her Scottish brogue, “Welcome, lads and lassies, to your private showing of the Loch Ness Monster’s lair.”

怪兽 在船上,他们的向导在她的苏格兰布道上说,“欢迎孩子们和小姑娘们来到你们私人展示尼斯湖怪物的巢穴。 “

“For over 1,400 years, people have taken Nessie sightings seriously.

“1 400多年以来,人们认真对待Nessie的目击。

Scientists have even used NASA ’s computers, along with underwater cameras and other equipment, to test the loch.

科学家甚至使用NASA的计算机,以及水下相机和其他设备来测试湖面.

But long before this testing began in the 1970s, other reliable sources caught glimpses of the ‘monster’ in the loch.”

但早在20世纪70年代开始这项测试之前,其他可靠的消息来源就看到湖中"怪物"的一瞥. “

“The first recorded sighting was in ad 565, when an Irish missionary named Saint Columba was said to have asked his servant to swim across the loch to get a boat.

“第一次有记录的目击是在565号广告中,当时一名爱尔兰传教士Saint Columba据说要求他的仆人游过湖去取一艘船。

A creature came to the surface, roared, and opened its mouth.

一个生物来到地表,咆哮,并张开口.

Columba commanded it to go back, be quiet, and not touch the man.

克伦巴命令它回去,安静,不要碰他.

The monster obeyed, and every sighting since then has been quiet and peaceful.”

怪物听从了,从此以后的每一次目击都平静而平和. “

“People were relatively quiet about Nessie sightings until the 1930s, when cameras became popular.

“人们对于Nessie的目击相对平静,直到20世纪30年代相机开始流行。

That’s when interest in Nessie hunting took off in a flash.

这时对Nessie狩猎的兴趣一闪而出。

Monks at the monastery on the banks of the loch reported seeing Nessie’s submarine-shaped back and long neck.

在湖岸的修道院的僧侣们报告说,他们看到Nessie的潜艇外形是背部和长颈。

Thousands of highlanders have signed a statement promising that they’ve seen the monster.

数千名高地人签署声明,

Most sightings have occurred near the ruins of Urquhart (ER-kert) Castle, halfway up the loch.”

大多数目击发生在乌克特(英语:Urquhart (ER-kert) Castle)的废墟附近,在湖面上半部. “

This man, who lives on Loch Ness, claims to have seen Nessie more than once.

这个人住在尼斯湖上,自称不止一次见到了尼斯.

“These monster sightings are not unique to Loch Ness.

“这些怪物目击并非尼斯湖所独有。

People have reported seeing similar creatures in at least 265 lakes and rivers around the world.

据报道,全世界至少有265个湖泊和河流出现类似生物.

Some people think these creatures must be a type of water mammal or fish, such as a seal or giant sturgeon.”

一些人认为这些生物必须是一类水哺乳动物或鱼类,例如海豹或巨型外科动物. “

“Some think the Nessie sightings are of a prehistoric reptile that somehow survived over millions of years.

“有人认为,内西目击是一种史前爬行动物,以某种方式生存了数百万年。

They say that when the trench was created during the last ice age, a prehistoric beast or group of beasts was left behind in the upheaval and became landlocked.”

他们说,当战壕在上个冰河时代被创造出来时,史前的一头野兽或一群野兽被留在了动荡中并成为地处内陆. “

“Some accept the reports of Nessie as fact.

“有些人接受Nessie的报告为事实。

Others think of the reports as legends created to keep children away from the deep, cold waters of the loch.”

另一些人则认为这些报告是为让儿童远离湖底深而寒冷的水而创作的传说. “

“That would keep you away,” teased Skye as she nudged Ross in the ribs.

斯凯将罗斯挤入肋骨时,

He looked at her with crossed eyes and a scrunched-up nose.

他用双眼和一双被擦伤的鼻子看着她。

The tour guide continued, “People eager to put the legend to rest or prove the monster’s existence have scoured the loch for Nessie.

导游继续说,“人们渴望让传说安息或证明怪物的存在,他们为Nessie扫荡了湖。

Scientists got involved because there was enough consistent evidence that people couldn’t explain.

科学家参与其中是因为有足够的一致证据,

For example, sonar picked up a long moving object 480 feet down, which is too deep for any known modern fish.

例如,声纳在下方480英尺处取出一个长长的移动物体,这对于任何已知的现代鱼类来说都太深了.

In 1987, scientists launched ‘Operation Deep Scan,’ using 24 boats to map the loch with sonar equipment.”

1987年,科学家发起了 " 深扫描行动 " ,使用24艘船只来用声纳设备来绘制船坞地图。 “

“What did they find?”

“他们发现了什么? “

asked Ross, not realizing he was getting interested.

问罗斯,没有意识到 他越来越感兴趣。

“They could explain some sounds as echoes from the loch’s steep sides.

" 他们可以把一些声音解释为来自湖面陡峭的回声。

But they could not explain at least one echo from a ‘large and moving’ object 200 feet down.”

但至少无法解释200英尺下方的"大而活泼"物体的回声。 “

Scientists use sonar like the machine shown here to hunt for Nessie.

科学家们用声纳像这里显示的机器去猎取内西.

A grey seal might be mistaken for the monster from far away.

灰色的海豹可能被误认为是远处的怪物.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

eep, beep也.

The sonar on the boat had found something.

船上的声纳发现什么了

The passengers all crowded to the screen to see the image as the boat passed over something.

乘客都挤到屏幕上,看到船经过某事时的画面.

But it was only a log.

但它只是一个日志。

Disappointed, they sat back down and the tour guide continued.

失望,他们坐下来,导游还在继续。

“Studying the loch has turned up other findings.

“对湖面的研究得出了其他结论。

In 1981, the Loch Ness Project found fish called red-bellied Arctic (ARK-tick) char.

1981年,尼斯湖(Loch Ness)计划发现了被称作"红腹北极"(ARK-tick)的鱼克.

They had been living in the waters at 700 feet deep for over 12,000 years—since the last ice age.”

自上个冰河时代起,他们就一直生活在水深700英尺的水域里,超过12,000年。 “

“Experts had thought the waters were too cold for life below a few hundred feet, so this discovery surprised them.

“专家们认为,几百英尺以下的水域太冷了,生命无法维持,因此这一发现令他们吃惊。

They also think the waters are too cold for reptiles, which would debunk one theory that the monster is a plesiosaur (PLEEZ-ee-uh-sor).

他们也认为水对爬行动物来说太冷了,这可以破解出一种理论,认为怪物是"活塞"(PLEEZ-ee-uh-sor).

But they’re still learning about the age of dinosaurs and now think that some dinosaurs were warm-blooded.

但他们仍在学习恐龙时代,

If the monster were warm-blooded, it might have been able to survive in the cold waters of the loch.”

如果怪物是被取暖取血的,它可能已经在湖口的冷水中活了下来. “

“Wow!”

“哇!” !

exclaimed their dad.

赞美他们的爸爸。

“So whether they find the monster or not, their studies of the loch have been valuable.”

“因此,无论他们是否找到这只怪物,他们对湖面的研究都是有价值的。 “

The boat reached the dock, and it was time for them to disembark.

船到了码头,他们该下船了。

This skeleton of a plesiosaur shows some similarities to sightings of Nessie.

这具骨架的花纹与内西的目击显示有一些相似之处.

Operation Deep Scan boats line up across Loch Ness to search for evidence of the legendary monster.

深扫描船行动横跨尼斯湖 寻找传说中怪物的证据

The Legend “I guess it’s possible that people are seeing a real creature,” sighed Skye.

“我想人们可能看到真正的生物”,

“But I think it’s just the dark ripples of the water.”

但我觉得只是水的暗波。 “

“Who knows, maybe the Loch Ness Monster will be described one day as a new species (SPEE-sheez) of fish that is no longer a mystery,” added their mom.

“谁知道,也许尼斯湖怪物有一天会被描述为不再是神秘的鱼类新物种(SPEE-heez),”他们的母亲补充说。

“But maybe the greatest appeal of the Loch Ness Monster is that it is a mystery.

“但也许尼斯湖怪最大的吸引力是,这是一个谜。

For now, the legend continues to capture people’s imaginations.”

现在,这个传说继续捕捉人们的想象力. “

To Believe.

为相信。

The people who believe a monster lives in the loch say it’s because of the: consistency of the descriptions of sightings dark body long neck small, sheeplike head two or more humps on its back reliable eyewitnesses possible sonar evidence Water monsters have captured people’s imaginations since ancient times.

相信有怪物生活在湖中的人说,这是因为:目击黑暗身体的描述一致 长颈小,头部有两头或多头驼背 可靠的目击证人可能声纳证据 水怪自古以来就捕捉了人们的想象力.

A Sighting?

观想?

After lunch, Skye and Ross skipped rocks in the loch, doubtful they would spot Nessie’s curved black hump.

午餐后,斯凯和罗斯在湖中跳过岩石,他们怀疑是否会发现内西弯曲的黑色驼峰.

They heard their parents tossing around theories about the monster, as if it were a mystery they could solve in an afternoon.

他们听到父母围绕着关于怪物的理论,好像在下午他们可以解开一个谜团.

But standing on the grassy banks of the loch, Ross was sure he spotted Nessie’s tail dipping back into the black water.

罗斯肯定他发现内西的尾巴被深水淹没。

Or Not to Believe.

或为不信.

The people who don’t believe a monster lives in the loch say: If there is only one large monster, the one St.

不相信怪物的人会说: 如果只有一个大怪物 圣克星

Columba saw over 1,400 years ago would have died by now.

科隆巴在1400多年前就已经死了

If there are many, there must be a breeding colony, and the loch lacks a food supply to support a group of large animals.

如果数量多出,则必须有一个繁殖地,而湖中缺乏食物供应来支撑一群大型动物.

Besides, if there are many, how do they all keep from being seen when sonar is used?

此外,如果有多个,在使用声纳时,它们怎么都不被看到?

Do you see Nessie?

你看到内西了吗?

Or do you see a log and two rocks?

还是看到一木一石?

What scientists might see if there were a colony of monsters in Loch Ness.

科学家们可能会看到 尼斯湖里是否有怪物聚集地