外研版必修一册第六单元阅读讲解

Unit 6 At one with nature

第62页阅读讲解

Longji Rice Terraces
龙脊梯田

1 Imagine mountains wrapped in silver water, shining in the spring sun. Summer sees the mountains turn bright green with growing rice. During autumn, these same mountains are gold, and in winter they are covered in sheets of white frost. These are the colours of the Longji Rice Terraces.
想象一下：春日，群山被银白色的水包裹着，在阳光下闪闪发光；盛夏，佳禾吐绿，将群山染成一片青翠。秋收，满山黄金，而隆冬，它们又披上了冰霜做成的雪白毛毯。这，就是绚丽多彩的龙脊梯田。

2 These terraces were built by the local Zhuang and Yao people, to whom Guangxi is home. Starting in the Yuan Dynasty, work on the terraces took hundreds of years, until its completion in the early Qing Dynasty. Reaching as far as the eye can see, these terraces cover tall mountains, often from the bottom to the very top.
龙脊梯田的建造者是广西当地的壮族和瑶族居民。梯田从元朝开始修建，历经数百年，直到清初才完工。目之所及，梯田包裹着巍峨的高山，往往从山脚一直盘绕到山顶。

3 So why did these people go to so much trouble to turn the entire mountains into terraces? Firstly, there are few large, flat areas of land in the region. Building the terraces therefore meant that they could increase the areas in which they could grow rice. Secondly, although the region has plenty of rain, the mountains are steep and the soil is shallow. The flat terraces catch the rainwater and prevent the soil from being washed away.
为什么当地人要如此大费周章，把整片山区变成梯田呢？首先，这里缺乏大面积的平原，建造梯田意味着他们可以扩大水稻的种植面积。其次，尽管该地区雨水充沛，但山地坡度大，土层浅薄。水平的梯田能够储存雨水，防止土壤被冲走。

4 But perhaps what is most significant is the way in which people have worked in harmony with nature to make these terraces and grow rice. The terraces are cleverly designed, with hundreds of waterways that connect with each other. During the rainy season, it is along these waterways that rainwater moves down the mountains and into the terraces. The sun heats the water and turns it into vapour. This forms clouds from which rain falls down onto the mountain terraces once again. These terraces also provide a perfect environment for birds and fish, some of which feed on insects that can harm the rice crops.
但也许最令人惊叹的还是人们与自然和谐相处建造梯田和种植水稻的方式。梯田设计巧妙，其间有数百条相互连接的水渠。在雨季，雨水会沿着这些水渠从山上流入梯田。水分经太阳蒸发成水蒸气，水蒸气形成云，而雨水又从云中再次落到山上的梯田里。这些梯田还为鸟类和鱼类提供了绝佳的栖息地，而一部分鸟和鱼又以危害水稻作物的昆虫为食。

5 Although modern technology could help produce more crops, these terraces still mean a lot to the local people for whom traditions hold much value. This knowledge is passed down through families, which means that new generations continue to use ancient methods of agriculture to maintain the terraces. Today, the Longji Rice Terraces attract thousands of visitors who come to admire this great wonder created by people and nature working together.
尽管现代技术可以帮助提高农作物产量，但这些梯田对珍视传统的当地人来说仍然意义重大。这种知识通过家庭代代相传，后代子孙一直沿用古老的农耕方法来维持着梯田的运作。今天，成千上万的游客慕名前来欣赏这由人与自然共同创造的壮丽奇观。

第68页阅读讲解

A Love of Gardening
热爱园艺

1 “If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” These words come from the author of the book The Secret Garden, first published in 1911. At that time, only the very rich in Britain had gardens. Very soon after this, homes with gardens began to be built. This is what started the British love of gardening！ Today, millions of Brits like to say that they have “green fingers”, with around half the population spending their free time gardening.
“如果欣赏的角度对了，你会发现整个世界就是一个花园。”《秘密花园》一书的作者曾这样说。这本书1911年首次出版。在当时的英国，只有富人才拥有花园。不久之后，人们开始建造带有花园的房子。英国人对园艺的热爱就此开始！如今，数百万的英国人喜欢说他们有“绿手指(意为擅长园艺)”，约有一半的英国人都把空闲时间用在打理花园上。

2 For many people in the UK, their garden is their own private world. Each spring, children plant sunflowers and wait to see which one is the tallest. Expert gardeners know just the right corner for roses, and others spend hours trying to grow perfect vegetables to enter into competitions. And while many Brits like nothing better than spending their Sunday cutting the grass, some are happy just to sit under the branches of the trees and enjoy the beauty of the world around them.
对于许多英国人来说，花园是他们的秘密世界。每年春天，孩子们种下向日葵，满怀期待地看谁种的长得最高。高明的园艺对于花园哪个角落最适合种植玫瑰了如指掌，其他人则大量时间力图种出最完美的蔬菜参加竞赛。虽然许多英国人认为除草是周日最棒的活动，但也有的人只要能坐在树下享受周围世界的美丽就心满意足了。

3 But in cities, limited space has led to people looking for new solutions. Those without outside space can rent small pieces of land on which to grow things. Today, there are over 4,000 people in London waiting for such pieces of land. One recent idea has been to turn rooftops and walls into private gardens. These gardens have helped make the cities greener and improve air quality.
但在城市里，有限的空间促使人们寻找新的解决方案。住宅外部没有空间的居民可以租用小块土地种植作物。现如今，伦敦有四千多人在等待租用这样的土地。近期的一个理念是将屋顶和墙壁改造成私人花园。这些花园可以帮助绿化城市，改善空气质量。

4 As well as being good for the environment, gardening is also good for the soul. What other free-time activity allows you to be at one with nature and create more beautiful living things? And if you're in any doubt about this, take a moment to reflect on this line from The Secret Garden: “Where you tend a rose… A thistle cannot grow.”
除了能改善环境，园艺还能净化心灵。还有什么其他业余活动能让你在享受自然的同时创造出更美丽的生物呢？如果你对此有任何疑问，请停下片刻，回味一下《秘密花园》中的这句话：“玫瑰生长的土地上没有蓟草。”