外研版选修一册第六单元阅读讲解

Unit 6 Nurturing nature

第62页阅读讲解

The Sky Railway
天路

1 Sitting back in my seat, I can't quite believe that I'm about to travel along the railway that many foreign experts claimed was “impossible”. The train has been racing along steadily since it left Xining. All this time, the song “Sky Railway” has been playing inside my head. The words “railways like massive dragons are winding among the mountains” seem particularly vivid as I travel across the “roof of the world”.
靠坐在火车的座位上，我简直不敢相信，我将要沿着许多外国专家声称“不可能建成”的铁路旅行。火车从西宁出发，向前平稳行驶。一路上，《天路》这首歌一直在我的脑海中回响。当火车开过“世界屋脊”时，“一条条巨龙翻山越岭”的歌词显得格外生动鲜活。

2 I was one of the people who came from all parts of China to work on this railway. Taking years to complete, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is a record of all of our efforts to overcome the most difficult engineering challenges. How to protect the delicate ecosystem was among the top concerns.
修建青藏铁路的工人来自全国各地，而我就是其中之一。它历时数年建成，凝聚着我们攻克种种工程难题的全部心血。其中，如何保护脆弱的生态系统是需要我们首要问题之一。

3 The first landmark to catch my eye is the splendid Qingshuihe Bridge, the world's longest bridge built over permafrost. Look! A group of Tibetan antelopes is moving under the bridge, with some stopping to eat grass at their leisure. Thirty-three passages have been built under the railway to allow the animals to move safely and freely in their natural habitat. Wild animals such as these Tibetan antelopes have now been using these passages for years. They seem totally unaware that we are speeding past at over 100 kilometres an hour.
最先映入眼帘的地标性建筑是壮观的清水河大桥，它是世界上最长的高原冻土铁路桥。看！一群藏羚羊正从桥下走过，有的停下来悠闲地吃草。铁路桥下修建了三十三条野生动物通道，让动物得以在自然栖息地中安全自由地通行。就像现在的这群藏羚羊一样，野生动物们使用这些通道已有数年，它们似乎完全没有意识到我们正以每小时100多千米的速度呼啸而过。

4 To prevent damage to wetlands and grasslands, 675 bridges with a total length of about 160 kilometres were built between Golmud and Lhasa. We even moved 140,000 square metres of wetland to a new area in order to protect its distinct ecosystem.
为了避免破坏湿地和草原，我们在格尔木和拉萨之间建造了675座大桥，总长度约160千米。我们甚至将一块14万平方米的湿地迁往一个新的区域，以保护其独特的生态系统。

5 The journey has been flying by, and before I know it, we have reached Tanggula Station. Located at over 5,000 metres above sea level, this is the highest railway station in the world. In locations such as this, the thin air, changeable weather and high levels of UV radiation presented perhaps the greatest challenge for railway workers. To make sure we stayed healthy, several oxygen-making stations were constructed. We were also able to enjoy regular breaks in lower areas.
火车一路疾驰，还没等我反应过来，我们就已经到达了唐古拉车站。它位于海拔5,000多米的地方，是世界上海拔最高的火车站。在这样的高海拔环境中，稀薄的氧气，多变的天气，还有强烈的紫外线辐射，这些恐怕是我们铁路工人面临的最大挑战。为了确保工人的身体健康，我们建造了多个制氧站。我们还会定期到低海拔地区休整。

6 As we pass Cuona Lake, I feel a sense of pride and achievement. Using thousands and thousands of sandbags, we built a twentykilometre wall along the lake to protect it from construction waste. Cuona Lake is so close to the railway that I want to reach out and touch its pale blue mirror-like surface. Water birds playing in the lake, and cattle and sheep wandering the grasslands bring the scenery to life.
火车经过措那湖时，一股自豪感和成就感在我心中油然而生。当年，我们沿着措那湖边用成千上万个沙袋筑起了一道二十千米的保护墙，使它免受建筑废料的污染。现在，措那湖离火车这么近，我好想伸手去触摸它那镜面似的浅蓝色湖面。湖中嬉戏的水鸟，在草原上游荡的牛羊，让这片风景充满勃勃生机。

7 The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been attracting people's admiration for centuries. Now, thanks to our efforts, passengers from all over the country have been enjoying these magical landscapes. I am proud that we built our “impossible” railway, and did so with the care that the environment deserves. It truly is an extraordinary “Sky Railway”.
几个世纪以来，青藏高原是无数人向往的地方。如今，由于我们的努力，来自全国各地的旅客都能亲眼观赏到这片神奇的土地。我们建成了一条“不可能建成”的铁路，并且给予当地环境充分的保护，我为此感到骄傲和自豪。青藏铁路真是一条了不起的“天路”。

第68页阅读讲解

THE BEST JOB IN THE WORLD
世界上最棒的工作

1 How would you like to spend six months living on an island and looking after the Great Barrier Reef? The working hours are flexible and accommodation is provided. Key duties include exploring the islands of the reef and finding out what the area has to offer. You'll need to report back via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates. You'll also be asked to promote the islands through newspapers, magazines and TV interviews.
你愿意在一座岛上生活六个月，并照看大堡礁吗？这份工作时间灵活，并提供住宿。你的主要职责包括探索大堡礁的各个岛屿，探寻当地的自然资源。你需要通过每周更新博客、创建照片日志和拍摄视频的方式来汇报工作成果，你还需要通过报纸、杂志和电视采访等宣传大堡礁。

2 (b) Whether it was a genuine job offer or an eye-catching marketing event isn't really important. It was actually a very clever means to highlight the importance of the Great Barrier Reef and the need to protect it.
不管这是一个真正的工作机会，还是一场吸引眼球的营销活动，其实都不重要。这其实是一种绝妙的手段，既突出了大堡礁的重要性，又强调了大堡礁需要人类保护。

3 (a) Located off the coast of North-east Australia,the Great Barrier Reef is the largest living thing on the planet. About the size of Japan, it even can be seen from outer space. More than 25 million years old, the Great Barrier Reef is made up of living coral growing on dead coral. It is host to many species of birds and sea creatures. But this unique and delicate place is now under threat from pollution and climate change.
大堡礁位于澳大利亚东北部近海处，是地球上最大的生物。大堡礁整体面积接近日本的国土面积，甚至从外太空都能看得到它。大堡礁已有2,500万年的历史，由生长在死珊瑚上的活珊瑚组成。它是许多鸟类和海洋生物的栖息地。但如今，这一独特又脆弱的区域正在遭受污染和气候变化的威胁。

4 To get this job, the candidates had to make a short video showing how much they knew about the reef. They also needed to prove why they were the best person to do the job. Out of the thousands of applicants, eleven were selected, including a young woman from China. Eventually, the job was offered to Ben Southall from the UK.
要想得到这份工作，应聘者需要拍摄一个简短的视频，展示自己对大堡礁的了解程度。另外，应聘者还需要证明为何自己是这个职位的最佳人选。数千名应聘者中，入选人有十一个，其中还包括一个年轻的中国姑娘。最终，来自英国的本·索撒尔获得了这份工作。

5 (d) Ben did a lot during his time as an island caretaker. In addition to blogging, taking photos and writing articles about the reef, he made a number of appearances on television to argue in favour of its defence. He also worked as a presenter for the National Geographic Channel, before going on to write a book about his experiences. Ben later joked that the job should have been advertised not as the “best”, but the “busiest job in the world”!
本在做岛屿管理员期间做了很多事情。除了发布博客、拍照片和写关于大堡礁的文章外，本还多次在电视上露面号召保护大堡礁，并且担任过国家地理频道的主持人。在那之后，本把自己的经历写成了一本书。他后来开玩笑说，这个工作的招聘启事上应该写“世界上最繁忙的工作”，而不是“最棒的”。

6 (c) This call for an island caretaker attracted interest from all over the world. The most important thing was that people all over the world became aware of the beauty of the ocean in the area. What's more, they came to understand the delicate balance that the environment exists in and what can, and must, be done to protect the reef. That way, it will remain a safe habitat for wildlife, as well as a dream destination for the millions of tourists who visit it each year.
这则岛屿管理员的招聘广告吸引了全世界的兴趣。最重要的是，全世界都认识到了这片大海的美丽。而且，人们还意识到环境存在于微妙的平衡之中，也知道了人类能够且必须采取什么行动来保护大堡礁。只有如此，大堡礁才能继续作为野生动物的安全栖息地以及每年数百万游客梦寐以求的旅游目的地。