英语听力文摘 English Digest 605、冰山一角

 　　Everyone knows the story of the Titanic¹, the great ocean liner that struck an iceberg² and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. Less widely known is the iceberg’s story: where did it come from, and how did it get in the way of the ship?

 

　　Although the vast majority of icebergs³ come from the Antarctic region, icebergs found in the North Atlantic, including the one that sank the Titanic, come mostly from the coast of Greenland. Thousands of years of snowfall on the Greenland ice cap causes the snow to compact and form dense⁴ ice sheets and glaciers⁵.

 

　　The weight of the glaciers and sheets forces them to flow down towards the coast where, at the water’s edge, warm waves and spring weather weaken the ice, causing pieces to break off and enter the sea as icebergs.

　　Pushed by wind and the Labrador Current, Greenland-produced icebergs drift southward. Many become stuck in shallow waters, but those that stay in the main current make it to the open sea, where they last for approximately two years before melting completely.

 

　　Since typically only 1/7th of an iceberg is visible above the ocean surface, it is almost impossible to gauge⁶ its size with the naked eye. The actual size of North Atlantic icebergs varies, from a small car to a ten-story building.

 

　　The largest Arctic berg measured almost seven miles long and over three-and-half miles wide, but these Northern icebergs are dwarfed⁷ by their Antarctic counterparts, the largest of which measured an amazing 207 miles long and 62 miles wide.

1 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

2 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

3 icebergs   

n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships. 海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The icebergs towered above them. 冰山高耸于他们上方。 来自辞典例句

4 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

5 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）

6 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

7 dwarfed   

vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The old houses were dwarfed by the huge new tower blocks. 这些旧房子在新建的高楼大厦的映衬下显得十分矮小。
• The elephant dwarfed the tortoise. 那只乌龟跟那头象相比就显得很小。 来自《简明英汉词典》