新视野大学英语 读写教程第三册 unit10-a

　　Unit 10
Section (A)
The Bermuda Triangle Phenomenon
At 2 PM on December 5, 1945, five Navy aircraft took off in perfect flying weather from a naval¹ airinstallation in southeastern Florida, on a routine training mission over the Atlantic Ocean. Less thantwo hours later, the flight commander radioed that he was "completely lost". Then there was silence. Arescue plane was sent to search for the missing aircraft, and it, too, disappeared without trace. Despiteone of history's most extensive search efforts, involving more than 300 planes and dozens of ships, theNavy found nothing, not even an oil stain floating on the water.
This is just one of the many frightening stories told of "the Bermuda Triangle";, a mysterious area ofthe Atlantic Ocean roughly stretching southwest from Bermuda to the Florida coast and down toPuerto Rico. Among sailors, it is known as "the Graveyard² of the Atlantic"; because of the strangeweather found there. During the past 30 years, the triangle has claimed the lives of some 1,000 sailorsand pilots. When he entered this stretch of the Atlantic, Christopher Columbus noted³ curious glowingstreaks of "white water". These mysterious patches of light are still visible today and so bright thatthey have been seen from U.S. spacecraft in orbit around the earth.
The triangle has aroused considerable public interest through three best-selling books, a televisionshow and a special exhibition. None of these investigations⁵ has produced convincing answers to themystery of the triangle, but there is no shortage of interesting theories. Some scientists and popularauthors go so far as to suggest that the triangle is a place where beings from outer space hunt humanspecimens for their "zoos".
Whatever the truth may be, planes and ships regularly disappear in the triangle. On July 3, 1947, aU.S. Army airplane disappeared 100 miles off Bermuda without broadcasting any word of difficulty. Animmediate search over 100,000 square miles of sea failed to turn up a single piece of the missing plane.
On January 30, 1948, a British airliner⁷ vanished over the triangle with 31 passengers and crew aboard.
A year later, the missing airliner's sister plane disappeared. Seventy-two search planes, plus dozens ofships, failed to turn up any sign of the missing aircraft.
One of the largest ships claimed by the mysterious triangle was a 500-foot coal ship thatdisappeared on March 4, 1918. Investigations revealed no evidence of bad weather, no messages forhelp, no wreckage⁸ and no sign of the 309 men aboard. Stranger yet are the numerous "ghost" shipsthat have been found floating crewless within the triangle. On one weird⁹ occasion in 1881, the cargosteamer Ellen Austin discovered a small sailing ship, sails waving uselessly in the wind. A look throughthe captain's telescope showed no one on deck. The boat had a full cargo¹⁰ of timber, but there was nosign of human life. The captain of the Ellen Austin installed a new crew to sail it, but two days later,during a rough storm, the two ships temporarily lost sight of each other. When the captain againboarded the boat, he found his crew had disappeared. After a second crew was assigned, the ship wasagain lost in a fog bank. This time, no trace of the boat — or the crew — was ever found.
Officially, the U.S. Navy does not recognize the triangle as a danger zone and is convinced that "themajority of disappearances¹¹ in the triangle can be attributed to the unique features of the area'senvironment." These include the swift Gulf¹² Stream current, the unexplored submerged valleys of theAtlantic and the often violent weather within the mystery zone. Then too, the triangle is one of onlytwo places on earth where a compass needle points to true north rather than magnetic north, causingproblems in navigation. "There are mysterious and strange things going on out there," admits RichardWiner, author of The Devil's Triangle, a book that has sold 500,000 copies since its publication threemonths ago. "But I believe that all the answers lie in human error, mechanical problems, strangeatmospheric events, or unusual magnetic phenomenon."On the contrary, officials of another government bureau report, "no reasonable explanation to datehas been made for the vanishings." Because of these uncertainties¹⁴, private investigators¹⁵ have soughtmore fantastic explanations. One author argues that beings from outer space have established a highlyadvanced civilization in the unexplored depths of the Atlantic inside the triangle. There, he believes,most of the missing vessels¹⁶ — and their crews — may still be on display for study by these higherintelligences. "It sounds weird," the author admits, "until you realize that it's the only explanation thatcovers all the facts."These and other theories are all examined in Charles Berlitz's current volume The BermudaTriangle. A man with an interest in Atlantis, the legendary¹⁷ lost island, Berlitz expands upon the theorythat a giant solar crystal, which once was the power generator¹⁸ for Atlantis, lies on the ocean floor. Fromtime to time, according to his theory, passing ships and planes set off the crystal, which confuses theirinstruments and sucks them into the ocean.
To test such theories, an institute is planning to take 300 psychics¹⁹ and scientists on a cruise into thetriangle. The researchers hope to make contact with whatever "higher intelligence" may lie under thesea.　

　　Words: 896
New Words
aircraft n. 飞行器
naval a. 海军的，战舰的
installation n. 1.设施；(军事)基地 2.安装
commander n. 指挥官，司令官
trace n. 痕迹，踪迹
vt. 1.找到，查出 2.追究，追溯，探索
stain n. 污点，污迹
vt. 沾污，染污
southwest ad. 向西南
a. 西南方的，西南部的，来自西南的
n. 西南方，西南部
■graveyard n. 墓地
▲streak n. 1.条纹，条痕 2.个性，特征
patch n. 1.与周围不同的斑片 2.补丁，补片
v. 补，修补
visible a. 看得见的，可见的
spacecraft n. 宇宙飞船
orbit n. （天体运行的）轨道
v. 环绕轨道运行
investigate vt. 调查（研究），审查
investigation⁴ n. 调查，研究
outer a. 1.距里面或中心较远的 2.外的，外边的，外部的
hunt v. 1.寻找，搜寻 2.打猎，狩猎
n. 1.捕猎，追捕 2.搜寻，寻找
specimen⁶ n. 标本；样本
airline n. 航空公司
airliner n. 班机，客机
vanish vi. 1.突然不见，消失 2.不复存在，绝迹
crew n. 1.船上或飞机上的全体工作人员 2.一组（或一队、一班）工作人员
◆crewless a. 没有工作人员的
aboard ad. 在（船、飞机、公共汽车或火车）上
prep. 在（船、飞机、公共汽车或火车）上
missing a. 失踪的，下落不明的，找不到的
cargo n. 货物
steamer n. 汽船，汽艇, 轮船
telescope n. 望远镜
deck n. 甲板；层面
timber n. 木材
install vt. 1.任命，使就职 2.安装
fog n. 雾
gulf n. 1.海湾 2.巨大的差距，鸿沟
submerge v. (使)浸没，(使)淹没
magnetic a. 1.有磁性的，磁的 2.有魅力的，吸引人的
navigation n. 航行，导航
error n. 错误
mechanical a. 1.与机械有关的，机械的 2.机械的，呆板的，习惯性的
atmosphere n. 1.大气（层） 2.气氛，氛围
atmospheric¹³ a. 大气(层)的
bureau n. 局，办事处
solar a. 太阳的，来自太阳的，太阳能的
generator n. 发电机；发生器
suck v. 1.吞没，拉进 2.吸，吮，啜
■psychic n. 通灵的人，对超自然力敏感的人
a. （指人）有超自然力的
cruise n. 航行
v. 旅游航行
Phrases and Expressions
take off （飞机等）起飞
search for 搜寻，探求，寻觅
without trace 无影无踪地，了无痕迹地
tell of 讲述，述说，告诉
go so far as to 说或做到……强烈程度
turn up 发现，挖掘 发生，出现，到来
attribute sth. to 把... ...归因于，把... ...归咎于
go on 发生
on the contrary 恰恰相反，相反地
to date 到目前为止，迄今
on display 展览，陈列
expand on/upon （对故事、论据等进行）补充
from time to time 不时，有时
set off 引起，启动
make contact with 接触，联系，结识，会晤
Proper Names
Florida 佛罗里达
the Atlantic Ocean 大西洋
the Bermuda Triangle 百慕大三角
Bermuda 百慕大群岛
Puerto Rico 波多黎各
the Graveyard of the Atlantic 大西洋中的墓地
Christopher Columbus 克里斯托弗·哥伦布（意大利航海家，新大陆的发现者）
◆Ellen Austin "艾伦·奥斯丁"号
U.S. Navy 美国海军
Richard Winer 理查德·文纳
◆The Devil's Triangle 《魔鬼三角》
Charles Berlitz 查尔斯·伯利茨
Atlantis 亚特兰蒂斯（传说中的岛屿，据说位于大西洋直布罗陀海峡以西，后沉于海底）

1 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

2 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

3 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

6 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

7 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

8 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

9 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

10 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

11 disappearances   

n.消失( disappearance的名词复数 )；丢失；失踪；失踪案

参考例句：

• Most disappearances are the result of the terrorist activity. 大多数的失踪案都是恐怖分子造成的。 来自辞典例句
• The espionage, the betrayals, the arrests, the tortures, the executions, the disappearances will never cease. 间谍活动、叛党卖国、逮捕拷打、处决灭迹，这种事情永远不会完。 来自英汉文学

12 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

13 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

14 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

15 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

18 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

19 psychics   

心理学，心灵学； （自称）通灵的或有特异功能的人，巫师( psychic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One week later, I got cops and psychics on my front door. 一礼拜后，警察跟通灵人站到了我家大门口。
• Even now Directorate Psychics and powerful drugs are keeping the creature pacified. 即使是现在，联邦部队的精神力和威力强大的药剂还在让这个生物活在沉睡之中。