英语听力：自然百科 死亡谷

 Devil's Hole, where the earth opens to reveal a rare window into Death Valley's most implausible underworld, a universe of water. In twisted irony¹, the driest place in the hemisphere sits atop one of the largest aquifer² systems in the United States, spanning nearly 40,000 square miles. And here in Devil's Hole, plunging³ to unknown depths, geologists⁴ once explored the abyss 400 feet and found no sign of bottom. These divers⁵ are on a mission in this unlikeliest of desert habitats to save the unlikeliest of desert creatures, and the park's most precious treasure--the tiny Devil's Hole pupfish. Relics⁶ of the Ice Age, pupfish once swam at frigid⁷ nights, the feet of mastodons. Today, they dwell in this hotspring-fed pool where they thrive for thousands of years until now. With only about 200 left, the species is gravely endangered. Pup biologist Linda Manning and a team closely monitor the fish for clues to their decline.

 

I think our greatest hope is that this population will continue to survive in this natural environment, the way it has for thousands of years. Our greatest fear is that it will go extinct, and we don't yet understand everything is going on in this system.

 

Fluctuating water levels, limited food supply, even contamination are possible factors, but it's what they don't know that worries the team the most.

1 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

2 aquifer   

n.含水土层

参考例句：

• An aquifer is a water-bearing rock stratum such as sandstone and chalk.地下蓄水层是一些有水的岩石层，如沙岩和白垩岩。
• The wine region's first water came from an ancient aquifer.用来灌溉这个地区葡萄园的第一批水来自古老的地下蓄水层。

3 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 geologists   

地质学家，地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
• Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。

5 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

6 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

7 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。