2006年VOA标准英语-The Boston Harbor Islands--From Landfill To Nat

By Yi Suli
Boston, Massachusetts
21 November 2006
 
watch Boston Harbor Islands

 
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor, in the northeastern state of Massachusetts, is one of the busiest seaports¹ on the east coast of the U.S. Dotting the harbor are a number of islands with a rich history  of pirates, shipwrecks² and wars. The Boston Harbor Islands are a national park and boast one of the oldest lighthouse sites in the U.S.  VOA's Elaine Lu narrates³.

The Boston Harbor Islands are a source of natural beauty and wonder, offering visitors a spectacular vantage point to appreciate the skyline of downtown Boston. The 34 Boston Harbor Islands were designated Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area in 1996.

Bruce Jacobson, the superintendent⁴ of the National Park Service, oversees⁵ a small staff running an area of 129 square kilometers. "(We have a) year-round staff of four people including myself. We have a very small presence here."

Knowledgeable⁶ and enthusiastic volunteers with the organization "Friends of Boston Harbor Islands" guide visitors through the islands' history.  Steve Marcus is chairman of the group. "(We have) about 400 members and somewhere between 50 and 100 regular volunteers," he says.

Within sight of one of the most densely⁷ populated metropolitan⁸ areas in the U.S., the Boston Harbor Islands offer visitors a recreational escape during the summer months.

 
Susan Marsh⁹
Susan Marsh founded the "Friends of Boston Harbor Islands" in 1979.  She says the islands touch people in many ways.  "They can mean so many different things to people. For some people, it is history, or as other volunteers, have that personal connection with the military history."

Seventy-nine-year-old John Forbes says he volunteers because it makes him feel young. "I feel coming out here gives me a good, young attitude. I meet interesting people. I'm not sitting at senior citizen group talking to elderly people."

Forbes takes visitors to the island chain's lighthouse four days a week. "There are people who travel all over the country - or the world - visiting lighthouses. And I tell them once you come to Boston Light, you do not have to go any further because you have been to the best."

 
One of 34 islands, Little Brewster is the site of the country's oldest lighthouse
Located on Little Brewster Island, Boston Light is probably the most photographed lighthouse in the U.S.  Originally built in 1716, it is also the oldest lighthouse site in the U.S.  On a clear night, Boston Light's 100,000 candlepower beacon¹⁰ can be seen 43 kilometers away.  Standing¹¹ on the rocky shore, Boston Light has been guiding ships for nearly 300 years. 

Some volunteers are here for very personal reasons.  Kate Rivera is one of them. "This is the picture of my father," she points out. "This is my father on the left side."

Three generations of Rivera's family lived on Spectacle Island between 1929 and 1955. A volunteer says it’s like paradise. "It was wonderful. People had gardens. Food gardens, vegetables, flowers, it was like living in the city and coming to paradise."

Rivera's entire family left the island in 1955 when the island became a landfill. "My grandfather was sad. All the kids were sad." Twelve years ago, after Spectacle Island was reclaimed¹² for public recreation, Rivera returned as a tour guide.

"I am definitely the eyewitness¹³ to the development, the use of the island and the abuse of the island, the misuse¹⁴. And this amazing reclamation¹⁵. And it is available for people to come and be as happy as I was here when I was a kid."

For those who visit, the Boston Harbor Islands are a natural wonder and continue to be a rich part of American history.

1 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

2 shipwrecks   

海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船

参考例句：

• Shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. 船只失事总是来得出人意料。
• There are many shipwrecks in these waters. 在这些海域多海难事件。

3 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

4 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

5 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

6 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

7 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

8 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

9 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

10 beacon   

n.烽火，（警告用的）闪火灯，灯塔

参考例句：

• The blink of beacon could be seen for miles.灯塔的光亮在数英里之外都能看见。
• The only light over the deep black sea was the blink shone from the beacon.黑黢黢的海面上唯一的光明就只有灯塔上闪现的亮光了。

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 reclaimed   

adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救

参考例句：

• Many sufferers have been reclaimed from a dependence on alcohol. 许多嗜酒成癖的受害者已经被挽救过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They reclaimed him from his evil ways. 他们把他从邪恶中挽救出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

13 eyewitness   

n.目击者，见证人

参考例句：

• The police questioned several eyewitness to the murder.警察询问了谋杀案的几位目击者。
• He was the only eyewitness of the robbery.他是那起抢劫案的唯一目击者。

14 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

15 reclamation   

n.开垦；改造；（废料等的）回收

参考例句：

• We should encourage reclamation and recycling.我们应当鼓励废物的回收和利用。
• The area is needed for a land reclamation project.一个土地开垦项目要在这一地区进行。