VOA标准英语2011--Rocky Mountain Sigh as More People Move

Rocky Mountain Sigh as More People Move In

For many Americans, the “good life” means owning a piece, or at least a view, of the majestic¹ Rocky Mountains. Who wouldn’t be drawn² to a land of snow-capped peaks, abundant wildlife, and breathtaking hiking trails and ski slopes?
Did we say “breathtaking”? Perhaps that’s because of the smog.
You see, big cities in America’s high country - like Denver and Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City - have grown so fast that on many days, noxious³ haze⁴ obscures the mountains.
Morning and evening - and on weekends - around many mountain towns, you can watch an endless string of sport-utility vehicle lights snake through what used to be unspoiled hills and ravines.
Gigantic housing tracts⁵ cropped up among the ponderosa pines. People built fancy houses and mountain retreats so deep into wild places that local fire departments had to tell them they’re on their own come the next forest fire.
Other folks snapped up meadow parcels with a mountain view - “ranchettes,” as they’re called.
Commuters have no “rush hour” on Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs because, they say, the highway is one long parking lot.
So rampant⁶ was Denver’s suburbanization⁷ before the recent U.S. economic downturn that Northern Colorado ranchers by the hundreds sold out to developers and moved operations up into remote Wyoming.
Water, which is scarce in many parts of the American West, seems abundant in frigid⁸ Rocky Mountain streams. But new subdivisions and shopping malls are draining aquifers⁹ on the prairies beneath the peaks.
And human sprawl¹⁰ is steadily¹¹ constricting¹² the habitats of eagles, elk¹³, and bears. All because of the western version of Americans’ search for a simpler life, close to nature.
The magnificent Rocky Mountains have inspired songs such as “Springtime in the Rockies” and “Rockin’ in the Rockies.”
Some have suggested a new title for a tune¹⁴: “Ruinin’ the Rockies.”

1 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

2 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

3 noxious   

adj.有害的，有毒的；使道德败坏的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• Heavy industry pollutes our rivers with noxious chemicals.重工业产生的有毒化学品会污染我们的河流。
• Many household products give off noxious fumes.很多家用产品散发有害气体。

4 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

5 tracts   

大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文

参考例句：

• vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林
• There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。

6 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

7 suburbanization   

郊区城市化

参考例句：

• The population suburbanization is a new trend in the population development of big cities in our country. 人口郊区化是我国大城市人口发展的新动向。
• Suburbanization and counter-urbanization are two concepts of similarities as well as differences. 郊区化与逆城市化是既有联系又有区别的两个概念，逆城市化是郊区化的升级版本。

8 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。

9 aquifers   

n.地下蓄水层，砂石含水层( aquifer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• And in Africa, the aquifers barely recharge at all. 非洲的地下水开采以后几乎得不到补充。 来自时文部分
• Aquifers have water contents over 30%. 含水层的水含过30％。 来自辞典例句

10 sprawl   

vi.躺卧，扩张，蔓延；vt.使蔓延；n.躺卧，蔓延

参考例句：

• In our garden,bushes are allowed to sprawl as they will.在我们园子里，灌木丛爱怎么蔓延就怎么蔓延。
• He is lying in a sprawl on the bed.他伸开四肢躺在床上。

11 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

12 constricting   

压缩，压紧，使收缩( constrict的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Objective To discuss the clinical characteristics and treatment of congenital constricting band syndrome(CCBS) and amputations. 目的探讨先天性束带症与先天性截肢的临床特点及治疗方法。

13 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

14 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。