第三單元課文解釋Text A

1、Text A第三單元 課文AThe Atlantic Ocean大西洋The Atlantic Ocean is one of the oceans大西洋是分隔新大陸that separate the old World from the New.與舊大陸的大洋之一。For centuries it kept the Americas幾個世紀里，from being discovered by the people of Europe.它使南北美洲未被歐洲人發(fā)現(xiàn)。Many wrong ideas about the Atlantic許多有關大西洋的錯誤made early sailors un

2、willing to sail far out into it.導致早期的海員不愿意遠航駛入大西洋。One idea was that it reached out to "the edge of the world."一個想法是，大西洋洋已遠達“世界的邊緣”，Sailors were afraid that they might sail right off the earth.海員們擔心他可能會航行到地球隊邊上徹底掉下去；Another idea was that at the equator the ocean would be boiling hot.另一個想法是，

3、在赤道處，大西洋的海水是滾燙的。The Atlantic Ocean is only half as big as the Pacific,盡管大西洋的面積只有太平洋的二分之一，but it is still very large.但它仍然非常大。It is more than 4,000 miles (6,000 kin) wide where Columbus crossed it.哥倫布穿越的那部分有4000多英里（6000公里）寬。Even at its narrowest it is about 2,000 miles (3,200 kin) wide.即使在最窄處，也有大約2000

4、英里（3200公里）寬。This narrowest place is between the bulge最窄處在美非大陸of south America and the bulge of Africa.凸出部分之間。Two things make the Atlantic Ocean rather unusual.使大西洋不同尋常原因有二：For so large an ocean it has very few islands.首先，如此大的海洋只有很少幾個島嶼；Also, it is the world's saltiest OCean.其次，它是世界上含鹽分最多的海洋。Ther

5、e is so much water in the Atlantic大西洋里的水that it is hard to imagine how much there is.多得不可想象。But suppose no more rain fell into it假設不再有雨水落進大西洋，and no more water was brought to it by rivers.河水也不再流入It would take the ocean about 4,000 years to dry up.大西洋也需要大約四千年的時間才能干涸。On the average the water is a litt

6、le more than two miles (3.2 km) deep,平均水深兩英里（3。2公里）多一點， but in places it is much deeper.但有些地方更深。The deepest spot is near Puerto Rico.最深處在波多黎各島附近，This "deep" measures 30,246 feet-almost six miles (9.6 km).深達30246英尺，幾乎有六英里（9。6公里）。One of the longest mountain ranges of the world世界上一條最長的山脈 rise

7、s from the floor of the Atlantic.從大西洋海底升起，This mountain range runs north and south down the middle of the ocean.它由北向南延伸，直達大西洋中部，The tops of a few of the mountains reach up above the sea and make islands.幾座山峰露出海面便形成島嶼。The Azores are the tops of peaks in the mid-Atlantic mountain range.亞速爾群島是大西洋中部山脈的峰

8、尖。Several hundred miles eastward from Florida從佛羅里達往東幾百英里處的there is a part of the ocean called the Sargasso Sea.一部分洋面稱為馬尾藻海。Here the water is quiet,for there is little wind.這里水面平靜，幾乎沒有一絲風。In the days of sailing vessels the crew were afraid they would be becalmed here.在使用帆船的時代，般員們擔心他們會因無風而在此處無法航行，Some

9、times they were.有時的確如此。Ocean currents are sometimes called "rivers in the sea."洋流有時被稱為“海上河流”。One of these "rivers" in the Atlantic is called the Gulf Stream.大西洋其中有一條“河流”被命名為墨西哥灣流，It is a current of warm water.是條暖流；Another is the Labrador Current-cold water coming down from the Ar

10、ctic.另一條叫拉布拉多流，這是來自北冰洋的寒流。Ocean currents affect the climates of the lands near which they flow.洋流對其充經(jīng)地區(qū)的氣候有影響。The Atlantic furnishes much food for the people on its shores.大西洋為岸上的人們提供了豐富的食物。One of its most famous fishing regions,the Grand Banks,is near New-found land.最有名的漁業(yè)區(qū)之一是大淺灘漁業(yè)區(qū)，位于紐芬蘭附近。Today t

11、he Atlantic is a great highway.今天的大西洋是一條主要交通干線。It is not,however,always a smooth and safe one.所以大西洋并不總是一個平靜和安全的海洋。Storms sweep across it and pile up great waves.然而，橫掃而來的暴風雨卷起層層巨浪Icebergs float down from the Far North across the paths of ships.遙遠的北極漂浮而下的冰川穿過般只經(jīng)過的航道，We now have such fast ways of trave

12、ling今天我們擁有的快捷旅行方式 that this big ocean seems to have grown smaller.使大西洋顯得小了。Columbus sailed for more than two months to cross it.哥倫布花了兩個多月的時間才穿越大西洋，A fast modem steamship can make the trip in less than four days.今天現(xiàn)代化的快速輪船只需不到四天的時間就可以完成 旅行。Airplanes fly from New York to London in only eight hours從紐約到

13、倫敦飛行只需8小時， and from South America to Africa in four!而從南美到非洲四小時就夠了。Text B課文 BThe Moon月球We find that the moon is about 239,000 miles我們發(fā)現(xiàn)月球離地球大約有大約23。9萬英里(384,551 km) away from the earth,（384，551萬公里），and,to within a few thousand miles,its distance always remains the same.它與地球保持這個距離，變化不超地幾千英里。Yet a very

14、 little observation shows that the moon is not standing still.然而略加觀察就可以發(fā)現(xiàn)月球并非靜止不動。Its distance far the earth remains the same,它與地球之間的距離不變，but its direction continually changes.但其方位卻不斷變化。We find that it is traveling in a circle-我們發(fā)現(xiàn)月球以圓周或者or very nearly a circle-round the earth,非常接近圓周繞地球一周。going comp

15、letely round once a month,or,more exactly,once every 27 1/3 days.月球是我們在太空中緊近的鄰居。It is our nearest neighbour in space,如同我們自己一樣，and like ourselves it is kept tied to the earth地球引力月球by the earth's gravitational pull.與球緊緊聯(lián)系在一起。Except for the sun,the moon looks the biggest object in the sky.除太陽以外，月球是

16、空中看起來最大的物體。Actually it is one of the smallest,其實它是最小的天體之一，and only looks big because it is so near to us.只是因為離我們很近，所以看起來大。Its diameter is only 2,160 miles (3,389 kin),它的直徑只有2160英里（3389公里），or a little more than a quarter of the diameter of the earth.或者說比地球直徑的四分之一略多一點。Once a month,or,more exactly,once

17、 every 29 1/2 days,我們所說的“滿月”每月有一次，確切地說，每29天半有一次，at the time we call "full moon,"its whole disc looks bright.這時整個月面明亮照人。At other times only part of it appears bright,其它時間，月球只有一部分發(fā)亮，and we always find that this is the part which faces towards the sun,我們發(fā)現(xiàn)這正是面朝太陽的那一部分，while the part facing aw

18、ay from the sun appears dark.而背靠太陽的那部分顯得淡無光。Artists could make their pictures better if they kept this in mind-假使美術家們記住月球只有受到太陽照射的那部分才是明亮的，only those parts of the moon which are lighted up by the sun are bright.他們的繪畫也許會更美好。This shows that the moon gives no light of its own.這也說明月球本身并不發(fā)光，It merely ref

19、lects the light of the sun,它如同懸掛在天空中的一面巨大的鏡子，like a huge mirror hung in the sky.僅僅反射太陽光。Yet the dark part of the moon's surface is not absolutely black;不過月球表面黑暗的并不是絕對的漆黑。generally it is just light enough for us to be able to see its outline,一般說來它的亮度剛好足以讓我們看清它的輪廓，so that we speak of seeing "

20、the old moon in the new moon's arms."因此我們將這一景色稱為“新月抱舊月”。The light by which we see the old moon看舊月所憑借的光線does not come from the sun,but from the earth.來自地球而不是太陽。We know well how the surface of the sea or of snow,我們很清楚海面、雪面or even of a wet road,或者濕漉漉的路面may reflect uncomfortably much of the sun's light on to our faces.如何將大量的太陽光反射到我們的臉上，In the same way使我們感覺不舒服。the surface of the whole earth reflects enough of the sun's light整個地球表面同樣將充足的太陽光反射到月球表面，on to the face of the moon for us to be able to see使我們得以看見 the parts of it which would otherwise be dark.本來會是很暗的那部分月面。