低水位使许多隐藏物体重见天日
刘立军 供稿
TRANSCRIPT
Scientists at the American space agency NASA say the average yearly temperature on Earth has risen by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1880. The warming has melted glaciers and lowered river and lake levels around the world.
The warming has also uncovered many unexpected objects hidden under ice and water for many years. Such objects include a plane wreck, sunken warships, human remains and pre-historic objects.
Plane wreck in the Alps
The Alps have some of the highest mountains in Europe. This year, melting mountain glaciers uncovered some surprises in the Swiss Alps.
On August 4, Swiss officials announced they had discovered the remains of a small plane that crashed on June 30, 1968. Officials said, "At the time of the accident, more than 50 years ago, the technical means to recover aircraft wreckage in difficult terrain were limited."
Just weeks earlier, two French mountain climbers found a human body while heading down from a glacier near Zermatt. One of the climbers told the Swiss publication Blick that he suspected the individual may have been lost in the glacier for around 30 to 40 years. He said, "The clothes were neon colored and in the style of the 80s." The body was frozen and partly damaged, he added, "but still complete."
Sunken WWII warships and bomb
Weeks of hot weather this summer have lowered the water levels of many European rivers.
The dry weather has pushed one of Europe's famous rivers, the Danube, to its lowest water levels in many years. The low levels exposed more than 20 German warships that sunk during World War II near Serbia's river town of Prahovo.
In Italy, officials declared a state of emergency in late July after finding a 450-kilogram World War II bomb in the low waters of the country's Po river.
Around 3,000 people living near the northern village of Borgo Virgilio were evacuated while military experts removed the U.S.-manufactured device earlier this month.
More welcoming objects
Some discovered objects were happy surprises, however.
In Spain, the water level in Valdecanas Lake has dropped to 28 percent of capacity. There, archeologists were happy to see a prehistoric stone circle known as the "Spanish Stonehenge." The area dates back to 5000 BC. It was discovered in 1926. But the area was flooded in 1963.
Lower water levels of the Yangtze River in China have brought to the surface three Buddhist statues. They are believed to be 600 years old. Chinese state media Xinhua news agency said they were found on the highest part of the island reef called Foyeliang.
Old objects have also been found in Norway's melting glaciers in the past few years. Science Daily recently reported that archeologists found a 28-centimeter-long shoe that is more than 3,000 years old. They also found a 6,100-year-old arrow shaft.
Bodies in a lake
In the United States, federal officials announced last week that the extremely dry weather conditions will force cuts in the amount of water usage from the Colorado River. The cuts, based on the water levels at Lake Mead, affect people across seven American states and Mexico.
Since 1983, the surface of Lake Mead has dropped more than 52 meters. In May, two sets of human remains were found in the dry lake bed.
The lake is about 50 kilometers from Las Vegas, Nevada. The city is known for its gambling and organized crime operations.
Former Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman once worked as a lawyer representing people involved in organized crime. "There's no telling what we'll find in Lake Mead," he told the Associated Press. "It's not a bad place to dump a body."
I'm John Russell. And I'm Ashley Thompson.
VOCABULARY
1. glacier n. a large mass of ice, formed by snow on mountains, that moves very slowly down a valley 冰川
2. terrain n. used to refer to an area of land when you are mentioning its natural features, for example, if it is rough, flat, etc. 地形；地势；地带
3. evacuate v. to move people from a place of danger to a safer place （把人从危险的地方）疏散，
转移，撤离。例如：Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
4. shaft n. the long narrow part of an arrow, hammer, golf club, etc. （箭、高尔夫球杆等的）杆；
（锤等的）柄
QUESTIONS
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Then correct the false statements.
1. According to NASA Scientists, the highest yearly temperature on Earth has risen by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1880.
2. The war has melted glaciers and lowered river and lake levels around the world.
3. The warming has covered many unexpected objects hidden under ice and water for many years.
4. On August 4, Sweden officials announced they had discovered the remains of a small plane that crashed on June 30, 1968.
5. Three French mountain climbers found a human body while heading down from a glacier near Zermatt.
6. Italian officials declared a state of emergency in late June after finding a 450-kilogram World War II bomb in the low waters of the country's Po river.
7. Lower water levels of the Yangtze River in China have brought to the surface three Buddhist statues.
8. In the United States, federal officials announced last week that the extremely dry weather conditions will force cuts in the amount of water usage from the Colorado River.
9. Las Vegas is known for its gambling and organized crime operations.
KEY
Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F). Then correct the false statements.
(F) 1. According to NASA Scientists, the highest yearly temperature on Earth has risen by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1880.（正确表达）According to NASA Scientists, the average yearly temperature on Earth has risen by at least 1.1 degrees Celsius since 1880.
(F) 2. The war has melted glaciers and lowered river and lake levels around the world.（正确表达）The warming has melted glaciers and lowered river and lake levels around the world.
(F) 3. The warming has covered many unexpected objects hidden under ice and water for many years.（正确表达）The warming has uncovered many unexpected objects hidden under ice and water for many years.
(F) 4. On August 4, Sweden officials announced they had discovered the remains of a small plane that crashed on June 30, 1968. （正确表达）On August 4, Swiss officials announced they had discovered the remains of a small plane that crashed on June 30, 1968.
(F) 5. Three French mountain climbers found a human body while heading down from a glacier near Zermatt. （正确表达）Two French mountain climbers found a human body while heading down from a glacier near Zermatt.
(F) 6. Italian officials declared a state of emergency in late June after finding a 450-kilogram World War II bomb in the low waters of the country's Po river.（正确表达）Italian officials declared a state of emergency in late July after finding a 450-kilogram World War II bomb in the low waters of the country's Po river.
(T) 7. Lower water levels of the Yangtze River in China have brought to the surface three Buddhist statues.
(T) 8. In the United States, federal officials announced last week that the extremely dry weather conditions will force cuts in the amount of water usage from the Colorado River.
(T) 9. Las Vegas is known for its gambling and organized crime operations.