How many oceans are there?
到底有多少个大洋?
A new ocean has appeared on the maps of the National Geographic Society. The Southern Ocean, which encircles Antarctica, will henceforth be given the same status, and typeface, as the Arctic, Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. But of course the Southern Ocean is not really new. Not only has the body of water been there for around 30m years, but what to call it has been mulled and contested by others before.
一个新的大洋出现在了美国国家地理学会的地图上。环绕南极洲的南大洋,今后将被赋予与北冰洋、大西洋、印度洋和太平洋同等的地位,并以相同的字体印刷(在地图上)。当然,南大洋并不是真的新出现的大洋;这片水域不仅已经在那里存在了大约 3000 万年,而且该怎么命名它此前也被人们反复斟酌并争论过。
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All of Earth's oceans are part of one interconnected system. Mapmakers divide it into different zones, including oceans, which also contain smaller seas. But where two bodies of water converge scientists must look at the conditions in the water to decide their boundaries. Most governments have departments given the task of surveying, mapping and naming oceanographic features but the arbiter of such issues is the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), to which 94 countries belong.
地球上所有的大洋共同组成一个互联互通的系统。地图绘制者将其划分为不同区域,这其中包括大洋;而大洋中又包含了更小的海域。但是,关于两片水域在何处交汇,科学家们必须去研究水域里的情况才能判断它们的边界。大多政府都有相关部门负责对海洋特征进行调查、绘制和命名;不过,国际水道测量组织(IHO)才是这些问题的最终定夺者,(目前)该组织有 94 个成员国。
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The definition adopted by the National Geographic Society is that the Southern Ocean includes most of the waters that surround Antarctica to a latitude of 60° south, excluding the Drake Passage and Scotia Sea. Also called the "60th parallel south", this cartographic line roughly corresponds with the path of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which swirls water clockwise from west to east and marks a boundary between the cold, northward-flowing waters of the Antarctic and the warmer subantarctic waters.
美国国家地理学会对南大洋的界定是,从南极洲周围的大部分水域延伸到南纬 60 度的部分,其中不包括德雷克海峡和斯科舍海。这条地图线也被称为“南纬 60 度线”,它大致与南极绕极流路径重合;南极绕极流自西向东顺时针环绕,同时,它也是向北流动的南极洲寒冷水域与更为温暖的亚南极水域的分界线。
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The waters of the Southern Ocean are colder and less saline than those of the southern Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. This has allowed a distinct ecosystem to flourish, rich in plant and animal life including krill, penguins, seals and whales. Its icy nature makes it particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change.
相较而言,南大洋水域里的海水要比大西洋、太平洋和印度洋南部的海水更寒冷、盐度也更低。这种特质也让一个独特的生态系统在这里发展起来:南大洋拥有丰富的动植物资源,磷虾、企鹅、海豹、鲸鱼等动物都栖息于此。同时,南大洋严寒的特性也让它格外容易受到气候变化的影响。
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主编:Felicity、Jenny
品控:Felicity
审核:虾仁
重点词汇
encircle
/ɪnˈsɝː.kəl/
v. 环绕,围绕
相关词汇:circle(n. 圆圈,圆形)
词根词缀:en-(表示“使成为,使变成”)
例句:The island is encircled by coral reefs.
typeface
/ˈtaɪp.feɪs/
n.(印刷用的)字体
mull
/mʌl/
v. 仔细考虑,反复思考
英文释义:to think about a fact or proposal deeply and at length
搭配短语:mull over
例句:She has been mulling over the idea of quitting the job.
近义词(组):think over,consider,ponder
interconnect
/ˌɪn.t̬ɚ.kəˈnekt/
v. 相互联系,相互关联
相关词汇:connect(v. 联系,关联)
词根词缀:inter-(表示“相互”)
converge
/kənˈvɝːdʒ/
v. 交汇,会合;(观点、目标)趋同
词根词缀:con-(表示 together “集中,一起”)
反义词:diverge(v. 分叉,岔开;(观念、想法)存在分歧,相悖)
词根词缀:dis-(表示“分开”)
文化补充:dis- 在具体的构词中,有时会变形成 di-、de- 和 dif- 等。
例句:Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.(出自美国诗人 Robert Frost 的诗 The Road Not Taken(《未选择的路》)。)
例句:Their opinions diverge greatly on this issue.
arbiter
/ˈɑːr.bə.t̬ɚ/
n. 裁决者,仲裁人
例句:The US Supreme Court will be the final arbiter in the dispute.
相关词汇:arbitrator(n. 仲裁者,仲裁机构)
latitude
/ˈlæt̬.ə.tuːd/
n. 纬度
相关词汇:longitude(n. 经度)
例句:The village lies at latitude 30° north, longitude 108° east.
exclude
/ɪkˈskluːd/
v. 不包括
反义词:include(v. 包括)
相关词汇:excluding(prep. 除……以外,不包括)
例句:The aircraft carries 300 people, excluding the crew.
相关词汇:including(prep. 包括)
correspond with
与……相一致,符合……
英文释义:to be the same as or match something
例句:My actions will correspond with my words.
swirl
/swɝːl/
v. 打旋,旋动
例句:Smoke swirled around her.
搭配短语:swirling smoke
例句:He swirled the ice around in the bottom of his glass.
clockwise
/ˈklɑːk.waɪz/
adv. 顺时针地
例句:Turn the key clockwise.
saline
/ˈseɪˌlin/
adj. 含盐的
相关词汇:salt(n. 盐)
英文释义:containing salt
flourish
/ˈflɝː.ɪʃ/
v. 迅速发展,蓬勃发展;茁壮成长
文化补充:flourish 最早在法语里是 to blossom “开(花),(花)盛开”的意思。
近义词:thrive(v. 茁壮成长;蓬勃发展)
例句:The plants flourish particularly well in a damp climate.
例句:Our great motherland is flourishing with each passing day.
susceptible
/səˈsep.tə.bəl/
adj. 易受影响的,易受伤害的
英文释义:likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing
例句:People who exercise regularly are less susceptible to viral illnesses like colds and flu.
例句:Most people are susceptible to negative comments.
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