自然地理专业英语自然地理英语(一)Lesson OneNEW WORDS1.sleet n.冻雨，雨夹雪11. particle n.粒子,微粒20.instead ad.代替,替换30.toss vt.,vi.抛,扔,颠簸2. depend vi.依赖,取决于12. nucleus n.核,原子核21.snowflake n.雪片31.acquire vt.取得,获得3. hail n.雹13.dew n.露水22.shape n.形状32.hailstone n.冰雹4. form vt.,vi.形成14.crystal n.晶体23. flake n.薄片33.stick vi.粘住5. low a.低的15.condensation n.冷凝,24.hexagonal a.六角形的34.theory n.理论6. temperature n.温度凝结25.lens n.透镜35.explain vt.说明,解释,7. molecule n.分子16. rapid a.快的26.strike vt.,vi.打击击中,撞阐明8. cling vi.粘着17.moisture n.湿气,水分27.thunderstorm n.雷雨9. droplet n.小水滴18. freeze vi.结冰28.swift a.迅速的10. dust n.灰尘19.raindrop n.雨点29.current n.气流,潮流PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONSThe more the more越… T ake place发生Well below 远远低于 A mass of 一块越… As soon as 一… 就… T ake on 呈现Start out 出发,着手进行So that 如此… 以致… High above 大大高于 A bit of 一点layer of 一层TEXTRAIN, SNOW, SLEET, AND HAILThe forming of rain in a cloud depends upon temperature. The lower the temperature, the more the molecules of water vapor in the cloud cling together. Then they form droplets of water. Usually droplets form around dust or other particles in the air when the dew point is reached. If ice crystals are in the cloud, even more droplets may form.In clouds, condensation may be so rapid that millions ofdroplets of water are formed. As these droplets collect more molecules and therefore become heavier, their weight makes them fall to the earth. If the temperature of the air is above freezing the drops will fall as rain.When the air high above the earth is well below freezing, the moisture in the air does not form raindrops. Instead, it forms snow. Snowflakes take on many interesting shapes. They seem to be formed around a center. Snow is made up of millions of these flakes, each a bit of water vapor that in freezing temperatures was changed into a flake of snow. Snowflakes are really crystals; they are water molecules grouped in a hexagonal pattern. It is interesting to study snowflake crystals under a hand lens.Sometimes droplets of water start out as rain and change into another form on their way to the earth. The raindrops may start downward through a layer of warm air and then strike a mass of cold air, where each raindrop freezes. These frozen raindrops fall to the earth as sleet; skeet us frozen rain.Sometimes still another change may take place in drops of rain. During a thunderstorm, swift upward currents of air usually carry raindrops with them. As the air grows colder,these raindrops may form little balls of ice. In a mass of warm air, they may get a coating of moisture, which freezes as soon as they are tossed up again into a colder mass of air. Up and down they are carried, acquiring more and more layers of ice. This goes on until the balls of ice become heavy enough to fall to the earth as hailstones. If you cut a hailstone in two, you can see the layers of ice.Some scientists think that hailstones are formed in a different way. A hailstone nucleus, a tiny droplet of water that is frozen, may form high in the atmosphere. As it falls through a cloud, it meets cold water droplets and snowflakes which stick to this nucleus. The hailstone may meet many of these droplets and snowflakes before it falls from the cloud to the earth. As the droplets of water stick to the hailstone, they add a clear layer of ice. As snowflakes stick to it, they form a cloudy layer. This theory explains why clear and cloudy layers are found inside the hailstone when it is cut open.Lesson TwoNEW WORDS1.mineral n.矿物2.property n.性质,特性3.naked a.裸露的 4.detail n.详情5.reveal vt.暴露19.precise a.精确的32.division n.分类,划分许多多6.magnify vt.放大20.garnet n.柘榴石33.divide vt. (into)划分,43.simplification n.简单化,7.magnification n.放大率position n.构成组成把…分成为… 单一化8.hang vt.,vi.悬挂,吊22.variety n.多种,异种种类34.igneous a.火成的44.rare a.稀少的,少见的9.particularly ad.特别,格外23.range n.范围,领域35.sedimentary a.沉淀的,45.unusual a.不平常的,少10.distinguish vt.区别,辨24.proportion n.比例沉积的见的认,把…区别分类25.hence ad.因此36.metamorphic a.变形的,46.subspecies n.亚种11.define vt.规定,下定义26.immense a.无限的, 变质的47.recognize vt.承认,认出12.unique a.唯一的,独特的广大的37.kingdom n.领域王国,界48.sophisticate n.世故的人13.grain n.颗粒27.bewilder vt.使为难,使38.distinctivea.特殊的,49.glean vt.苦心搜集,选14.quartz n.石英手足无措有特色的集15.quality n.质量28.array n.排列39.earmark n.记号50.explanation n.解释plex a.复杂的,复29.classify vt.分类40.remarkable a.值得注51.professional a.职业的,合的30.sort vt. (out)分类,划分意的,显著的本职的17.mixture n.混合物31.major a.较重要的,主41.accurate a.精确的52.petrologist n.岩石学家18.vary vi.变化,不同要的42.dozen n.一打,若干,许53.mineralogy n.矿物学PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS For example例如(to)make order 整理on the one hand…on the other hand…Because of 由于,因为despite of 不管,任凭一方面…另一方面…Regardless of不管,不顾even if 即使(to) be faced with …面对着…,面临either…or… 或…或…TEXTROCKS ARE MADE UP OF MINERALSMost of a rock‟s properties are easily seen with the naked eye, though the details are better revealed with a low-power magnifying glass (magnification of 5 ×to 10×) —the hand lens that field geologists usually have hanging around their necks. From the characteristics show, particularly thephysical and chemical properties we can distinguish several thousand minerals, each defined by its unique set of properties. Thus all grains or crystals of quartz have just about the same qualities, regardless of the kind of rock in which they are found. Some minerals, particularly those that have a more complex mixture of atoms, vary slightly in their properties, depending on their precise composition. A mineral like garnet, for example, has a number of varieties, each with its own range of composition, such as the proportions of iron and other elements, and hence, properties.Rocks are not as uniquely defined by their properties as minerals are. Because of the immense number of ways in which the thousands of minerals can be combined, the geologist is faced with a bewildering array of rock types. The only way for us to make order out of this array is to classify like with like and to sort out by general type. The major division of rocks into igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic is just such an aid. Within each major division there are many groups and types. Using characteristic properties, we can divide the rock kingdom into several hundred general types, each with its own more or lessdistinctive earmarks.Despite all of these numbers, it is remarkable how much can be done even if only a small number of the most common minerals and rocks are known. In most parts of the world a field geologist can make an accurate geologic map by knowing only a few dozen major minerals and even fewer common rock types. This simplification is possible because most of the thousands of known minerals are either rare or unusual on the one hand or subspecies or varieties on the other. Thus the geologist who can recognize garnet will do well, even though a mineral sophisticate who can distinguish the many varieties of garnet by their slightly different chemical compositions might do better. Naturally, the more we can distinguish, the more the information gleaned, and the greater the power of our theories of explanation. Than is why professional petrologists have to know a great deal about mineralogy.Lesson ThreeNEW WORDS1.volcanism n.火山活动(作用) 18. extrude vt.挤出,使喷出28. froth vt.,vi.,n.(使)起2.crust n.地壳11. fluid n.流体,液体19. eruption n.喷发,爆发泡沫,泡沫3.fracture vi.破碎,断裂12.escape vi.,vt.逃走,漏出,20. occur vi.发生,出现29. burst vt.,vi.破裂,爆发,4.molten a.熔化的逸出,避免21. magma n.岩浆喷出5.extend vi.延伸,延展13. crack n.裂隙22. dissolve vt.,vi.溶解30. bubble n.泡,泡沫6.interior n.,a.内部的14.volcanologist n.火山23. fissure n.裂缝31. vent n.喷口7.volcano n.火山学家24. atmospheric a.大气32. cone n.圆锥形(物)8.behavior n.行为,举止,15. refer vt.,vi将…归入,25. explosively ad.爆炸33.glow vi.燃烧,放光情况认为…属于,提到(爆发)性的34. column n.圆柱9.volcanology n.火山学16.extrusive a.,n.喷出的26. chill vt.使冷却10. crystallization n.结晶17. toothpaste n.牙膏27. atmosphere n.大气PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS(to) be charged with …充满着at all 完全,根本(常用在否定句中)less and less 越来越少in much the same way以大体相同的方式TEXTVOLCANISMWhen the earth‟s crust fractures, molten matter may flow from the break if it extends deep enough into the interior of the earth.A volcano may form. Earth scientists have studied the behavior and composition of molten rock materials and the forms that are produced . This branch of earth science is called volcanology.Some igneous rocks are formed by crystallization of fluid matter that has escaped through deep cracks in the earth‟s crust. Volcanologists refer to these rocks as extrusive rocks, or extrusives. If a tube of toothpaste has a crack in it and you press on the tube, some of the paste is pushed out. That is, the paste has been extruded. Volcanic eruptions occur in much the same way. The magma within the earth may be heavily charged with gases and steam. These are under such great pressure that they are dissolved in the magma. If a fissure develops in a region where the magma is heavily charged with steam and other dissolved gases, the fluid magma rises through the fissure. As it rises, the pressure onit becomes less and less. The gases and steam expand, producing a force that helps to move the molten materials to the surface of the earth.When they reach the surface of the earth, the only pressure against them is atmospheric pressure—14.7 pounds per square inch. The steam and gases now expand suddenly and explosively , producing additional great force. The molten materials, laden with rapidly expanding gas and steam, may be thrown high into the air in a wild and noisy eruption.In this kind of an eruption, the molten materials are quickly chilled by the much cooler atmosphere. They fall back to the earth as solid fragments of extrusive igneous rocks. During an explosive eruption the molten fluids may be so heavily charged with gas and steam that they froth. Bursting of the bubbles in the molten froth produces billions of tiny fragments of mineral matter, which were once part of the bubble walls. These tiny fragments may be carried upward into the atmosphere by the explosive force of the eruption. These they form great clouds of volcanic dust. Slightly larger fragments of the froth may fall back around the vent, or opening, in the crust to make a cone-shaped pileof volcanic ash.The light produced during volcanic activity is the result of the glowing of gases and molten fluids. The “smoke” of a volcano is not smoke at all, but the column of volcanic dust, steam, and other gases that are given off fro m the molten fluid.Lesson FourNEW WORDS1.deposit n.矿床,沉积用的,有开采价值的8.average a.平均的,普通的12.segregate vt.分开,凝离2.globe n.地球,天体 5.distribute vt.分配,分布9.abundance n.丰富13.occurrence n发生,出3.readily ad.容易地6.portion n.一部分10.homogenize vt.使均匀现,(矿物的)埋藏4.available a.有用的,可利7.amount n.总数,量11.segregation n.分开,凝离14.ore n.矿物15.sulfide n.硫化物24.enormous a.巨大的,庞30.concentrate vt.集中集合37.hydrothermal a.热水的, 16.dominant a.主要的大的31.relate vt.使有关系热水作用的17.oxide n.氧化物25.sufficiently ad.充分的,32.affinityn.亲缘关系,38.Miami n.迈阿密(美国18.silicate n.硅酸盐足够的亲和力佛罗里达州一城市,是著名19.aluminum n.铝26.worthwhile a.值得做33.increase vi.增加的休养地)20.magnesium n.镁的,有价值的34.decrease vi.减少21.conceivably ad.想象上,27.valuable a.价值大的，35.solubility n.可溶性,溶想得到的有价值的解度22. platinum n.白金,铂28.ratio n.比率,比例36.solution n.分解,溶解,23. mercury n.汞,水银29.copper n.铜溶液PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS In terms of … 在…方面In addition 此外(to) be used as … 用作TEXTWHAT IS A MINERAL DEPOSIT?The chemical elements of the earth‟s crust — the portion of the globe that is readily available to us for mining — are widely distributed in many different kinds of minerals, and those minerals are found in a great veriety of rocks. In most places, a particular element will be found in amounts that tend to be close to its average abundance in the crust — thatis ,it is homogenized with other elements. Segregation occurs in a smaller number of geologic situations. The occurrences of elements in much higher abundance—those in which some geologic process has operated to segregate much higher quantities of the element than normal—are the ones that interest us, because the richer the deposit, the cheaper it is to recover the resource, both in terms of energy and in terms of money. Rich deposits of metals are ores; the minerals containing these metals are ore minerals. Ore minerals include sulfides (the dominant group), oxides, and silicates. In addition, some metals, such as gold, are found in their native state — that is ,uncombined with other elements. Elements such as aluminum, iron, and magnesium, are so abundant that any average crustal rock could conceivably be used as a raw material, though not necessarily economically. In contrast are the elements of low abundance, such as gold, platinum, and mercury, which are present in such small amounts in the average rock that enormous quantities of rock would have to be refined to recover even small amounts. Mineral deposits of economic value are those in which an element occurs in much higher abundance than the average crustal rock, sufficiently high to make it economicallyworthwhile to mine. Many of the most valuable mineral deposits are metal-ore deposits.The concentration factor —that is, the ratio of the abundance of an element in a mineral deposit to its average abundance—is highly variable and depends on the particular element and its average crustal abundance. Iron, one of the common elements of the crust, has an average abundance of 5.8℅. A good iron ore contains 50℅iron; thus, its concentration factor is about 10. A less abundant metal, such as copper, which has a crustal abundance of 0.0058℅, is concentrated by factors from 60 to 100 in its economic ores. Even more spectacular are the rarer elements, such as mercury or gold, which have concentration factors in the thousands. The crustal abundances of the elements are related to their atomic number and chemical affinities in a complex way. But the concentration factors though generally increasing with decreasing crustal abundance, depend largely on the ways in which the metals are held in crystal structures, and their solubilities in various geologic solutions, such as groundwaters, hydrothermal solutions, or sea water.Lesson FiveNEW WORDS1.soil n.土壤7.article n.物品k n.牛奶19.sheep n.羊群2.pocket n.袋8.dependent a.依赖…的14.bread n.面包20.cattle n.牲畜3.growth n.生长9.meat n.肉类15.butter n.奶油21.wool n.羊毛4.crop n.农作物,庄稼10.vegetable n.蔬菜16.woolena.羊毛的22.feed vt.喂养,供给5.guard vt.保护11.fruit n.水果17.cotton n.棉花23.top-soil n.表土6.manage vt.处理管理经营12.cereal n.谷物,谷类18.leather n.皮革24.starve vi.挨饿25.fortunate a.幸运的29.plow vt.耕种n.犁33.silt n.淤泥37.remains n.剩余物,残骸26.seafood n.海味30.backyard n.后院34.float vt.,vi (使)漂浮38.loam n.肥泥27.wealth n.财富31.stir vt.搅拌anic a.有机(物)的39.weathering n.风化28.quart n.夸特32.spoon n.匙,调羹36.humus n.腐殖土PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONSAt least 至少On the bottom of 在…底部As a rusult of …因…结果,由于(to) feed on 靠吃…过日子,用…喂养TEXTSOILWherever there is a pocket of soil in the sunlight , some plant is likely to grow; but a rich growth of farm crops requires deep soil with the right kind and amount of minerals in it and the right amount of moisture. Under these conditions, animal life can be abundant and varied, for animals cannot exist without the plants that grow in soil. Soil is truly a resource that must be guarded well and managed wisely.Try to list some of the everyday articles you need that make you dependent upon soil. You may think first of food — meat, vegetables, fruit, cereal, milk, bread, and butter. Where do we get woolen and cotton clothes and leather shoes? Cotton comes from the cotton plant. Sheep and cattle, from which come wool for clothes and leather for shoes, feed on grass that is grown in the soil. At least part of your home is built of wood that comes from trees. You certainly could not live without the things that depend on soil for life.Most of these things that you need for life grow in certainkinds of soil. They depend on the topsoil— the layer of soil on top of the ground.If all topsoil should disappear from the land, millions of people would be sure to starve. Only those fortunate ones who could get seafood could live. T opsoil is important to the wealth of a nation.The best way to find out about topsoil is to examine it. Fill a quart jar one quarter full of soil from the surface of a plowed field or from your own backyard. Then add enough water to fill the jar. Stir the soil and water for about two minutes with a long spoon, and then let the jar stand for twenty minutes. What do you notice about the soil?On the bottom of the jar you will see coarse particles of sand and perhaps gravel. Next will be a layer of vary fine particles. These particles are called silt. On top of the silt, making the water cloudy, are clay particles even finer than silt. Floating on the surface and suspended in the water will be particles of dark-colored organic matter called humus. Organic matter consists of remains of dead plants and animals.T opsoil that is made up of a mixture of sand, silt, clay, and humus is called loam. Of course, loam is not the sameeverywhere. Have you ever seen loam of different colors in different places? A light brown loam has more sand in it, a gray-brown loam has more clay, a red loam may be colored by iron oxide, while a brownish-black or black loam has more humus. The sand, silt, and clay are particles that came from the earth‟s rocks as a result of weathering.Lesson SixNEW WORDS1.subsidence n.沉下陷下11.solvable a.能解决的18.claim vt.索取25.quiver vi.摇动,抖动2.level n.水平水平线水平12.T exas n.得克萨斯(美19.Baytown n.贝敦(美国26.gelatin n.明胶,胶质面国一西南部的州) 南部城市) 27.accompany vt.伴随3.drop vi.掉下,沉下13.Houston n.休斯敦(美国20.showplace n.展出地,28.hurricane n.飓风,十二4.gradually ad.逐渐地得克萨斯州东南部港市) 供参观的地方级风5.suddenly ad.突然地14.Galveston n.加尔维斯21.Brownwood n.布朗29.awash a.被水覆盖的,6.collapse vi.,n.倒塌,坍下顿(美国得克萨斯州东南伍德(美国南部城市) 被波浪冲打的7.settlement n.下沉部港市) 22.waterfront n.(都市等30.catastrophic a.灾难性的8.phenomenon n.现象15.bay n.湾,深山凹地的)靠水地,江边31.Florida n.佛罗里达(美9.hazard n.危险16.inhabitant n.居民,住户23.inundate vt.淹没国东南部一州)10.aware a.意识到的17.sink vi.下沉24.abandon vt.放弃,舍弃32.Weeki wachee n.威基瓦奇(美国东南部城市) 39.slip vi.滑动48.destructive a.破坏的力压紧33.gobble vt.狼吞虎咽40.Adriatic n.亚得里亚海49.withdrawal n.抽取,移54.tectonic a.地质构造的34.Birmingham n.伯明翰41.New Zealand n.新西兰开,收回55.disturbance n.骚动,妨碍35.Alabama n.亚拉巴马42.Venezuela n.委内瑞拉50.consolidate vt.使坚固,56.permafrost n.永久冻土(美国南部一州) 43.threaten vt.恐吓,威胁结合36.warehouse n.仓库,栈44.Mexico City n.墨西哥城51.sediment a.沉积,沉淀房,大零售店45.T okyo n.东京52.deficient a.缺乏的,不37.abruptly ad.突然,仓猝间46.dike n.堤,堤防完全的,不足的38.Venice n.威尼斯47.alter vt. 变更,改变53.hydrocompaction n.水PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONSSo far 到目前为止Sea level海拔,海面T o a greater extent 在很大程度上A load of …重载,大量(to) be deficient in …欠缺TEXTSUBSIDENCEIn numerous places throughout the world, land levels are dropping, sometimes gradually, sometimes suddenly. Yet, to many people, the subsidence, collapse, or settlement of the ground surface is almost an unknown phenomenon. It usually is not considered a major geologic hazard or problem, even by those aware of it. Yet the problem is both serious and solvable. In the United States the quickly growing region of T exas between Houston and Galveston Bay, which includes some 2 million inhabitants and 10,000 square kilometers(2.5 million acres ) of land, is sinking. The seawater from the bay is claiming the land. In Baytown‟s showplace subdivision of Brownwood, many waterfront homes are inundated or have been abandoned, and the land under other homes is often so saturated that it quivers like gelatin. Given the 4-meter tides that sometimes accompanyhurricanes, and continued subsidence, parts of the Houston Space Center could be awash in ten years.Although the occurrence is gradual in most places, collapse can be sudden and catastrophic. Near Weeki Wachee, in Florida, an 11-meter high drilling rig, two trucks, and a load of steel pipe worth more than $100,000 were gobbled up in less than ten minutes. In Birmingham, Alabama, a warehouse three stories high was destroyed when a sinkhole collapsed abruptly beneath it. Subsidence elsewhere in the world is equally serious. Venice has been slipping into the Adriatic for hundreds of years. Parts of London, Shanghai, New Zealand, Venezuela, and T aiwan are threatened with collapse. Mexico City has sunk so far into its valley—9.5 meters — that sewage must be pumped uphill to the mains and you must walk downstairs to reach the ground floors of older buildings. In T okyo, a million people live below sea level and are protected by dikes.Surface collapse and subsidence are extremely wide spread phenomena that can occur as a result of many natural processes and now, to a greater extent than ever before, as a result of human activities. Wherever the supporting subsurface material is altered or removed, the groundsurface may subside or collapse. In uninhabited areas this is of no serious consequence. Wherever people or structures are involved the results may be destructive.The major causes of land surface subsidence or collapse are varied and include the following.1.the withdrawal of large volumes of fluids(water, natural gas, or oil) from weakly consolidated sediments2.the application of water to moisture-deficient deposits above the water table(hydrocompaction)3.tectonic activity4.the solution or leaching of soluble subsurface material (limestone, for example) by circulating groundwater5.the removal of subsurface mineral deposits(coal, for example) without leaving sufficient support for the surface6.the melting or disturbance of permafrostLesson SevenNEW WORDS1.picture vt.描绘 lion n.百万9.calcium n.钙13.trace n.痕迹,踪迹ke n.湖 6.salt n.盐10.sulfur n.硫,硫磺14.radium n.镭3.cubic a.立方的7.chlorine n.氯气11.arsenic a.砷的15.fasten vt.把…结在,4.suppose vt.假设,假想8.billion n.(美)十亿,(英)兆12.iodine n.碘拴在,固定16.rope n.绳子23.gulf n.海湾紧,停泊36.unless conj.如不是,除非17.ring n.环24.Mediterranean,n.地中海30.barge n.大平底船,驳船37.protect vt.保护,防止18.messenger n.引绳25.Persian Gulf n.波斯湾31.tap vt.开发,发掘38.penetrate vt.,vi渗入,19.release vt.放出26.Pier n.码头32.slant vt.使倾斜透入,穿透20.basalt n.玄武岩27.equipment n.设备,装备33.offshore a.离岸的, 39.inky a.墨一样的,漆黑的21.oceanographer n.海洋学28.pump n.泵,抽机vt. 近海的40.adapt vt.使适合,适于家用抽机抽34.mantle n.地幔41.survive vi.活下去,残22.coast n.海岸29.anchor vt.用锚系住,系35.core n.核心,蕊在,还活着PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS(to) be filled with … 充满着(to) protect against…使…不受…侵犯in this way用此方法,这样地(to) adapt to 适应at once 立即,马上TEXTELEMENTS AND COMPOUNDS IN THE SEASClose your eyes and see if you can picture a rather large lake 26 miles long, 10 miles wide, and about 29 feet deep. You are picturing a cubic mile of water. Now suppose this lake is filled with sea water. This cubic mile of sea water would contain about 166 million tons of salts of various kinds.If you could evaporate one cubic mile of sea water, you would obtain about 166 million tons of salts. Now you have some idea of the amount of salts in the sea. Perhaps you think of these as table salt, a compound of sodium and chlorine; however, there are many kinds of salts in the ocean. There are billions of tons of substances, most of them salts, in the 330 million cubic miles of sea water. Compounds of magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfur, chlorine, arsenic, iron, copper, iodine, and many more are present. There is also a little gold and a little silver, and even a trace of radium. Geologists say these substances washed into the sea from the land.Scientists sample the sea special “water bottles” called Nansen bottles. A number of metal bottles, open on both ends, are fastened to a wire rope and lowered into the sea. Then a metal ring called a messenger is dropped down the rope. The messenger closes both ends of the first bottle and releases a second messenger, which closes the second bottle, and so on. In this way, samples from various depths are gathered at once. The samples are studied by oceanographers, chemists, biologists, and geologists, who study oceans and ocean life.The solid earth beneath the sea is of interest too. Oil has been found in the earth beneath the water along the coasts of California, under the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean, the North Sea, the Persian Gulf, and in many other parts of the world. Oil wells have been drilled from piers built out into the water along the coasts. Farther out, steel platforms hold the drilling equipment and the oil pumps. Wells are also drilled from anchored barges. Some underwater oil reservoirs are tapped by drilling slanted holes from the shore. Offshore oil, as it is sometimes called, is a very important source of the world supply.The crust of the earth is perhaps less than four miles thickunder some parts of the sea. Geologists interested in getting through the crust of the sea. Geologists interested in getting through the crust of the earth to investigate the mantle may some day drill through a part of the crust that is under water about one mile deep.Drilling through the crust under deep water presents many problems; however, the problems can be solved. Some of the drill cores taken from the ocean bottom show that the crust under parts of the ocean is a layer of sediment covering hardened volcanic rock known as basalt.Man, unless he has special oxygen equipment, cannot live under water. T o go more than a few hundred feet into the depths of the ocean, he must also be protected against the increasing pressure of the weight of water above him. No sunlight penetrates to the depths of the ocean, yet in the inky blackness are fish and other water-living animals adapted to survive under these conditions of pressure and darkness.Lesson EightNEW WORDS1.catch vt.捉，抓13.effectively ad.有效的24.momentary a.倾刻间35.prevalence n.优势,流行2.lean vi.靠,依14.desert n.沙漠的,瞬息间的36.dune n.沙丘3.sandstorm n.沙暴15.describe vt.叙述,描写25.prevail vi.胜过,占优势37.beach n.海滨,河滩4.attest vt.证明,证实16.eolian a.风神的26.westerly a.从西面来(风) 38.flood n.洪水,大水5.turbulent a.狂暴的17.Aeolus n.风神27.equatoriala.赤道的39.duration n.延续,持续期6.traceable a.起源于…的,18.God n.神28.belt n.带间能追纵的19.breeze n.微风,和风29.fluctuation n.波动,(上40.tornado n.龙卷风7.confine vt.限制20.moderately ad.适度,中下变动) 41.exceed vt.超过8.restrict vt.约束等,普通30.valley n.山谷,流域,盆地42.strip n.条,带狭长的土地9.channel n.水道,河床21.gust n.阵风,突然刮风31.relief n.地势的起伏43.typhoon n.台风petence n.能力,胜任22.intermittently ad.间歇32.terrain n.地带,岩层44.maritime a.海的,海岸的11.enable vt.使能,使可以的,断断续续的33.steady a.坚固的,稳定的45.pickup n.拾起12. discharge n.流量23.spawn vt.引起34.letup n.停止,中止PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONSat one time or another 有时,曾经in combination with 和…共同,协同,协力as well 同样, 也,又(to) have (much) to do with与…有(很大)关系in contrast to 和…成对比(to) be responsible for 对…负责任TEXTWINDAll of us have been caught, at one time of another, in a high wind so strong that it could have blown us over if we hadn‟t leaned into it or held on to something solid. A wind strong enough to move a body weighing more than 50 kilograms (110 poands) is easily capable of blowing sand grains into the air, as anyone who has ever been in a sandstorm can attest. Wind is a turbulent stream of air, and its ability to erode, transport, and deposit sediment is much like that of water, for the same general laws of fluid motion that govern liquids govern gases as well. There are differences, of course, and they are traceable to two properties of wind: its low density and the fact that its flowis unconfined, not restricted to, channels, the low density of air limits its competence to move larger particles, and the fact that its flow need not be confined enables it to spread over wide areas and high into the atmosphere. In contrast to rivers, whose discharge is dependent upon rainfall, it is the lack of rain that allows wind to work most effectively.Many of the geologic processes of desert are related to the work of the wind. Winds are also important because they are coupled to the waters of the ocean as they blow waves into being and influence the general circulation of the oceans. A common term used to describe the activity and deposits of the wind is eolian, from Aeolus, Greek God of the winds. Winds are highly variable in direction and power. Though the average wind on a breezy day might be about 15 kilometers(9 miles) per hour, gusts up to twice that speed occur intermittently and may spawn momentary blowing up of dust or sand clouds. Most people in temperate climates are used to winds that come mainly from one direction, the prevailing westerlies. Those in the tropics are familiar with the equatorial easterlies. Yet within these belts the winds will be variable in direction and power, depending on the movement of air masses and storms. Many of us live with。
