英语听力文摘 English Digest 605、冰山一角
时间：2018-12-31 作者：英语课 分类：英语听力文摘 English Digest
英语课
Everyone knows the story of the Titanic 1, the great ocean liner that struck an iceberg 2 and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. Less widely known is the iceberg’s story: where did it come from, and how did it get in the way of the ship?
Although the vast majority of icebergs 3 come from the Antarctic region, icebergs found in the North Atlantic, including the one that sank the Titanic, come mostly from the coast of Greenland. Thousands of years of snowfall on the Greenland ice cap causes the snow to compact and form dense 4 ice sheets and glaciers 5.
The weight of the glaciers and sheets forces them to flow down towards the coast where, at the water’s edge, warm waves and spring weather weaken the ice, causing pieces to break off and enter the sea as icebergs.
Pushed by wind and the Labrador Current, Greenland-produced icebergs drift southward. Many become stuck in shallow waters, but those that stay in the main current make it to the open sea, where they last for approximately two years before melting completely.
Since typically only 1/7th of an iceberg is visible above the ocean surface, it is almost impossible to gauge 6 its size with the naked eye. The actual size of North Atlantic icebergs varies, from a small car to a ten-story building.
The largest Arctic berg measured almost seven miles long and over three-and-half miles wide, but these Northern icebergs are dwarfed 7 by their Antarctic counterparts, the largest of which measured an amazing 207 miles long and 62 miles wide.
adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的
- We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
- The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。
n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人
- The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
- The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 )
- The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships. 海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The icebergs towered above them. 冰山高耸于他们上方。 来自辞典例句
a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的
- The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
- The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )
- Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
- It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）
v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器
- Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
- It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。