时间:2019-01-14 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2011年(八月)


英语课

Rocky Mountain Sigh as More People Move In


For many Americans, the “good life” means owning a piece, or at least a view, of the majestic 1 Rocky Mountains. Who wouldn’t be drawn 2 to a land of snow-capped peaks, abundant wildlife, and breathtaking hiking trails and ski slopes?

Did we say “breathtaking”? Perhaps that’s because of the smog.

You see, big cities in America’s high country - like Denver and Colorado Springs and Salt Lake City - have grown so fast that on many days, noxious 3 haze 4 obscures the mountains.

Morning and evening - and on weekends - around many mountain towns, you can watch an endless string of sport-utility vehicle lights snake through what used to be unspoiled hills and ravines.

Gigantic housing tracts 5 cropped up among the ponderosa pines. People built fancy houses and mountain retreats so deep into wild places that local fire departments had to tell them they’re on their own come the next forest fire.

Other folks snapped up meadow parcels with a mountain view - “ranchettes,” as they’re called.

Commuters have no “rush hour” on Interstate 25 between Denver and Colorado Springs because, they say, the highway is one long parking lot.

So rampant 6 was Denver’s suburbanization 7 before the recent U.S. economic downturn that Northern Colorado ranchers by the hundreds sold out to developers and moved operations up into remote Wyoming.

Water, which is scarce in many parts of the American West, seems abundant in frigid 8 Rocky Mountain streams. But new subdivisions and shopping malls are draining aquifers 9 on the prairies beneath the peaks.

And human sprawl 10 is steadily 11 constricting 12 the habitats of eagles, elk 13, and bears. All because of the western version of Americans’ search for a simpler life, close to nature.

The magnificent Rocky Mountains have inspired songs such as “Springtime in the Rockies” and “Rockin’ in the Rockies.”

Some have suggested a new title for a tune 14: “Ruinin’ the Rockies.”



adj.雄伟的,壮丽的,庄严的,威严的,崇高的
  • In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
  • He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
adj.有害的,有毒的;使道德败坏的,讨厌的
  • Heavy industry pollutes our rivers with noxious chemicals.重工业产生的有毒化学品会污染我们的河流。
  • Many household products give off noxious fumes.很多家用产品散发有害气体。
n.霾,烟雾;懵懂,迷糊;vi.(over)变模糊
  • I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中,我看不见她。
  • He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。
大片土地( tract的名词复数 ); 地带; (体内的)道; (尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的)短文
  • vast tracts of forest 大片大片的森林
  • There are tracts of desert in Australia. 澳大利亚有大片沙漠。
adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的
  • Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
  • You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。
郊区城市化
  • The population suburbanization is a new trend in the population development of big cities in our country. 人口郊区化是我国大城市人口发展的新动向。
  • Suburbanization and counter-urbanization are two concepts of similarities as well as differences. 郊区化与逆城市化是既有联系又有区别的两个概念,逆城市化是郊区化的升级版本。
adj.寒冷的,凛冽的;冷淡的;拘禁的
  • The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨,他在下面呆不了太长时间。
  • She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。
n.地下蓄水层,砂石含水层( aquifer的名词复数 )
  • And in Africa, the aquifers barely recharge at all. 非洲的地下水开采以后几乎得不到补充。 来自时文部分
  • Aquifers have water contents over 30%. 含水层的水含过30%。 来自辞典例句
vi.躺卧,扩张,蔓延;vt.使蔓延;n.躺卧,蔓延
  • In our garden,bushes are allowed to sprawl as they will.在我们园子里,灌木丛爱怎么蔓延就怎么蔓延。
  • He is lying in a sprawl on the bed.他伸开四肢躺在床上。
adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地
  • The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
  • Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。
压缩,压紧,使收缩( constrict的现在分词 )
  • Objective To discuss the clinical characteristics and treatment of congenital constricting band syndrome(CCBS) and amputations. 目的探讨先天性束带症与先天性截肢的临床特点及治疗方法。
n.麋鹿
  • I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近,能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
  • The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
  • He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子,并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
  • The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。
学英语单词
American gallinule
amine cured epoxy resin
annisimov
apodized
basic Q factor
beginning
Berlin blockade and airlift
bilinear model
break one's word
broken bracket
cercospora sojina
chalcopyrrhotite
co-covenantor
compositionfactors
Corydalis yanhusuo
Dalbergia obtusifolia
debole
dillions
Dinefwr
dioses
dynamically user microprogrammable machine
electromechanical analogy
enamel pan
exceptio quod metus causa
expansion roof tanks
eyecharts
fire control car
flipflop direct-coupled
FutureBasic
glide rocket
going price
heating mode
homelytra
HPSIS (high pressure safety injection system)
Huayabamba, R.
informatory double
invisibles
isofenchyl alcohol
judg(e)ment
key lime
Kimilili
kittywampus
lacunae of tongue
linearity potentiometer
linearly variable resistance
lymphangiectomy
macquarium
macrocephal
Melsomin
metallic reducing agent
Miaoli City
new zealand cottons
Nez Perce County
nonprepositional
nosophytes
one-range winding
opposite pole
oscillating coil
pat answer
penicilloates
Platinum strip bolometer
principal direction of curvature
Profintern
provings
pseudo-plane
puget soud pine
randel
reinstallable
reverse takeover
revived structure
rfc (radio frequency choke)
roll velocity
Rubia dolichophylla
satisfaction of a claim
seaplane parking area
search turn
severe etch virus
sexy lingerie
sign magnitude code
solenoid operated system
somatoscop
spreading process
straight peen hammer
substantivate
switching-engine
target folder
tax-deferred
tetraandrine
theory of dimensions
throttle grip
Tibet mockorange
tinctorial property
tomato pulp
transfer check
tretic conidium
twonks
uphole geophone
V.I.P.
varnished cambric
widerange oscillator
witii
yellow-bellied