英语听力文摘 English Digest 218、花园里的石块

　　How Rocks Appear In Your Garden

岩石，是在地质作用下形成的矿物聚合体，其中海面下的岩石称为礁、暗礁及暗沙，由一种或多种矿物组成的，具有一定结构构造的集合体，也有少数包含有生物的遗骸或遗迹（即化石）。岩石有三态：固态、气态（如天然气）、液态（如石油），但主要是固态物质，是组成地壳的物质之一，是构成地球岩石圈的主要成分。岩石根据其成因、构造和化学成分分类，按其成因主要分为三大类：火成岩、沉积岩和变质岩，从地表深至16千米的岩石圈中，火成岩大约占95%，沉积岩只有不足5%，变质岩最少，不足1%。

　　I wonder how many of us （1）went out（过完） this past spring to get our gardens ready for planting, （2）smug（沾沾自喜的） in the thought that last year we got rid of all the rocks. There’s that nice big mound 1 of them in the corner of the garden where we piled（堆砌） them. Surely by now they are all cleaned out.

“Wait! What is this?!” we said. A big stone, and another one, and another one! Where did they come from? Did some （3）mischievous 2（顽皮的，淘气的） kid bury a bunch of them for me to find this spring? Well, that could be, April Fool’s Day wasn’t that long ago. But maybe this time the kids were actually innocent.

Where The Rocks Grow

Any place that has winters cold enough to freeze the ground might experience the magical appearance of rocks （4）welling up（涌现） from beneath the surface. This is so common in the eastern U.S. that the rocks are called “New England potatoes.”

Here’s what makes these stones mysteriously appear. Stones are better conductors（导体） of heat than soil, so the stone conducts heat away from the warmer soil beneath it. That colder soil under the rock then freezes before other dirt at the same depth.

Remember that when water freezes it expands（膨胀）. So, when the water in the soil under the rock freezes, it expands and pushes the rock up a little.

When the ground （6）thaws（软化，解冻） a space is left under the stone which fills with dirt, so the stone rests a little higher. Over a period of time this repeated freezing, expanding, upward push, and filling underneath 4 eventually shoves（推，撞） the rock to the surface.

注释：

（1）go out

1.外出

She's gone out for a walk.

她外出散步了。

2.熄灭

His cigarette has gone out.

他的香烟灭了。

3.过时

This method went out long ago.

这种方法早就过时了。

4.过完

The year went out slowly.

这一年慢慢过去了。

（2）smug [sm?g]

a.

1.沾沾自喜的,自鸣得意的

You've got nothing to be smug about.

你有什么值得自鸣得意的。

2.整洁的,体面的

n.

1.沾沾自喜的人,自鸣得意的人[C]

（3）mischievous['mist?iv?s]

a.

1.恶作剧的;调皮的,淘气的

mischievous tricks

恶作剧

There's a mischievous look on her face.

她脸露淘气的神色。

2.有害的;恶意伤人的

mischievous gossip

恶意中伤的流言蜚语

（4）well up

Tears welled up in her eyes.

泪水涌上她的眼眶。

（5）conductor[k?n'd?kt?]

n. [C]

1.领导者;管理人;向导

the conductor of an expedition 远征队队长

2.(合唱团、乐队等的)指挥

3.(电车、巴士的)售票员;【美】(火车的)列车员

4.【物】导体;避雷针

Copper 5 is a good conductor of electricity.

铜是电的良导体。

（6）thaw 3[θ?:]

vi.

1.(冰、雪及冷冻食物)溶化, 溶解

The ice thawed 6 in the sun.

冰在阳光下融化。

2.(气候)解冻

It thawed early last spring.

去年春天解冻得很早。

3.软化, 暖和起来

He thawed after sitting at a fire for a while.

在火堆旁坐了一会儿, 他觉得暖和起来了。

4.(态度、感情等)缓和, 随和, 更友好

His shyness thawed under her kindness.

他的羞怯在她的亲切态度之下消失了。

vt.

使融化, 使缓和

The little girl's smile thawed the angry old man.

小姑娘的微笑使发怒的老头缓和下来。

n.

1.融化, 解冻

The spring thaw caused heavy flooding.

春天解冻引起了洪水泛滥。

2.(足以解冻的)暖和天气

A thaw has set in.

暖流来临了。

（7）shove[??v]

vt. [O]

1.推;撞

Amy shoved the book across the desk to him.

艾咪把书推到书桌的另一边给他。

2.乱塞,乱放

He shoved his clothes into the drawer.

他将衣服胡乱塞进抽屉。

3.强使

The surplus will shove the price down from a dollar to 60 cents.

剩余货物将会迫使价格从一美元跌到六十美分。

vi.

1.推;撞

He shoved at the car but it wouldn't move.

他用力推车,但车子不动。

2.推挤

Everybody was pushing and shoving towards the exit.

大家都在推推搡搡向出口挤去。

3.【口】移动[Q]

n.

1.推;撞[S]

The car won't start. Can you give it a shove?

这车子启动不了。你能不能推它一把?