隐形岛 Invisible island

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English: we’ll be talking about a story in the news and learning some vocabulary along the way. I’m Alice and joining me today is Neil. Welcome, Neil.
大家好，欢迎来到BBC六分钟英语学习节目：我们会在新闻中讲述故事，学习单词。我是Alice，今天我的搭档是Neil.欢迎Neil.
Hi there Alice.
你好，Alice。
Now, Neil are you good with maps?
Neil,你对地图在不在行？
Good with maps? You mean – am I good at reading maps?
地图？你的意思是说我擅长看地图吗？
Yes. Can you find your way to a place you want to go to just by looking at a map.
对，你能只通过看地图就能找到你想去的地方吗？
Well, actually I need a map. Because I used to think I had a great sense of direction but now I have to admit I have a terrible sense of direction. I almost always walk in the wrong direction automatically, so I need a map.
说实话，我确实需要看地图。因为过去我自以为是一个方向感很好的人，但现在我不得不承认自己的方向感的确很差。我经常不自觉的就走错路了，所以我需要一张地图来指示方向。
You need a map. Well I like to think I’m a fairly good navigator – that’s someone who finds or plots the way.But what if the map is wrong? I once walked around a town for a whole hour using a map I’d downloaded from the internet, and then I realised the map I was using was completely wrong.
你需要地图来指示方向。我却是一个很好的导航员---一个发现并规划路线的人。但如果地图是错的会怎么样呢？曾经有一次我用一张在网上下载的地图做导向，却在小镇上转了整整一个小时，后来才发现我用的那张地图完全是错的。
Oh dear, it does happen.
哦，亲爱的，这种事情时有发生。
Yes it does. And in 6 Minute English today, we’ll be hearing about an island that has appeared on maps for several years, but which people now realise has never existed at all!
确实如此。在今天的六分钟英语中，我们将听到一个关于小岛的故事，这个岛屿在地图上存在了数年之久，但近期人们却发现它从来就不存在。
Aha, this is the famous Sandy Island near Australia.
啊哈，这就是澳大利亚附近著名的桑迪岛。
Yes, it’s all very suspicious! And, Neil, as we’re talking about islands, my question for you today is about a legendary island which is supposed to have sunk into the ocean thousands of years ago. Was it called:a) Pacifica b) Atlantis, or c) Oceana
没错，这个岛屿确实很可疑！Neil，既然今天我们谈的是岛屿，我的问题就是关于一个传说中的岛屿，它本应该在数千年前就沉入海底了，这个岛屿是：a) 帕西菲卡 b) 亚特兰蒂斯, 还是 c) 奥希阿纳
Well, I will have a think about that and tell you at the end of the programme.
嗯，让我想一下，在节目最后我告诉你我的答案。
OK, as usual we’ll find out what the answer is at the end.Now let’s hear more about Sandy Island – the island that never was!Maria Seton from the University of Sydney in Australia was on an expedition in the sea between Australia and New Caledonia.
好的，像往常一样，我们在节目最后揭晓答案。现在我们就进一步了解一下桑迪岛---一个从来就不存在的岛屿来自澳大利亚悉尼大学的Maria Seton进行了一次从澳大利亚到新喀里多尼亚（位于南太平洋）的远征探险。
We were actually out in the Eastern Coral Sea conducting a scientific research expedition and when we were approaching the area of this supposed island,we saw that our scientific maps showed there was an island there, and yet the navigation charts on board the vessel showed that we had a water depth of 1,400 metres. So that’s where we started getting suspicious.
我们当时其实是在东部珊瑚海进行科学研究考察，并准备向这个本以为存在的岛屿靠近。我们的科学地图上显示那里有一个岛屿，但我们船上的导航图却显示那里是1400米深的水域。从那起，我们就开始产生了怀疑。
Maria Seton and her research team were looking at their scientific maps which showed an island.But they became suspicious – they questioned what they saw. Why?
Maria Seton和她的考察团队所带的科学地图显示有一个岛屿。但他们却怀疑并质疑自己所看到的，这是为什么？
Because when they got to the area where the island was supposed to be, the navigation charts on board the vessel – the ship – showed that all that was there was 1,400 metres of water.
因为当他们到达岛屿所在位置时，船上的导航图却显示那里只有一片1400米深的水域。
So, the island wasn’t there. Could it have sunk? Here’s BBC Correspondent Duncan Kennedy in Australia:
也就是说这个小岛不在那。它会不会沉没了？下面是澳大利亚BBC记者Duncan Kennedy发回的报道。
It hasn’t sunk – no it was never there.The Australian Naval Maps department – the department that makes naval maps – said it could simply be human error repeated down through the years.
它并没有沉没，不，其实它根本就不存在。澳大利亚水文部（制定航海地图的部门）称，这可能只是人为错误，多年来就这么被重复下来了。
Did you hear what did the department that makes naval maps in Australia said about Sandy Island appearing on its maps?
你有没有听到澳大利亚制定航海地图的部门是怎样解释桑迪岛为什么会出现在地图上了吗？
They said it could be human error repeated through the years.That means one person made a mistake and put the island on the map and then other people just copied their map over and over again.
他们认为这可能只是一个多年来一直重复的人为错误。也就是说一个人错误的把这个岛屿放到了地图上，然后人们就开始不断地复制这个地图。
Interesting. But how could all maps make the same mistake?The island appeared on standard maps, nautical maps – that’s maps of the ocean - and even Google Earth, which is largely made up of photos from space?
有趣。但怎么可能所有的地图都犯同一个错误呢？这个小岛出现在标准地图上，航海地图上（关于海洋的地图），甚至谷歌地图上，谷歌地图大部分都是由从太空中拍摄的照片组成的。
Well, people who make maps use a variety of sources they say – lots of different reference materials – so maybe it wasn’t worth taking thousands of photos of the sea, but easier to copy someone else’s mapHere’s what the BBC’s Duncan Kennedy says about the mistake:
绘制地图的人会参照不同的资料，所以或许不需要成百上千的海洋照片，直接复制别人的地图会更容易一些。下面是BBC的Duncan Kennedy对这一错误的解读：
Sandy Island appears on standard maps, nautical maps and it even appears on Google Earth and a spokesman for Google Earth Maps Australia said they use a variety of sources to compile their maps but that things change.They’re advising people to tell them if they spot similar mistakes could they let them know.
桑迪岛出现在标准地图上，航海地图上，甚至谷歌地图上。澳大利亚谷歌地图发言人表示，他们绘制地图时会采用很多参考资料，但这种情况也发生了变化。他们一直在建议大家如果发现了类似的错误，要告知他们。
The BBC’s Duncan Kennedy, who says map makers like Google Earth have advised people to tell them if they spot similar mistakes on any of their maps.
BBC的Duncan Kennedy说谷歌地图的绘制者们建议大家如果发现他们地图上的任何错误，都请告知他们。
Yes, things change! Even islands disappear sometimes – which brings me to the answer to your question at the beginning of 6 Minute English Alice.I think I know the name of that legendary island you were talking about.
确实，情况变了！甚至岛屿有时候都会消失---这让我想到了在节目开始时你问我的问题。我想我知道你所说的那个传说中岛屿的名字。
Ah yes, I asked you if it was called: a. Pacifica, b. Atlantis or c. Oceana.
啊，是的，我的问题是这个岛屿是：a) 帕西菲卡 b) 亚特兰蒂斯, 还是 c) 奥希阿纳
And I thought it was a trick question but I’m going to go with what I first thought, which is Atlantis.
我觉得这确实是个很容易让人上当的问题，但我还是坚持我最开始的想法，我选亚特兰蒂斯
And you’re right. Atlantis was the name given to a legendary island which was supposed to have been somewhere between Africa and Europe before it sunk.It was talked about by Plato in the fourth century BC.
回答正确。亚特兰蒂斯是一个传说中岛屿的名字，在它没沉没之前应该是在非洲与欧洲之间的某个地方。柏拉图在公元前四世纪的时候提到过这个岛屿。
And, Neil, I hope you’ll share some of the words we’ve heard in today’s programme:
Neil, 希望你能和大家分享一下我们今天在节目中所听到的单词。
Yes, of course. Here they are:
当然，他们是：
Reading maps, navigator, expedition, suspicious, human error, nautical, variety of sources
Reading maps（看地图）, navigator（导航员）, expedition（远征探险）, suspicious（可疑的）, human error（人为错误）, nautical（航海的，海上的）, variety of sources（各种参考材料）
Thanks so much, Neil. And please join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.
非常感谢Neil。希望大家可以登录bbclearningenglish.com加入我们，并收听更多关于六分钟英语的节目。
And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter. We really do exist there. Honestly.
不要忘了关注我们的脸谱网和微薄。我们可是真实存在的。
Bye for now.
再见。
Bye.
再见。