游客应该去南极洲么？ Should tourists go to Antarctica?

Hello, I’m Rob. Welcome to 6 Minute English. With me in the studio today is Neil. Hello, Neil!
大家好我是Rob，欢迎来到BBC六分钟英文，今天我的搭档是Neil。你好，Neil。
Hello, Rob.
你好，Rob。
And in this programme we’re talking about tourism, but in a very special place: Antarctica. It is considered the last great wilderness on Earth. Wilderness means an area with no people and no agriculture because of the difficult living conditions.
今天我们来聊聊旅行，但是在一个特别的地方：南极。南极被誉为是地球上最后一片净土，Wilderness指的是没有人烟未经开垦的地区。
Yes, in Antarctica there are only research stations with scientists and a few tourists.
是的，在南极洲只有研究站的科学家和一些游客。
Not so few – about 37,000 tourists are expected there this season. Many don’t go ashore but there’s no denying that it disturbs the environment.
游客可不算少，这个季度去往南极的游客约有三万七千名。虽然有些人并未登上南极洲大陆，但不可否认的是，这些行为确实扰乱了自然环境。
That many?
很多么？
Yes. We’re asking if it is fair for tourists to set foot – it means to go to - such a sensitive environment.We’ll also use some vocabulary related to Antarctica. By the way, Neil, do you know a lot about the South Pole?
是的，今天我们就来讨论一些游客是否应该踏足这样一个敏感的环境，to set foot 这里指的是去。并且我们还将介绍一些关于南极洲的词汇用语。那么，Neil，你对于南极洲了解多少？
I’ve been reading that the ice caps –these are the thick layers of ice permanently covering a vast area of land in the Arctic and Antarctic - are melting due to global warming…
我从书上得知了冰盖，冰盖指的是覆盖在南极北极土地上大面积的厚厚的冰层，并且冰盖受到温室效应影响正在渐渐融化。
Yes, and global warming is the increase in world temperatures due to the presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
是的，温室效应是由于地球大气层中的二氧化碳增多而全球气温变暖。
This gas and some others have been stopping heat from the Earth escaping into space. You know what, Rob? I would like to visit Antarctica before it melts too much. I want to see the penguins. They are very amusing animals!
这些气体阻碍了热量从地球散发到太空。Rob，你知道么？我想在南极融化太多之前去趟南极，我想看企鹅，企鹅真的太可爱了。
They are, yes. But penguins aside, what large resource can be found in Antarctica? That’s my question for you today. Is Antarctica:a) The world’s largest coal fieldb) The world’s largest gold sourcec) The world’s largest diamond source
企鹅确实很可爱，但除了企鹅，南极洲还有什么其他资源么？这就是今天的问题，在南极洲有什么资源？a）地球上最大的煤炭资源b）地球上最大的金矿资源c）地球上最大的钻石资源
I’m gonna have a guess - because I don’t know - that it’s coal (a).
我不知道来猜一猜吧，我选a）。
Coal. Right. Okay. Well, as usual, we’ll give you the right answer at the end of the programme. Well, I love travelling but I wonder how that very sensitive environment in Antarctica is going to be preserved. That’s why BBC reporter Juliet Rix’s visit to Antarctica caught my attention.
煤炭是么，好的，答案依旧将在本期节目最后揭晓。恩，我很喜欢旅游，但我特别想知道如何保护极其脆弱敏感的南极洲环境。BBC记者JulietRix的南极洲之行也许给出了答案。
I bet she is asking the same question as you, Rob.
我打赌她肯定和你问了一样的问题，Rob。
Yes she is. Listen to what she has to say about the need to have some level of tourism in the Antarctic. What word does she use to describe people who defend a cause – in this case – the preservation of the region?
确实如此。来听听她怎么说，为什么南极旅游应该适度。注意听她是用哪个词来描述捍卫某件事，在这里捍卫南极洲环境保护的人呢？
【Juliet Rix, BBC reporter who went to Antarctica】I’m all too aware that this is not my habitat. Like a scuba diver under the sea I’m an alien visitor in the penguins’ world. Which makes me wonder: should I be here at all? Am I just by setting foot on this extraordinary continent polluting the last great wilderness on Earth?All visitors leave a footprint, admits my tour leader. And we all go to the same places, the accessible coastline, which is also where the penguins and seals go to breed. Nonetheless, he argues, carefully controlled tourism is not just okay but useful. Without a native population of its own, Antarctica needs advocates.And tourism creates a global constituency of people ready to support and indeed fund its preservation. Not everyone is convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks, but most are pragmatic:
【Juliet Rix，BBC记者，曾到访南极洲】我太知道了，南极并非我的领域，对于企鹅来说我像外星来客，就像海底的水草一般。我不禁问自己，我应该在这里么？我刚才踏上了这地球最后一片荒原净土，是在污染这片神奇的大陆么？据我们的导领说，所有进入南极的访客都留下了脚印，我们能去的地方和海岸线，也是企鹅和海豹繁殖所能去的地方。他认为，严格控制旅游是正确且实用的。因为南极洲没有土著居民，南极洲需要倡导者。游客们准备创建一个全球基金会用以保护南极。并不是所有人都相信控制旅游利大于弊，但大部分都承认这对于保护环境是有效的。
The reporter uses the word advocates – that’s what we call people who defend a cause or an idea.
她用到了advocate这个词，意思是捍卫某件事和某个意见的人倡导者。
Juliet Rix’s tour guide told her it’s good that some people go to Antarctica and then, when they go back to their countries, they defend conservation and give money to organisations which work for the preservation of the environment.
Juliet Rix的向导告诉她，很多人去过南极洲之后回到自己国家，就加入了保护南极的工作中，并捐助了环境保护机构。
Some people might not agree because if there are some companies making profit, it might be difficult to prevent an increase in tourism to Antarctica. And what control do they have over the tourists?
有些人不同意可能是因为害怕公司从中盈利，会阻碍南极洲旅游业的增长。那么，对于游客有什么限制要求呢？
Juliet Rix tells us about the instructions given to her group when they approached Antarctica. She says that tourists must clean their clothes with a vacuum cleaner before they leave the ship to go on land. But why?
Juliet Rix告诉我们当他们接近南极洲的时候，有人指示他们的小组。她说，游客在离船登陆南极洲之前必须用吸尘器打扫干净衣服。为什么呢？
【Juliet Rix, BBC reporter who went to Antarctica】We’re given a mandatory briefing before gathering for a “vacuum party”. We bio secure ourselves hovering our clothes and kit and disinfecting our boots to ensure we introduce no alien species to Antarctica. There’s no eating or smoking on land, and we’re instructed to take nothing away, except photographs, and leave nothing behind. Not even a bit of yellow snow. So, don’t drink too much at breakfast.
【Juliet Rix，BBC记者，曾到访南极洲】我们在聚齐登陆前收到一份强制性简报，我们必须检查自身衣物，做好消毒，保证我们没有给南极洲带来外来物种。并且在南极洲大陆上不准吃东西或者抽烟，我们除了照片不能带走任何东西，也不能留下任何残余。连一捧雪都不能带走。所以，我们早饭不能喝太多东西。
The BBC reporter tells us that the group of tourists has to disinfect their boots. Disinfect means to clean something using chemicals or, in this case, vacuum to kill or remove bacteria. This is to avoid the risk of contaminating the region.
BBC记者说道他们小组的游客都对靴子进行消毒，Disinfect指的是用化学物质真空杀死或清除细菌。这是为了避免污染，
And to go to the toilet before leaving the ship. The ice is not your toilet!
并且上洗手间必须在离船之前完成，不能在冰上解手。
No, it isn’t. The penguins have exclusive rights on that! But what do you think about visiting Antarctica, Rob?Are you keen on paying the penguins a visit?
没有啦，企鹅就可以。现在你还想去南极么，Rob？你还想去看看企鹅么？
Absolutely, I would love to go there. What about you, Neil?
当然我还是很向往， 你呢？
Yeah. I’d like to go because as I said, it’s all about the penguins.
是的，我也很想，因为我真的很喜欢企鹅。
Well, let’s stop dreaming about exotic trips and go back to the question I asked you earlier in the programme: what large resource can be found in Antarctica? Is it the world’s largest coal field; the world’s largest gold source or the world’s largest diamond source?
好吧咱们不用做白日梦啦，来回顾一下今天的问题，南极还有什么资源？是世界上最大的煤炭资源，金矿资源还是钻石资源呢？
And I said coal.
我猜是煤炭资源。
And you are indeed correct. Well done! And now no one is able to mine the coal because the Antarctic Treaty has banned the exploitation of resources for 50 years. What happens after that, who knows? Anyway, we’re running out of time so let’s remember some of the words we said today, Neil.
答对了，你好厉害。但现在没人能够开采南极洲的煤炭资源，因为南极条约禁止了这项活动五十多年了。以后会怎样呢，我们不得而知，好了时间差不多了，一起回顾一下今天的单词。
The words were:
他们是：
wilderness
荒野
to set foot
踏足
ice caps
冰盖
global warming
全球变暖
advocates
倡导者
to disinfect
消毒
Thank you. Well, that’s it for today. Go to?www.bbclearningenglish.com?to find more 6 Minute English programmes. Until next time. Goodbye!
今天的节目就到这里，我们下期节目再会！
Bye!
再见。