VOA慢速英语:Finding Your Position on the Globe Was Not Always Easy

1. The navigators' lack of knowledge led to the loss of four shipsand two thousand lives.

lead to 导致
例句：Smoking can lead to lung cancer.
抽烟可能导致肺癌。

2. When people began sailing out of sight of land, sailors did notknow how to tell where they were on the open sea.

out of 自...离开
例句：The carriage whirled out of sight. 
马车疾驰而消失在视线之外。 

3.  Land travelers can look at a mountain, or a river, or anobject that shows them where they are in relation to where theycame from.

look at 看着
例句：Look at the map, please.
请看这张地图。
in relation to 关于
I have a lot to say in relation to that affair.
例句：关于那件事,我有好多话要说。
come from 来自
例句：Ambient noise may come from any direction. 
外界噪声可以来自任意方向。 

4. These lines, or circles, are parallel - meaning that they areequally distant from each other at any point around the world.

each other 互相
例句：Do you often help each other with your lessons? 
你们经常互相帮助复习功课吗？ 

5. In the sixteenth century, one astronomer suggested thatnavigators could observe the moon as it passed in front ofdifferent known stars to tell longitude.

in front of 在...的前面
例句：A crowd gathered in front of the building.
大楼前围了一大群人。

6. He was trying to build a clock that would help sailors learnlongitude.

try to 尝试
例句：I try to keep in touch with current events by reading the newspapers. 
我经常读报来尽量了解时事.