英语口语畅谈世界文化之埃及25:The Nile尼罗河

英语口语畅谈世界文化

之埃及25．The Nile尼罗河

T: Traveller    G:Tour guide
T：游客    G:导游

T: The Nile. I know it begins in the south of Egypt and stretched about 4, 000 miles north to the Mediterranean Sea. It's the longest river on earth, right?
T:尼罗河，我知道它起源于埃及南部，一直向北延伸4000英里到地中海。它是地球上最长的一条河，是这样吧？

G: That's right. It gets its name from a Greek word, "Neilos" which means "river valley". It gave water for growing food, drinking and for transportation. In fact, the Egyptian calendar of three seasons was based on the yearly cycle of the Nile.
G:是这样。这条河的名字源于希腊词Neilos，意思是“河谷”。它是粮食种植、饮用和交通的水源。事实上，埃及的三季历法就是根据尼罗河的年周期制定的。

T: Really? I never knew the Egyptians only had three seasons. It says here that the Egyptian year began in July, when the floods came.
T:真的吗？我从来不知道埃及人只有三个季节。历法上说埃及年从七月开始，那时正是洪水泛滥之时。

G: It was also the main road of ancient Egypt, because roads couldn't be built on sandy desert or places that flooded each year.
G:尼罗河还是古埃及的交通要道，因为道路不能建在每年发洪水的沙漠或其他地方。

T: So it was like a river road?
T:尼罗河就是条水路了？

G: Exactly. Travelling was easy, going north, boats just drifted along with the flow of the river. And, because prevailing winds blew south, they helped travellers going in that direction, too.
G:一点不错。向北行非常容易，船只只需顺着河水的流向漂就行。同时，由于常年刮北风，所以对去南边旅游的游客也非常有利。

T: That must be why there were so many traders in ancient Egypt. It must have been really easy to transport goods up and down the whole country.
T:古埃及的商人那么多一定跟这个有关。在整个埃及来回运送货物肯定相当方便。

G:  The Nile also helped the Egyptians co survive in another way:  food.  Every year, the Nile flooded, spreading rich sod across the land. Without this annual flooding, the Egyptians could not have grown so many crops.
G:尼罗河还帮助埃及人以另外一种方式生存，即种植粮食作物。每年尼罗河泛滥，给周围带来了肥沃的土壤。没有每年一次的洪水，埃及人就不可能种植那么多的农作物。

T: We think of extreme weather destroying crops, not helping them!
T:我们认为恶劣的天气会毁坏农作物而不是对农作物有利！

G: But, in the desert is very different. Water is of utmost importance, because there is so little of it.
G:但是在沙漠地区就不一样了。水是至关重要的，因为那里的水太少了。

T: Yes, of course. How about the wildlife of the Nile?
T:当然，是这样。那尼罗河地区的野生动物怎么样？

G: There are many different types of animals living in or near the waters of the Nile, including crocodiles, birds, fish and many others.
G:在尼罗河水域或附近地区有很多种类各异的动物，包括鳄鱼、鸟、鱼和很多其他动物。

T: But not just the animals depend on the Nile for survival, but also even nowadays, people who live there need it for everyday use like washing, as a water supply. keeping crops watered and other jobs.
T:但是不只是动物要靠尼罗河生存，哪怕是现在生活在那里的人也需要把尼罗河作为日常生活的水源，如洗衣服，灌溉庄稼或干其他活。

G: Yes, and it's also a tourism resource. Many tourists come from all over the world and go on a Nile Cruise, perhaps a dream holiday for most people.
G:确实如此，尼罗河还是一种旅游资源。很多游客从世界各地来这里航游尼罗河，也许对大多数人来说，这是个梦寐以求的假日。

T: That's my plan for next summer, now that you've whet my appetite! Thanks for
T:既然你把我的胃口吊起来了，那我明年夏天的旅游计划就安排去尼罗河！谢谢你给我讲的一切。

【单词词组讲解】
drift along顺着漂
extreme weather恶劣的天气
a dream holiday梦寐以求的假日
prevailing wind 常年刮的风
for everyday use供日常使用
whet my appetite吊我的胃口

【背景介绍】
世界第一长河——尼罗河，非洲主河流之父，位于非洲东北部，是一条国际河流。尼罗河发源于赤道南部东非高原上的布隆迪高地，干流流经布隆迪、卢旺达、坦桑尼亚、乌干达、苏丹和埃及等国，最后注入地中海。干流自卡盖拉(Kagara)河源头至入海口，全长6670km，是世界流程最长的河流。支流还流经肯尼亚、埃塞俄比亚和刚果(金)、厄立特里亚等国的部分地区。流域面积约287万km2，占非洲大陆面积的九分之一以上。入海口处年平均径流量810亿m3。