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Newfoundland: Canada’s Living Time Capsule 北美极地风情：纽芬兰

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Located off the northeast corner of North America, Newfoundland may be the most fascinating province in Canada. Because of its isolation, Newfoundland has preserved a dialect of sixteenth-century English and a traditional way of life. Time seems to fly back to another age in this maritime land. A few years ago, I went to visit there so I could experience this charming island first-hand.

纽芬兰位于北美东北角，也许是加拿大最迷人的省份。由于地理位置孤立，纽芬兰仍保有十六世纪英语方言和传统的生活方式。在这个海岛上，时光似乎倒流了。几年前，我造访纽芬兰，有幸亲自感受这迷人的岛屿。

My first stop was the capital city of St. John’s. This city is the oldest and most easterly city in North America. It was built on the hill slopes surrounding a harbor which faces the Atlantic. Bright yellow, blue, red, and white houses dot the slopes with church steeples poking out occasionally.

我的第一站是首都圣约翰，也是北美最古老、最靠东岸的城市。圣约翰坐落于山坡地上，是山坡环绕面向大西洋海港。明亮的黄、蓝、红、白色的房舍点缀着斜坡，偶尔还有教堂尖塔参差突出。

Fishing has been central to Newfoundland’s economy ever since English explorer John Cabot made landfall there in 1947. Evidence of this fishing legacy is everywhere, from the boats in the harbor to the pine houses that wear the bright colors of extra paint left over after painting ships.

自从探险家约翰喀布在1497年登陆纽芬兰，渔业一直是此地经济的重心。渔业的遗迹从港口的船只到松木屋（屋子用漆船剩下的多余油漆漆成明亮的颜色）随处可见。

Downtown, I strolled along cobblestone paths lined with lampposts to Water Street. Alive with street performers playing accordions and flutes, this street has a high concentration of pubs. At a hotel restaurant overlooking the harbor, I met my friends. We dined on a wide variety of local favorites, including cod, lobster, moose, and blueberries. Soon the daylight faded, the air cooled, and the fog rolled in, creating an eerie and still atmosphere punctuated by the soft sounds of ships’ foghorns in the distance.

在市中心，我沿着两排有路灯、铺设着鹅卵石的步道漫步，一直走到水街。这条街有演奏手风琴和笛子的街头艺人，显得生气勃勃。街上还有好多酒馆，我和朋友在一家俯瞰海港的旅馆餐厅碰面。我们品尝许多当地美食，有鳕鱼、龙虾、麋鹿、蓝莓。天色很快暗了下来，空气凉爽，起雾了，周遭弥漫着一股奇异静默的氛围，远方船只雾角清柔的声响打断这静默。

Vocabulary

单词发音

maritime [ˋmærə͵taɪm] adj. 海边的; 海上的 of, relating to, or adjacent to the sea

easterly [ˋistɚlɪ] adj. 东部的

harbor [ˋhɑrbɚ] n. 港湾，海港

steeple [ˋstip!] n.〔教堂的〕尖塔 a tall tower forming the superstructure of a building, such as a church or temple, and usually surmounted by a spire

poke out  伸出 reach outward in space

ever since 从...以来 continuously since a specified time or event.

landfall [ˋlænd͵fɔl] n.〔长时间飞行或航行后的〕初见陆地; 首次登上陆地 an approach to or sighting of land

legacy [ˋlɛgəsɪ] n. 遗留之物〔遗留下来的状况〕

lamppost [ˋlæmp͵post] n. 灯杆, 路灯柱

alive with 充满(活的或动的东西) covered with, filled with, or active with people or creatures

accordion [əˋkɔrdɪən]  n. 手风琴

moose [mus] n. 麋；北美麋

eerie [ˋɪrɪ] adj. 怪异而令人恐惧的

punctuate [͵pʌŋktʃʊ͵et] v. 不时打断 to interrupt periodically

foghorn [ˋfɑg͵hɔrn] n.〔雾天向其他船只发出以示自己船只方位的〕雾角﹐雾笛

课文讲解

The following day, on a boat trip in the gray Atlantic Ocean, my friends and I came upon several small green-topped islands with pink granite cliffs. A vivid spectacle of flying sea birds captivated my senses. Far from the nets hanging from the cliffs, birds darted to the ocean below, returning with silver fish in their beaks. But the bird that really caught my attention was the puffin. This short black and white bird is sometimes called the “Newfoundland parrot” for its bright orange and yellow beak. Almost immediately we were surrounded by a pod of humpback whales blowing sprays of mist into the air.

隔天，在灰扑扑的大西洋上，我和朋友搭船一游，来到好几个有绿色小丘、粉红花岗岩悬崖的小岛。一群海鸟飞掠而过，鲜明的影像抓住了我的视线。鸟儿从悬挂于崖顶的鸟巢飞跃海中，返回时嘴里衔着银光闪烁的鱼。但是让我眼睛真正为之一亮的却是海鹦。这种短小、黑白相间的鸟有时又称为「纽芬兰鹦鹉」，因为牠有亮橘和黄色的鸟喙。我们几乎很快被一群座头鲸围绕，鲸鱼将雾般的泡沫喷入空中。

Suddenly a gigantic white wall of ice appeared from behind one of the islands. Sculpted by wave erosion and melting, the iceberg’s smooth, twisted shape resembled a giant archway rising out of the ocean. Waterfalls of melted freshwater flowed to the iceberg’s base, which glowed bright blue a few feet below the ocean’s surface. The cries of the seabirds following our boat were interrupted by frequent rumbling noises, as chunks of the iceberg tumbled into the ocean.

忽然，一个巨大的白色冰块从某个岛屿后方浮现。冰山受到海浪和融冰侵蚀雕塑，平滑扭曲的形状彷佛是从海洋升起的巨大拱门。溶化的淡水如瀑布般流泄至冰山底部，海洋表面下几呎之处闪动着明亮的蓝光。随船的海鸟鸣叫被频繁的隆隆声打断，一大块一大块冰掉入海洋中。

Later, I took a short flight west to the ancient Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows. Established and abandoned over one thousand years ago, the original ruins seem to come alive in the nearby life-sized replica of the settlement. The Viking houses were rectangular-shaped dwellings with peaked roofs. Except for the wooden doors and stone chimneys, every surface of these Viking houses is covered with trimmed green grass. Certainly, Newfoundland gave my senses a trip back in time that I will always remember with fondness.

之后，我搭上飞机，向西飞往不远处的古维京人聚落。维京人一千年建立这个聚落，随后离弃，原本的废墟彷佛在邻近的复制品中获得重生。维京人的屋子呈四方型，屋顶尖尖的，除了木门、石烟囱，每间房子表面都覆盖着修剪得平整的草皮。当然，到纽芬兰彷佛经历了一趟时光倒流的感官之旅，我永远会珍惜铭记。

－by Mark Rostern

Vocabulary

单词发音

granite [ˋgrænɪt] n. 花岗岩，花岗石

captivate [ˋkæptə͵vet] v. 迷住﹐吸引 to attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence

net [nɛt] n. 网; 网状物(鸟巢)  a device made of net, used to protect or enclose things or little birds or to trap animals

dart [dɑrt] v. 猛冲

puffin [ˋpʌfɪn] n. 海鹦〔一种北大西洋海鸟﹐有黑白相间的身体和大而色彩鲜艳的喙〕

pod [pɑd] n.（海豹、鲸等的）一小群

humpback [ˋhʌmp͵bæk] n. 座头鲸

mist [mɪst] n. 水气；喷雾 a mass of fine droplets of water in the atmosphere near or in contact with the earth

erosion [ɪˋroʒən] n. 〔风﹑雨﹑海水等的〕侵蚀﹐腐蚀

archway [ˋɑrtʃ͵we] n. 拱门

glow [glo] v. 发白热光；发光; 闪耀

rumble [ˋrʌmb!] v. 隆隆声 to make a deep, long, rolling sound.

tumble [ˋtʌmb!] v. 滚下；坠落 to collapse

replica [ˋrɛplɪkə] n. 复制品

dwelling [ˋdwɛlɪŋ] n.【正式】住宅﹐寓所﹐住处

chimney [ˋtʃɪmnɪ] n. 烟囱

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