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VOA慢速英语--Shipwrecks Part of New US Marine Sanctuary

时间:2019-09-30 23:46:05

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Remains1 of more than 200 wooden ships lie at the bottom of Mallows Bay near Nanjemoy in the state of Maryland.

The oldest ships sank there in the 1700s; the most recent ones are from the 20th century. They and the waters around them form the newest national marine2 sanctuary3 in the United States. It is said to be the first sanctuary to protect not only sea creatures, but also partially4 covered shipwrecks5. Their skeletal remains rise up in the air, looking like spirits rising out of the Potomac River.

"When the tide goes out, the ships come up, and so they've been called the ghost fleet," explains Joel Dunn, head of the Chesapeake Conservancy environmental group.

The new marine sanctuary is about 60 kilometers south of Washington, D.C. From along the coast, one can see part of a rusty6 ferryboat rising out of the water. But the best way to see the shipwrecks is probably by kayak.

The stars of the show, however, are 100 American cargo7 ships. They were built about one hundred years ago.

Dunn said, "These large wooden steam ships were built for a variety of purposes, including shipping8 overseas equipment to Europe during World War I. The only problem was that most of them were finished after the war, so they were brought to Mallows Bay and sold to a salvage9 company."

A few years after the war ended in 1918, workers removed metal from the ships. What remained was broken down, burned and sunk in the Potomac River.

Today, kayakers test their skill by boating among the wooden pieces of the ships. Some have large iron nails stuck in the wood.

The area serves as a manmade wildlife sanctuary for fish, beavers10 and birds like bald eagles and ospreys. Plant life is also growing around the wood.

"It's tremendous for the environment because they're actually cleaning the water, providing habitat, and helping11 with climate change," says Susan Langley, an underwater archeologist.

The slowly rotting wood in the water does not harm the environment.

"Because it's underwater it doesn't receive as much oxygen, and so the decay is a lot slower," Dunn explains. "There's also salt water which further reduces the decay."

The underwater sanctuary has the largest number of shipwrecks in the Americas. It also holds the world's biggest collection of World War I ships.

"This is the only place where you can see the size of these vessels12 and the cross-section of different designs...It is like one big museum."

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

sanctuary – n. a place of safety or refuge

tide – n. the rising and falling of the sea

fleet – n. a group of ships sailing together

kayak – n. a small, one-person boat with a watertight covering

salvage – v. to rescue or protect from loss

hull13 – n. the main body of a ship

habitat – n. the natural environment of an animal or plant

archeologist – n. a person who studies human history

rot – v. to break down over time

vessels – n. a ship or large boat

museum – n. a place where people can see historical, scientific or artistic or cultural objects


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1 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
2 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
3 sanctuary iCrzE     
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区
参考例句:
  • There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
  • Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。
4 partially yL7xm     
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲
参考例句:
  • The door was partially concealed by the drapes.门有一部分被门帘遮住了。
  • The police managed to restore calm and the curfew was partially lifted.警方设法恢复了平静,宵禁部分解除。
5 shipwrecks 09889b72e43f15b58cbf922be91867fb     
海难,船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 ); 沉船
参考例句:
  • Shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. 船只失事总是来得出人意料。
  • There are many shipwrecks in these waters. 在这些海域多海难事件。
6 rusty hYlxq     
adj.生锈的;锈色的;荒废了的
参考例句:
  • The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
  • I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用,我的法语又荒疏了。
7 cargo 6TcyG     
n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物
参考例句:
  • The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
  • A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。
8 shipping WESyg     
n.船运(发货,运输,乘船)
参考例句:
  • We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
  • There's a shipping charge of £5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。
9 salvage ECHzB     
v.救助,营救,援救;n.救助,营救
参考例句:
  • All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
  • The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。
10 beavers 87070e8082105b943967bbe495b7d9f7     
海狸( beaver的名词复数 ); 海狸皮毛; 棕灰色; 拼命工作的人
参考例句:
  • In 1928 some porpoises were photographed working like beavers to push ashore a waterlogged mattress. 1928年有人把这些海豚象海狸那样把一床浸泡了水的褥垫推上岸时的情景拍摄了下来。
  • Thus do the beavers, thus do the bees, thus do men. 海狸是这样做的,蜜蜂是这样做的,人也是这样做的。
11 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
12 vessels fc9307c2593b522954eadb3ee6c57480     
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人
参考例句:
  • The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
13 hull 8c8xO     
n.船身;(果、实等的)外壳;vt.去(谷物等)壳
参考例句:
  • The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
  • The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

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