《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit54:百慕大三角区—魔鬼三角洲

（单词翻译）

　　Unit 54
Bermuda Triangle -- Devil's Triangle
The Bermuda or Devil's Triangle, an imaginary area located off the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States, is a complete mystery. Many strange disappearances¹ have taken place in this particular area. In the past 100 years, the Bermuda Triangle has been know to have claimed over 1,000 lives.
It has stimulated² the imagination of many writers and those who think beyond physical Earth. Many explanations have been offered to account for all the mysterious happenings during the many thousands of years.
This area has a high degree of electromagnetic energy and is often thought of as a portal or wormhole to somewhere off planet Earth. Many people believe that the Bermuda Triangle houses the famous lost city of Atlantis in 3D Earth. No evidence has been brought forth³ to prove this theory, but many claim to have felt the powers of the lost city.
There have been theories about aliens using the portals to visit the planet. Several books suggested that the disappearances were due to an intelligent, technologically⁴ advanced race living in space or under the sea.
Some believed that the lost planes and ships have been transported into some kind of Black Hole. This is, I would strongly suggest, simply not true. On a few rare occasions, ships that had been reported as having missing have actually returned. The crew members have all appeared to be insane, telling wild stories. It is similar to someone who receives a big shock to the brain. Not enough to kill the person, but enough to seriously damage the brain and to cause madness. The stories that all these crew members have told are hallucinations, thoughts of fear and of unknown horrors with which their minds cannot possibly cope.
The more practical explanations seem to be environmental and involve human error. The majority of disappearances can be caused by the area's unique environmental factors. First, the "Devil's Triangle" is one of the two places on Earth that a magnetic compass does point towards true north. Normally it points toward magnetic north. The difference between the two is known as compass variation. If this compass variation or error is neglected, a navigator could find himself far off course and in deep trouble. Another environmental factor is the Gulf⁵ Stream. It is extremely fast and turbulent and can quickly erase⁶ any evidence of a disaster. The unpredictable Caribbean-Atlantic weather pattern also plays its role. Sudden thunder storms and water down-pour often lead to disaster for pilot and sailors. the topography of the ocean floor varies greatly, causing string currents over the many reefs.
Not to be underestimated is the human error. A large number of pleasure boats travel the waters between Florida's Gold Coast and the Bahamas. All too often, crossings are made with too small a boat, poor knowledge of the area's dangers, and a lack of good seamanship.