Level 4-Day 72.The Florida Everglades

词汇提示

1.Everglade 大沼泽

2.coral 珊瑚

3.swamps 沼泽

4.drained 流汗

5.hammocks 吊床

6.mangrove 红树林

7.alligator 短吻鳄

8.crocodiles 鳄鱼

9.wrestling 摔跤

10.foolhardy 莽撞的

11.reptiles 爬行动物

12.lizards 蜥蜴

13.mammals 哺乳动物

14.amphibians 两栖动物

原文

The Florida Everglades

Southern Florida stretches south, dividing the Atlantic Ocean from the Gulf of Mexico.

Stretching further south is the Florida Keys.

These coral islands are the southernmost part of the United States.

The famous Everglades are wetlands where tall grass and bunches of trees grow.

Part of these swamps has been drained for agricultural land.

The soil is rich and market gardening is an important activity.

The Everglades that remain are too wet to be used for farming.

The Everglades are a "river of grass."

The deeper water areas stay wet all year, but the shallower pools dry up in the dry season.

Some of the water has been drained off for agricultural purposes, making the Everglades drier.

Nonetheless,the best way to travel in this region is by airboats.

Besides the wet grasslands, southern Florida has smaller areas of tropical forest.

These areas of hardwood trees are called hammocks, and they are rich in animal and plant life.

Along much of the coast are mangrove trees, which provide important nesting grounds for wild birds.

The Florida Keys stretch 200 miles from Miami southwest.

These islands are tropical in climate.

Fishing and tourism are important industries

Because of its sub-tropical nature, the animal and plant life of southern Florida differs from other parts of U.S.A.

Characteristic animals are alligators and crocodiles.

Alligators prefer fresh water and usually live in land, while crocodiles live in saltwater along the coats.

Alligator wrestling is considered a sport for the brave or foolhardy.

Probably Florida is most famous for its birds.

At one time, many species were almost extinct.

Their long feathers were used on women's hats.

Florida has at least six species of herons, several egrets, wood storks, white ibises and cormorants.

Characteristic Florida birds are the purple gallinule, the anhinga, the limpkin, flamingoes and roseate spoonbills.

Many of these birds are notable for their size, coloring and interesting habits.

Notable animals include the key deer, a miniature form of the white-tailed deer.

There are also panthers or cougars, bobcats, marsh rabbits, mangrove squirrels round-tailed muskrats and the manatee.

Naturally,the Everglades are home to many reptiles.

Snakes are common – both water snakes and land species.

There are four poisonous varieties.

Both land and sea turtles abound and lizards are fairly common.

Sports fishermen go to sea in search of trophies, such as marlin, sailfish and tarpon.

Freshwater sport fish include bass and gar.

After many decades of work to protect the animals and plants of the Everglades, the region finally became a National Park in 1947.

It is the third largest park in the U.S.A. and covers one and a half million acres.

Within the park live 300 kinds of birds, 30 kinds of mammals, 65 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, and nearly 1,000 species of flowering plants.

翻译

佛罗里达大沼泽地

南佛罗里达向南延伸，将大西洋与墨西哥湾分隔开来。
向南延伸的是佛罗里达群岛。
这些珊瑚岛是美国的最南端。
著名的大沼泽地是长着高大的草和一簇簇树木的湿地。
这些沼泽的一部分已被抽干用作农田。
土壤肥沃，市场园艺是一项重要活动。
剩下的沼泽地太湿，不能用于农业。
大沼泽地是一条“草河”。
较深的水域全年保持湿润，但较浅的水池在旱季干涸。
一些水被抽干用于农业，使大沼泽地变得更加干燥。
尽管如此，在这个地区旅行的最佳方式是乘汽艇。
除了潮湿的草原，佛罗里达南部还有面积较小的热带森林。
这些阔叶树的区域被称为吊床，里面有丰富的动物和植物。
大部分海岸都是红树林，它们为野生鸟类提供了重要的筑巢地。
佛罗里达群岛从迈阿密西南绵延200英里。
这些岛屿属热带气候。
渔业和旅游业是重要的产业
由于地处亚热带，佛罗里达南部的动植物生活与美国其他地区不同
典型的动物是短吻鳄和鳄鱼。
短吻鳄喜欢淡水，通常生活在陆地上，而鳄鱼则生活在沿皮毛的盐水中。
鳄鱼摔跤被认为是一项勇敢者或蛮勇者的运动。
也许佛罗里达最出名的是它的鸟类。

曾几何时，许多物种几乎灭绝。
它们长长的羽毛被用来制作女性的帽子。
佛罗里达州至少有六种苍鹭、几种白鹭、木鹳、白朱鹭和鸬鹚。
佛罗里达特有的鸟类有紫鹰、凤头鸟、山雀、火烈鸟和玫瑰色琵鹭。
这些鸟中有许多以它们的体型、颜色和有趣的习性而闻名。
著名的动物包括钥匙鹿，一种微型的白尾鹿。
还有黑豹或美洲狮、山猫、沼泽兔子、红树林松鼠、圆尾麝鼠和海牛。
自然，大沼泽地是许多爬行动物的家园。
蛇很常见——水蛇和陆生蛇都有。
有四种有毒的品种。
海龟和陆龟都很丰富，蜥蜴也很常见。
喜欢运动的渔民出海是为了寻找战利品，比如马林鱼、旗鱼和大海鲢。
淡水鱼包括鲈鱼和黄鱼。
经过几十年保护大沼泽地动植物的努力，该地区终于在1947年成为国家公园。
它是美国第三大公园，占地150万英亩。
公园内生活着300种鸟类，30种哺乳动物，65种爬行动物和两栖动物，以及近1000种开花植物。