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Passage One
短文一
At some 2,300 miles in length, the Mississippi is the longest river in the United States.
密西西比河长约2300英里，是美国最长的河流。
At some 1,000 miles, the Mackenzie is the longest river in Canada.
麦肯齐河全长约1000英里，是加拿大最长的河流。
But these waterways seem minute in comparison to the world's two lengthiest rivers-the Nile and the Amazon.
但与世界上两条最长的河流——尼罗河和亚马逊河相比，这些河似乎微不足道。
The Nile, which begins in central Africa and flows over 4,100 miles north into the Mediterranean,
尼罗河发源于非洲中部，向北流入地中海，流程达4100英里，
hosted one of the world's great ancient civilizations along its shores.
是世界上最伟大的古代文明之一。
Calm and peaceful for most of the year, the Nile used to flood annually,
在一年中的大部分时间里尼罗河都还算平静，过去尼罗河每年都会泛滥，
thereby creating, irrigating and carrying new topsoil to the nearby farmland on which ancient Egypt depended for livelihood.
从而生成、灌溉和搬运新的表层土壤到附近的农田——这片古埃及赖以生存的土地。
As a means of transportation, the river carried various vessels up and down its length.
作为水路交通，各种各样的船只航行在这条河上。
A journey through the unobstructed part of this waterway today would pass by the splendid Valley of the Kings,
今天，沿着这段畅通无阻的水路前行经过辉煌的帝王谷。
where the tombs of many of these ancient monarchs have stood for over 3,000 years.
这些古代君主的坟墓已有3000多年的历史。
Great civilizations and intensive settlement are hardly associated with the Amazon,
亚马逊河几乎从未与伟大的文明和密集聚居地这样的字眼关联在一起。
yet this 4,000-mile-long South American river carries about 20 percent of the world's fresh water-more than the Mississippi, Nile, and Yangtze combined.
然而，4000英里长的南美洲河流承载着世界上20%的淡水——比密西西比河、尼罗河和长江的总和还多。
Other statistics are equally astonishing.
其它数据也同样惊人，
The Amazon is so wide at some points that from its center neither shore can be seen.
亚马逊河太宽了，从河中心都看不见海岸。
Each second, the Amazon pours some 55 million gallons of water into the Atlantic;
亚马逊河向大西洋每秒注入约5500万加仑的水；
there, at its mouth, stands one island larger than Switzerland.
在其河口处，有一个比瑞士还大的岛屿。
Most important of all, the Amazon irrigates the largest tropical rain forest on Earth.
最重要的是，亚马逊河灌溉着地球上最大的热带雨林。
Questions 9 to 11 are based on the passage you have just heard.
根据你刚才听到的短文回答9-11题。
9. What can be found in the Valley of the Kings?
问题9：在帝王谷能找到什么?
10. In what way is the Amazon different from other big rivers?
问题10：亚马逊河与其它大河有何不同?
11. What does the speaker say about the Amazon?
问题11：关于亚马逊，说话者说了什么?
