由 英语数字智库 了解更多雅思：环境生态类词汇目录
短篇科普小品：第二十篇
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英文原文
The Arctic ice sheet is one of the largest frozen systems
on the surface of our planet.
For tens of thousands of years,
thick layers of sea ice and continental glaciers
have wrapped the northern polar region,
shaping the global climate pattern
and supporting a unique polar biological community.
In recent decades, rising global temperatures
have triggered continuous and accelerating melting
across the entire Arctic zone.
The shrinking Arctic ice is not merely a local polar change.
It sets off a chain reaction
that ripples through ocean circulation,
weather systems and the survival of countless species.
Sea ice in the Arctic Ocean undergoes
seasonal freezing and melting every year.
Winter brings extensive ice expansion,
while summer warmth causes the ice edge to retreat.
But satellite observation records over the past forty years
reveal a clear long-term trend.
The summer sea ice coverage keeps shrinking year by year,
and the average thickness of sea ice drops sharply.
Old multi-year ice, thick and stable,
is disappearing at the fastest speed.
Young thin ice forms in winter
and melts completely once summer arrives,
which cannot maintain a stable polar ice environment.
Albedo effect is the core driving factor
that speeds up Arctic melting.
Bright white ice and snow reflect most solar radiation
back into outer space.
When ice melts and exposes dark seawater,
the ocean surface absorbs far more heat from sunlight.
Warmer water then melts more surrounding ice.
This positive feedback loop continues to amplify warming,
making the Arctic warm much faster
than most other regions of the earth.
The melting ice reshapes the whole Arctic food web.
Polar bears rely on solid sea ice
to travel, hunt seals and raise their cubs.
With shortened ice periods,
they have less time to hunt and store fat.
Many individuals face starvation,
and the breeding success rate gradually declines.
Seals build their birth dens on stable ice.
Early ice collapse crushes dens
and leaves newborn pups exposed to predators and cold wind.
Even tiny algae growing on the bottom of sea ice
are affected.
These micro-organisms form the base of the polar food chain.
Their reduction will influence krill, fish, seabirds
and every creature higher up the chain.
Melting glaciers and sea ice pour massive fresh water
into the Arctic Ocean.
Fresh water is lighter than saltwater,
so it floats on the sea surface.
It may slow down the global thermohaline circulation,
the large-scale current system
that transports heat between equatorial and polar seas.
Changes in this ocean current
can bring unexpected shifts to rainfall,
temperature and extreme weather
in Europe, North America and East Asia.
The Arctic also stores huge amounts of organic carbon,
trapped in permanently frozen permafrost.
As the ground thaws, microbes break down buried plant matter.
They release methane and carbon dioxide,
two potent greenhouse gases,
further pushing global temperatures upward.
Human activities in the Arctic are also changing quickly.
Receding ice opens new shipping routes,
and exposes mineral and fossil fuel resources
that were once inaccessible.
More vessel traffic, resource exploration and settlement plans
bring pollution risk and wildlife disturbance
to this once remote and quiet wilderness.
Though the Arctic faces severe pressure,
scientists still believe protective actions
can slow the pace of destruction.
Cutting greenhouse gas emissions,
strengthening Arctic environmental monitoring,
and setting rules for polar commercial activities
can ease the rate of ice loss.
The melting Arctic ice sends a clear warning signal.
The polar frozen world acts as the earth’s thermal regulator.
Its gradual disappearance shows
that global climate balance is being disturbed.
What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic.
The transformation of this distant icy landscape
will eventually touch ecosystems and human societies
across every continent.
译文
北极冰原是地球地表规模最大的冰冻系统之一。
数万年来，
厚厚的海冰与大陆冰川包裹着北极区域，
塑造全球气候格局，
供养一套独一无二的极地生物群落。
近几十年，全球气温持续升高，
引发整个北极区域冰川不间断加速消融。
北极冰雪缩减，并不只是极地局部变化。
它会触发连锁反应，
影响大洋环流、气象系统，
以及无数物种的生存状态。
北冰洋海冰每年都会经历季节性冻融循环。
冬季冰层大范围扩张，
夏季升温则会让冰缘向后退缩。
但过去四十年的卫星观测数据，
呈现出清晰的长期变化趋势。
夏季海冰覆盖面积逐年缩减，
海冰平均厚度急剧下降。
厚实稳定的多年老冰，
正以最快速度消失。
冬季生成的新生薄冰，
一到夏季就会完全融化，
无法维持稳定的极地冰环境。
反照率效应，是加速北极消融的核心诱因。
亮白色的冰雪，可以将大部分太阳辐射
反射回太空。
一旦冰层消融，深色海水裸露出来，
海面会吸收更多来自阳光的热量。
温度更高的海水，继而融化周边更多冰层。
这种正反馈循环持续放大变暖效应，
造成北极升温速度
远高于地球上绝大多数地区。
消融的冰层，重塑整个北极食物链。
北极熊依靠坚实海冰移动、捕猎海豹、抚育幼崽。
海冰存续时间缩短，
它们能够捕猎储能的窗口随之变少。
不少个体面临饥饿威胁，
种群繁育成功率逐步下降。
海豹在稳固冰层上搭建产仔洞穴。
冰层提前崩解会压毁巢穴，
新生幼崽暴露在天敌与寒风之下。
就连依附海冰底部生长的微型藻类，
也受到波及。
这类微生物是极地食物链的底层基础。
数量减少会逐级影响磷虾、鱼类、海鸟，
以及食物链上层所有生物。
冰川与海冰消融，把巨量淡水注入北冰洋。
淡水密度低于海水，漂浮在海面之上。
这有可能减缓全球温盐环流，
这套大型洋流系统负责在赤道与极地之间输送热量。
洋流一旦改变，
会给欧洲、北美、东亚的降水、气温
以及极端天气带来难以预判的变化。
北极永久冻土中，封存着巨量有机碳。
冻土解冻后，微生物分解地下埋藏的植物残体，
释放甲烷与二氧化碳这两种强效温室气体，
进一步推动全球气温上升。
人类在北极的活动也在快速改变。
冰层消退开辟出新航道，
也暴露出过去难以开采的矿产与化石能源。
船舶通航、资源勘探、定居开发不断增多，
给这片曾经偏远静谧的荒野，
带来污染风险与野生动物干扰。
尽管北极承受着巨大压力，
科学家仍然认为，保护行动
能够减缓损毁的速度。
削减温室气体排放、
强化北极环境监测、
制定极地商业活动管控规则，
都可以降低冰层消融速率。
不断消融的北极冰原，发出明确的警示。
极地冰冻世界相当于地球的温度调节器。
它逐步消失，意味着
全球气候平衡正在被打破。
北极发生的变化，不会只停留在北极。
这片遥远冰原的变迁，
最终会影响各大洲的生态系统与人类社会。
一、核心生词
1. sheet
/ʃiːt/
大片；冰盖
名词（n.）
2. albedo
/ælˈbiːdəʊ/
反照率
名词（n.）
3. feedback
/ˈfiːdbæk/
反馈
名词（n.）
4. cub
/kʌb/
幼兽
名词（n.）
5. den
/den/
兽穴
名词（n.）
6. algae
/ˈældʒiː/
藻类
名词（n.）
7. krill
/krɪl/
磷虾
名词（n.）
8. thermohaline
/ˌθɜːməʊˈheɪlaɪn/
温盐的
形容词（adj.）
9. permafrost
/ˈpɜːməfrɒst/
永久冻土
名词（n.）
10. methane
/ˈmiːθeɪn/
甲烷
名词（n.）
11. greenhouse
/ˈɡriːnhaʊs/
温室
名词（n.）
12. emission
/ɪˈmɪʃn/
排放
名词（n.）
二、重点短语
1. Arctic ice sheet
北极冰原
2. multi-year ice
多年冰
3. albedo effect
反照率效应
4. positive feedback loop
正反馈循环
5. food web
食物网
6. thermohaline circulation
温盐环流
7. permanent permafrost
永久冻土
8. organic carbon
有机碳
9. greenhouse gas
温室气体
10. sea ice coverage
海冰覆盖面积
三、长难句拆解
句子：
The Arctic ice sheet is one of the largest frozen systems
on the surface of our planet.
For tens of thousands of years,
thick layers of sea ice and continental glaciers
have wrapped the northern polar region,
shaping the global climate pattern
and supporting a unique polar biological community.
主干：
The Arctic ice sheet is one of the largest frozen systems
on the surface of our planet
主干译文：
北极冰原是地球地表规模最大的冰冻系统之一
主干2：
thick layers of sea ice and continental glaciers
have wrapped the northern polar region
主干译文：
厚厚的海冰与大陆冰川包裹着北极区域
伴随状语：
shaping the global climate pattern
and supporting a unique polar biological community
状语译文：
塑造全球气候格局，供养一套独一无二的极地生物群落
句子：Bright white ice and snow reflect most solar radiation
back into outer space.
When ice melts and exposes dark seawater,
the ocean surface absorbs far more heat from sunlight.
主干1：
Bright white ice and snow
reflect most solar radiation back into outer space
主干译文：
亮白色的冰雪，可以将大部分太阳辐射反射回太空
时间状语从句：
When ice melts and exposes dark seawater
从句译文：
一旦冰层消融，深色海水裸露出来
主干：
the ocean surface absorbs far more heat from sunlight
主干译文：
海面会吸收更多来自阳光的热量
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