文本选自：The Economist（经济学人）
作者：Unknown
原文标题：The extent of newly exposed ocean is the size of Argentina
原文发布时间：8 Aug. 2023
The extent of newly exposed ocean is the size of Argentina
When the area near Antarctica covered by sea ice fell to 1.8m km2 (800,000 square miles) on February 19th—the smallest extent since satellite-based data became available in 1978—few climatologists were surprised. Such records fall frequently in a warming world, as they did at the same time of year in 2017 and 2022. In March ice cover in the Antarctic began bouncing back at a rate of 70,000 km2 per day, close to the historical average.
However, between April and June the ice did not recover as expected, with a growth rate around 15% lower than normal. And at the start of July its edge turned south, receding at a time when it should have been advancing rapidly. By July 6th Antarctic sea ice covered just 12m km2, roughly as large as Brazil and India put together. Compared with the average for that date in 1981-2010, its area was 2.84m km2 smaller—a gap as large as Argentina or Kazakhstan.
This abrupt decline looks even more extreme set against long-run patterns. Unlike the Arctic—where, in recent decades, the maximum sea-ice extent has been gradually shrinking, and the minimum has plummeted—the range of ice cover in the Antarctic has been relatively stable during the past half-century. Between 1976 and 2014, the average area covered by mid-winter sea ice in the region actually grew slightly. A wide range of factors account for the historical divergence in ice-cover trends between Earth's poles, one a continent surrounded by water and the other an ocean surrounded by land. But after years in which Antarctic waters appeared to be a rare ocean of climatological calm, the region's sea-ice charts now look just as stormy as the notoriously turbulent Southern Ocean.
新暴露的海洋面积相当于阿根廷的大小
精听党背景导读
据美国有线电视新闻网7月30日报道，南极海冰面积目前正处于自45年前有记录以来的最低水平，与此前30年的平均值相比，其消融的面积约等于整个阿根廷的国土面积。由于海冰可以反射太阳光的辐射，因此它们对温度的调节有着重要作用。专家担心，海冰大面积消融会带来显而易见的负面影响。目前科学家们仍在探索南极海冰减少的原因。
文本选自：The Economist（经济学人）作者：Unknown原文标题：The extent of newly exposed ocean is the size of Argentina原文发布时间：8 Aug. 2023关键词：南极洲 海冰面 下降
精听党带着问题听
1.“与…相比”用英语可以怎么表达？2. 如何理解段一中的“frequently”？3. 在4月到6月期间，海冰面的增长速率是怎么样的？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
The extent of newly exposed ocean is the size of Argentina
新暴露的海洋面积相当于阿根廷的大小
extent n. 程度，范围；1. The full extent of the damage caused by the earthquake is still unknown.地震造成的破坏程度尚不清楚。
newly exposed 新暴露的，新显露的；1. The archaeologists were excited to discover the newly exposed ruins of an ancient city. 考古学家们兴奋地发现了一座新暴露出来的古城遗址。
Argentina n. 阿根廷；
段一
When the area near Antarctica covered by sea ice fell to 1.8m km² (800,000 square miles) on February 19th—the smallest extent since satellite-based data became available in 1978—few climatologists were surprised. Such records fall frequently in a warming world, as they did at the same time of year in 2017 and 2022. In March ice cover in the Antarctic began bouncing back at a rate of 70,000 km² per day, close to the historical average.
climatologist n. 气候学家；1. Climatologists are studying the effects of global warming on weather patterns around the world. 气候学家正在研究全球变暖对世界各地天气模式的影响。
frequently adv. 频繁地，经常地；1. She frequently travels for work, so she's rarely home. 她经常出差，所以很少回家。
bounce back 反弹，恢复；
参考译文
2月19日，南极洲附近被海冰覆盖的面积降至180万平方公里(80万平方英里)，这是自1978年有卫星数据以来的最小面积，气候学家几乎并不感到惊讶。在全球变暖的情况下，这样的记录经常出现，就像2017年和2022年的同一时期一样。在3月，南极的冰盖开始以每天7万平方公里的速度反弹，接近历史平均水平。
段二
However, between April and June the ice did not recover as expected, with a growth rate around 15% lower than normal. And at the start of July its edge turned south, receding at a time when it should have been advancing rapidly. By July 6th Antarctic sea ice covered just 12m km², roughly as large as Brazil and India put together. Compared with the average for that date in 1981-2010, its area was 2.84m km² smaller—a gap as large as Argentina or Kazakhstan.
recover vi. 恢复，复原；1. The economy is expected to recover from the recession by the end of the year. 经济有望在今年年底前从衰退中复苏。
as expected 如预料的；1. The test results were as expected, showing no abnormalities. 检测结果如预料的一样，没有异常。
recede vi. 后退，减弱，减退；1. The floodwaters began to recede, allowing residents to return to their homes. 洪水开始退去，居民得以返回家园。
roughly adv. 大致地，粗略地；1. The journey will take roughly three hours, depending on traffic conditions. 根据交通状况，这段旅程大约需要3个小时。
be compared with 与…相比；
参考译文
然而，在4月到6月期间，冰并没有像预期的那样恢复，其增长率比正常水平低了15%左右。在7月初，冰的边缘向南转移，在它应该迅速前进的时候退缩了。截至7月6日，南极海冰覆盖面积仅为1200万平方公里，大致相当于巴西和印度的面积总和。与1981-2010年同期的平均值相比，其面积缩小了284万平方公里，相当于阿根廷或哈萨克斯坦的面积。
段三
This abrupt decline looks even more extreme set against long-run patterns. Unlike the Arctic—where, in recent decades, the maximum sea-ice extent has been gradually shrinking, and the minimum has plummeted—the range of ice cover in the Antarctic has been relatively stable during the past half-century. Between 1976 and 2014, the average area covered by mid-winter sea ice in the region actually grew slightly.A wide range of factors account for the historical divergence in ice-cover trends between Earth's poles, one a continent surrounded by water and the other an ocean surrounded by land. But after years in which Antarctic waters appeared to be a rare ocean of climatological calm, the region's sea-ice charts now look just as stormy as the notoriously turbulent Southern Ocean.
abrupt decline 急剧下降；
extreme adj. 极端的，极度的；
set against 与…相比；1. When set against previous years, the current economic growth seems slower. 与前几年相比，目前的经济增长似乎较慢。
long-run pattern 长期趋势，长期模式；
sea-ice extent 海冰范围；1. The satellite data showed a decrease in the sea-ice extent in the Arctic. 卫星数据显示北极的海冰面积在减少。
plummet vi. 骤降，暴跌；
relatively adv. 相对地，相对而言；1. Although the temperature is relatively high, it is still bearable with proper clothing. 虽然温度比较高，但只要穿上适当的衣服，还是可以忍受的。
slightly adv. 轻微地，稍微；1. The temperature has dropped slightly compared to yesterday. 与昨天相比，气温略有下降。
account for 解释，说明；1. The report accounts for the recent decline in sales and proposes strategies for improvement. 报告解释了最近销售额下降的原因，并提出了改进策略。
divergence n. 分歧，差异；
stormy adj. 暴风雨的，风暴的；激烈的，冲动的；1. The stormy weather forced the cancellation of outdoor events and flights. 暴风雨天气迫使户外活动和航班取消。
notoriously adv. 臭名昭著地，众所周知地；
turbulent adj. 骚乱的，动乱的；（气流）湍流的，（水）湍急的；
Southern Ocean 南极洋；
参考译文
与长期趋势相比，这种突然的下降显得更加极端。与北极不同的是，在过去的半个世纪里，南极的海冰覆盖范围相对稳定。在北极，近几十年来，最大海冰面积逐渐缩小，最小海冰面积急剧下降。1976年至2014年间，该地区冬季中期海冰覆盖的平均面积实际上略有增长。一系列的因素可以解释地球两极之间冰覆盖趋势的历史差异，一个是被水包围的大陆，另一个是被陆地包围的海洋。但是，多年来，南极海域似乎是一个罕见的气候平静的海洋，现在该地区的海冰图看起来就像臭名昭著的南大洋一样的动荡不安。
精听党每日单词
extent
/ɪkˈstent/ n. 程度，范围；
newly exposed
新暴露的，新显露的；
Argentina
/ˌɑːrdʒənˈtiːnə/ n. 阿根廷；
climatologist
/ˌklaɪməˈtɑːlədʒist/ n. 气候学家；
frequently
/ˈfriːkwəntli/ adv. 频繁地，经常地；
bounce back
反弹，恢复；
recover
/rɪˈkʌvər/ vi. 恢复，复原；
as expected
如预料的；
recede
/rɪˈsiːd/ vi. 后退，减弱，减退；
roughly
/ˈrʌfli/ adv. 大致地，粗略地；
be compared with
与…相比；
abrupt decline
急剧下降；
extreme
/ɪkˈstriːm/ adj. 极端的，极度的；
set against
与…相比；
long-run pattern
长期趋势，长期模式；
sea-ice extent
海冰范围；
plummet
/ˈplʌmɪt/ vi. 骤降，暴跌；
relatively
/ˈrelətɪvli/ adv. 相对地，相对而言；
slightly
/ˈslaɪtli/ adv. 轻微地，稍微；
account for
解释，说明；
divergence
/daɪˈvɜːrdʒəns/ n. 分歧，差异；
stormy
/ˈstɔːrmi/ adj. 暴风雨的，风暴的；激烈的，冲动的；
notoriously
/noʊˈtɔːriəsli/ adv. 臭名昭著地，众所周知地；
turbulent
/ˈtɜːrbjələnt/ adj. 骚乱的，动乱的；（气流）湍流的，（水）湍急的；
Southern Ocean
南极洋；
精听党文化拓展
南极海冰是指覆盖在南极洲周围海域的冰层，它对维持全球气候平衡和保护南极生物多样性具有重要作用。然而，近日美国国家冰雪数据中心（NSIDC）发布的最新数据显示，南极海冰面积目前正处于自1979年有记录以来的最低水平，仅为191万平方公里，比1981-2010年的平均值低了260万平方公里，相当于阿根廷国土面积。科学家们对这一现象感到震惊和担忧，认为这可能预示着南极生态系统的长期变化。
南极海冰面积通常会随着季节变化而波动，在每年2月底（南半球夏季）达到最低点，在每年9月底（南半球冬季）达到最高点。但在2023年，南极海冰并没有按照往年的规律恢复到正常水平，而是一直处于低迷状态。与2022年的冬季历史新低相比，今年7月中旬的海冰面积还要低约160万平方公里。这一数字几乎与美国得克萨斯州、加利福尼亚州、新墨西哥州、亚利桑那州、内华达州、犹他州和科罗拉多州的总和一样大。
美国科罗拉多大学博尔德分校冰川学家泰德·斯坎博斯教授表示，这是一个非常罕见的异常现象，可能数百万年才发生一次。他说：“这是一个令人震惊的数字。我们从未见过这样的情况。这表明南极生态系统的游戏规则已经改变了。以过去的方式讨论这种现象发生的几率毫无意义。”
目前，科学家们还没有确定导致南极海冰消失的确切原因。他们认为，可能是自然气候变化和人为气候变化共同作用的结果。自然气候变化包括厄尔尼诺现象、大气环流和海洋温度等因素，它们会影响风速、风向和降水等气象条件，从而影响海冰的形成和融化。人为气候变化则主要指由于温室气体排放导致的全球变暖，它会使南极洲周围的海水温度上升，加速海冰的消融。
精听党每日美句
The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.
实现明天理想的唯一障碍是今天的疑虑。