书城外语英语PARTY——神话圣地·希腊
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第9章 宜人风景Natural Scenery(1)

The Aegean Sea浪漫爱琴海

爱琴海,这片拥有浪漫名字的海洋,分隔了土耳其和希腊,海面平和安详,没有半点风浪,近岸的浅蓝海水清澈见底,越深入大海,越是一片浓得化不开的蓝,加上蔚蓝的天,构成最美的风景。

爱琴海( Aegean Sea )有一个非常美妙的称号:“葡萄酒色之海”。据记载,春夏二季,在强烈阳光的照耀下,爱琴海显得异常透明清澈,那是一种恬静之美,当太阳渐渐西下的时候,爱琴海会从湛绿碧蓝变成葡萄酒色的绛紫色,与远处小岛的各类古建筑交相辉映,不是画却胜似一幅画。

爱琴海是一片充满着浪漫气息的海洋,它位于土耳其的西部,与地中海相连,爱琴海岸有着土耳其最为秀丽的自然景观。爱琴海清澈的海水轻拍迷人的海岸,橄榄树林、悬崖绝壁、苍松翠柏掩映着宽阔的沙滩。

海岸线上有着许许多多橄榄树果园、峻峭的山岩,以及被松林拥抱着的广阔而素雅的海滩;牧歌式的渔村散落于平民疗养地和拥有5000年历史文化与神话遗产的古代文明之中。无论您是喜爱自然、崇尚阳光,还是爱好摄影、乐于健身、沉迷航海或是考古,在漫长的海岸线上,总有一处适合您的偏好和经济能力。

爱琴海的魅力不光是靠水,而且还是靠那些充满神话和文化色彩的岛屿。想想那些美人吧,断了臂依然风姿绰约的维纳斯,引发了特洛伊战争却仍被千古赞叹的海伦……哪个不是爱琴海岛屿上诞生的尤物?岛屿与数以万计的神话和梦想,构成了这片海域深不可测的魅力。

The Aegean Sea is located between the coasts of Greece and TurkeyTurkey n.土耳其 and the islands of Crete and Rhodes. It covers an area of 210 square kilometers; its maximum depth is 3,543 meters, found to the east of Crete. More than two thousand islands of varying sizes, most of which belong to Greece, are scatteredscattered adj.离散的,分散的 throughout the Aegean. Some, such as Lesbos, Chios, Rhodes, and Crete, are of substantialsubstantial adj.坚固的, 实质的, 真实的, 充实的 size and sustain significant populations. Many islands and islets, however, are too small and barren to sustain human habitationhabitation n.居住, 生活环境, 住所.

The prevailing winds in the Aegean Sea are northerly, dry, and relatively cold. During the mild winter season, these alternate with milder northwesterly winds. As with much of the Mediterranean, the Aegean is considered to be poor in resources. The flow of colder and less saline water from the Black Sea through the Turkish straits (the Bosporus and the Dardanelles) and the Sea of Marmara tends to cool the water temperatures and reduce the high salinitysalinity n.盐分, 盐度 of the Aegean Sea. This flow of water and the fish that migrate from the Black Sea through the Turkish straits have had a positive effect on the fish resources of the Aegean. On the other hand, the Aegean has been adversely affected by the increasing levels of pollution in the Black Sea as well as in other adjoiningadjoining 附近为,田比邻的 seas. In the Aegean, illegal dumping of waste materials by both Greek and Turkish industries has contributed to the pollution, with harmful effects on marine resourcesmarine resources 海洋资源.

Increased shipping from ports in the Black Sea and the prospect of considerably higher tanker traffic carrying Caspian and Central Asian oil through the Aegean have generated fears in Greece and Turkey, as well as among environmentalists, of still more acute threats to the ecosystemecosystem n.生态系统 and cleanliness of the Aegean.

Modest deposits of petroleum petroleum n.石油 have been discovered and exploited off the coast of the island of Thassos, and some experts have predicted more extensive discoveries elsewhere in the Aegean. However, disputes between Greece and Turkey over the limits of territorial seas and sovereign sovereign n.君主, 统 adj.至高无上的, 君主的, 独立自主的, 完全的 rights over the continental shelf have prevented explorations for oil and gas in much of the sea that remains outside the sixmile territorial seas that both countries maintain in the Aegean. The settlement of disputed maritime issues related to the continental shelf and territorial sea entitlement entitlement n.权利 of the two neighbors will open the door to greater exploration activity for oil and gas in the Aegean. No less important, improved relations between Greece and Turkey will yield greater cooperation to help resolve resolve n.决心 v.决心, 决定, 决心要, (使)分解, 溶解, 解决 vt.解决 the increasingly serious threats to the environment of the Aegean.

The Aegean Sea winds usually appear during the warm season, i.e. from May to September, blow in a northward direction and are called etisies or meltemia. Normally, the meltemia season begins around the end of May and ends around the end of October. They are the strongest during the months of July and August, and their average duration is from 2 to 4 days, although they do not have the same frequency frequency n.频率, 周率, 发生次数 of appearance every year. These winds mostly blow during the day, from 8 in the morning to 8 in the evening, and are at their strongest around 2 in the afternoon.

They are characterised by alternate strengthening strengthening 加固 and weakening weakening 弱化, while they fall quickly after sundown, to return at dawn. In the Northern Aegean they usually are NE winds, in the Central Aegean they become North, and in the Southern Aegean NW. In the area of Rhodos they tend to become West, while in the Saronikos and the Northern Evoikos Gulf they remain NE. Under the influence of the sea breeze during the day, the meltemia become stronger locally, as is the case in the coastal area coastal area 沿海区,海岸区 of Northern Crete. The meltemia are at their most intense in the N. Aegean, particularly in the region of the Cyclades islands.

During the winter, the winds blowing in the Aegean reach a force of 8~9 Beaufort, while greater intensity intensity n.强烈, 剧烈, 强度 亮度 is observed in the Kafireas straits (Cavo Doro) and in the Cyclades.

With regard to the waters in the Thermaikos Gulf, there we encounter the strong local NW wind called vardaris, with strengths that range from 6 to 8 Beaufort. Also during the winter, and particularly when it is at its coldest, a humid wind in the Aegean region, which becomes gradually stronger, accompanied by low skies and rain. It appears mostly in the southern and western regions of the Aegean, but this stormy wind does not make an appearance often.

Santorini圣托里尼岛

圣托里尼由三个小岛组成。岛的一边紧靠火山口有四个小镇锡拉(Thira),Imerovigli, Firastefani以及伊亚(Oia)。从海平面高高跃出的火山口宛如上帝一幅美丽的杰作。这一部分也是圣托里尼岛的商业中心,为圣托里尼带来最多的收入,并通过它独一无二的壮观风光吸引着无数的游客。你可以对旅游业对周边环境的影响发表任何评论,但是你不得不被这些小镇的美景所打动。

爱琴海上再没有比圣托里尼(Santorini)更神秘、更特别的岛屿了,它是传说中于西元1500年因火山爆发的失落文明亚特兰提斯,岛上充满火山地形特质,考古遗迹阿科罗提利(Akrotiri)的挖掘,似乎为传说找到了更多佐证。圣托里尼的沙滩不但美,还有特别的黑砾滩和黑沙滩,带来很不一样的爱琴海度假气氛。

圣托里尼古名为希拉(Thera),是基克拉泽群岛中最南边的一座岛,面积73平方公里。岛上共有3个村落,总人口数约为7000人。不过,这座欧洲着名的度假岛,一到旅游旺季岛上人口就激增十倍,可以说是希腊旅游密度最高的岛屿之一。

圣托里尼位于世界两大大陆板块最深的海沟之间,3500年前一次火山爆发,导致地形发生剧烈改变,原本是圆形的岛屿(Stronghyle) ,因地震震落一个大洞,主岛变为新月状,还有其他的小岛。地壳的推挤促使这座岛屿不断上升,几乎成直角般地立于海平面上两百公尺。