Monitoring a deadly volcano 科学家监控极其危险的尼拉贡戈火山

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学习要点

有关“volcanoes 火山”的词汇

边看边答

What happened when the scientists’ warnings about the volcano were ignored?

文字稿

Shrouded in mystery, it towers above eastern Congo. The Nyiragongo volcano is one of the most active and feared in the world. Smoke and clouds mingle at its peak hiding the threat within.

At nearly 3,500 metres above sea level, this volcano is difficult to access and predict. From the city of Goma below, a group of Congolese scientists keep a close watch looking for signs of danger.

Mahinda Celestin, Goma Volcano Observatory's Director

“The volcano is like a sick person. And we have to monitor. Every time...every time... every second."

Their warnings were ignored in 2002 when an eruption destroyed parts of the city. Ninety thousand people lost their homes and dozens of residents died. But today, some of the houses are built around the solidified lava and the local population is much more aware of the risks.

For now, there are no warning signs. And it's not just scientists summiting the volcano. Tourists are joining them. It takes seven hours of hard trekking to reach the top. But it's well worth the effort.

Set in the Unesco world heritage site of Virunga National Park, the Nyiragongo and its magnificent lava lake are attracting visitors from across the world. And with that, Goma’s biggest natural threat is giving back to the community living below..

笼罩着一层神秘的色彩 - 这是矗立在刚果民主共和国东部的尼拉贡戈火山。它是世界上最活跃也是最令人畏惧的火山之一。在山峰处盘旋着的烟雾和云团隐藏了其潜在的威胁。

该火山海拔近3500米，这让人们很难接近并获取和它相关的信息，也难以预测其异常活动。一组来自尼拉贡戈山脚下城市戈马的刚果科学家们负责严密监测这座火山显示的危险征兆。

塞勒斯廷戈马火山观测台负责人

“这座火山就像是一个需要密切照料的病人。我们每时每刻、每分每秒都要监测它的动向。”

然而，这些科学家在2002年发出的一次警告却被人忽视，同年火山喷发，摧毁了这座城市的部分地区。九万人因此无家可归，数十名居民丧生。但现在，当地部分房屋就建在火山爆发后固化的岩浆周围，戈马市居民对火山的潜在风险也有了更深的认识。

科学家们眼下并未检测到火山即将喷发的征兆。而除了科学家之外，游客也加入了登上火山顶峰的行列。虽然人们需要经过七个小时的艰苦跋涉才能登顶，但这是非常值得的。

尼拉贡戈火山坐落在被列入联合国教科文组织世界遗产名单中的维龙加国家公园内，火山口深处壮观的熔岩湖吸引着来自世界各地的游客前来观看。作为戈马最大的自然威胁，尼拉贡戈火山以功折过，用这种方式来回报住在山下的人群。

词汇

towers above
矗立在…上

active
（火山）活的

peak
山顶，山峰

eruption
（火山的）爆发，喷发

lava
（火山喷出的）岩浆，熔岩

你知道吗？

Volcanoes (or volcanos) can change the weather. They can cause rain, thunder and lightning. Volcanoes can also have long-term effects on the climate, making the world cooler.

火山能改变天气。它可以引发雷雨和闪电，也能给气候带来长期的影响，以致地球温度下降。