《中英对照读新闻》Scientist extols power of silence 科学家赞扬寂静的力量

【大纪元11月5日讯】自由时报 ◎俞智敏

Reclining against the trunk of a western hemlock tree, arms behind his head, Gordon Hempton listens closely to the quiet symphony of nature.

斜倚在西部铁杉的树干上，双臂放在脑后，戈登．汉普顿仔细聆听大自然的安静交响乐。

The rumble of the Hoh River in the distance. A winter wren’s trill. The chattering of a Douglas squirrel.

霍河在远方发出低沈的声响。鹪鹩正在鸣啭。道格拉斯松鼠发出吱吱叫声。

Perhaps more striking is what’s missing. There is no sound of airplane traffic, campground generators or overchatty hikers — all sounds that Hempton says are disturbing the peace at national parks across the country.

或许更引人注意的是这里没有的东西。这里听不到飞机、营地发电机或过度喋喋不休的徒步游客的声音—汉普顿认为这些声音干扰全美各国家公园的安宁。

The abundance of quiet in this small spot led Hempton to place a small reddish-brown rock on a moss-covered log here last year, designating the remote spot in western Washington’s Hoh Rain Forest “One Square Inch of Silence.”

这一块充满寂静的地方，使汉普顿去年在此处一根覆满青苔的圆木上放了一小块红棕色的石块，把这个位于华盛顿州西部霍河雨林的偏远一隅命名为“一平方英寸的寂静”。

The acoustic ecologist’ s hope is that by protecting this tiny spot from man-made sound, a much larger part of the park will reap benefits.

这位声音生态学者的希望是，透过保护这一块净土不受人为声音打扰，让国家公园的大部分地区都能受益。

“Quiet is going extinct,” Hempton said. “I wanted to find a quiet place and hang on to it and protect it.”

“寂静快要绝迹了，”汉普顿说。“我想找到一个安静的地方，紧紧守住它并保护它。”

新闻辞典

extol：赞美、颂扬。They were extolled as heroes.（他们被当作英雄般颂扬。 )

abundance：指充足、丰富。There were deer in abundance in these forests.（这些森林中有许多鹿。 )亦可作可数名词，如 At the feast there was an abundance of food and drink.（宴会上有丰盛的食物和饮料。 )

reap ：原指收割、收获，如 The farmers were busy reaping the rice in the field.（农民们忙着在田里割稻。 )可引申为获得、得到，如 Our firm is likely to reap a big profit this year.（今年我们公司可能获得巨额利润。 )

(http://www.dajiyuan.com)