014 极地探险

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Rebecca Clark could hardly wait to exit the small airplane

丽贝卡·克拉克迫不及待地想从这架小飞机里出来。

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She got out, darted through the snow, and hugged her father

她下了飞机，飞快地穿过雪地，拥抱了父亲。

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Rebecca was very excited to see him again

再次见到父亲，丽贝卡非常激动。

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This was her first visit to the Arctic, where Dr. Clark had been working as a polar scientist for over three months

这是她第一次来北极，克拉克博士作为极地科学家已经在这里工作了三个多月。

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Rebecca knew from her father's research that the Arctic is the most northern part of the planet

从父亲的研究中，丽贝卡知道北极是地球最北端的区域。

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Not many people live there because the weather is very cold most of the year

那里居住的人不多，因为一年中大部分时间天气都非常寒冷。

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The Arctic has the longest winters and the shortest summers

北极的冬季最长，夏季最短。

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It also has the longest days and the longest nights

这里还有最长的白天和最长的黑夜。

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In the summer, the sun shines almost all the time, and in the winter, the night can last up to six months

夏天，太阳几乎一直照耀；冬天，黑夜可以持续长达六个月。

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Rebecca's father and his team had brought lots of fresh food with them

丽贝卡的父亲和他的团队带来了很多新鲜食物。

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This was because the Arctic soil, called permafrost, is permanently frozen, making it impossible for trees, vegetables, or fruit to grow

这是因为北极的土壤，叫做永久冻土，是永久冻结的，使得树木、蔬菜或水果都无法生长。

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The scientists had enough supplies to last them, but there was nothing Rebecca's father wanted more than a visit from his daughter

科学家们有足够的补给可以维持生活，但丽贝卡的父亲最想要的，莫过于女儿的探望。

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He was eager to tell her about his Arctic adventures

他迫不及待地想告诉她他在北极的探险经历。

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They settled in his cabin and warmed up with some tea

他们在他小屋里安顿下来，喝了点茶暖暖身子。

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" Dad, did you make it to the North Pole?" asked Rebecca

“爸爸，你到过北极点了吗？”丽贝卡问。

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" Yes, but I didn't walk there; I flew over it in a special airplane," he said

“到过，但我不是走过去的；我是乘一架特殊的飞机飞越它的，”他说。

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Rebecca was curious." Can you walk to the North Pole?"

丽贝卡很好奇。“人能走到北极点吗？”

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" Yes," he replied," but it is very hard to do, and many have died trying

“能，”他回答，“但这非常困难，许多人在尝试中丧生了。

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As you know, Rebecca, the North Pole is a very difficult place to visit

如你所知，丽贝卡，北极点是一个很难前往的地方。

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For centuries the North Pole remained one of the last unconquered places on Earth

几个世纪以来，北极点一直是地球上最后未被征服的地方之一。

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People tried to see what was at the top of our planet, but they were unable to cross the many kilometers of ice and snow

人们试图看看地球顶端有什么，但无法穿越那绵延许多公里的冰雪。

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In the 1500s, explorers from Holland and England were trying to find a new route to Asia

16世纪时，荷兰和英国的探险家们试图找到一条通往亚洲的新航线，

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and they thought that going through the Arctic Ocean would shorten the way

他们认为穿过北冰洋能缩短路程。

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A few explorers tried this route, but their ships got stuck in the ice

一些探险家尝试了这条航线，但他们的船被困在冰层中。

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They returned home discouraged, and some explorers looked for other routes to the riches of Asia

他们沮丧地返回家乡，而另一些探险家则寻找其他通往亚洲财富的路线。

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Most explorers forgot about the Arctic. It wasn't until the late 1800s that the golden age of Arctic exploration began."

大多数探险家将北极抛之脑后。直到19世纪末，北极探险的黄金时代才开始。”

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" Why did people try again?" asked Rebecca

“为什么人们又尝试了呢？”丽贝卡问道。

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" Well, even though explorers were no longer looking for a passage to Asia, they were seeking personal glory," explained Dr. Clark

“嗯，尽管探险家们不再寻找通往亚洲的通道，但他们追求的是个人荣耀，”克拉克博士解释道。

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" Navigating a route through the Arctic and conquering the North Pole would give any explorer fame and fortune and would bring prestige to his country

“开拓一条穿越北极的航线并征服北极点，会给任何探险家带来名声和财富，也会给他的国家带来声望。

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So the race was on."

于是，竞赛开始了。”

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" What do you mean?" asked Rebecca

“你这话是什么意思？”丽贝卡问道。

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" In 1893 the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen was the first to break through the ice and get very close to the North Pole

“1893年，挪威探险家弗里乔夫·南森首次突破冰层，到达了离北极点很近的地方。

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His famous ship, called the Fram, was especially designed for traveling through thick sea ice

他那艘著名的‘前进号’船，是专门为穿越厚海冰而设计的。

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Nansen got as far as he could, and when the Fram couldn't push through the ice anymore, he set out to reach the North Pole on foot

南森乘船到了尽可能远的地方，当‘前进号’再也无法破冰前行时，他便开始徒步前往北极点。

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He took one of his crewmen with him, and they proceeded on sleds pulled by dogs

他带了一名船员，两人乘坐狗拉雪橇继续前进。

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Exhausted after many days, they could go no further

多日后，他们精疲力竭，再也无法前行。

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They left the Norwegian flag at 86°14 ' N, which was the most northern latitude any explorer had ever reached

他们在北纬86度14分处留下了挪威国旗，这是当时探险家所到达的最北纬度。

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Fridtjof Nansen became a hero, but the North Pole had not been conquered yet."

弗里乔夫·南森成了英雄，但北极点仍未被征服。”

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" So who made it first?" Rebecca asked as she poured more tea

“那么，谁是第一个到达的？”丽贝卡一边倒茶一边问。

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" This is debatable," her father answered." Two explorers claimed to reach the pole first

“这尚有争议，”她父亲回答，“有两名探险家都声称自己第一个到达了北极点。

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Robert Peary, a brave American who was obsessed with exploring the North Pole, led numerous expeditions across the Arctic

罗伯特·皮里，一位痴迷于北极探险的勇敢美国人，领导了多次穿越北极的探险。

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He finally succeeded in his quest in 1909

他最终在1909年成功实现了自己的追求。

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Peary learned to adapt to life in the frozen north from the Inuit people

皮里从因纽特人那里学会了适应冰封北方的生活。

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They are often called Eskimos and have lived in the Arctic for thousands of years

他们常被称为爱斯基摩人，在北极地区生活了数千年。

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They taught Peary how to dress warmly with sealskin and accompanied him on his expeditions

他们教皮里如何用海豹皮保暖着装，并陪伴他进行探险。

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Finally, on his last expedition, together with his most trusted crew member

最后，在他最后一次探险中，与他最信任的队员，

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Matthew Henson, and fifty Inuit helpers, Peary crossed the Arctic and reached the North Pole

马修·汉森以及五十名因纽特帮手一道，皮里穿越北极，抵达了北极点。

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Upon his return to the United States, however, Peary learned some terrible news

然而，一回到美国，皮里就得知了一个糟糕的消息。

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Frederick Cook, another American explorer, was claiming that he had already reached the North Pole — one year before Peary

另一位美国探险家弗雷德里克·库克声称，他早在皮里之前一年就已经到达了北极点。

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No one could prove which of the two explorers, if either of them, had actually reached the pole

没人能证明这两位探险家中，如果真有谁到达了极点，究竟是哪一位真正到达了北极点。

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It was tricky because back then there was no way of communicating with explorers so far north, and their expeditions could last a year or longer

这很棘手，因为那时无法与远在北方的探险家通信，而且他们的探险可能持续一年甚至更久。

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Also, explorers had very primitive ways of figuring out their position

而且，探险家们确定位置的方法非常原始。

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They used an instrument called a sextant to measure how far the sun rose above the horizon, which in turn told how far north or south they were

他们使用一种叫六分仪的仪器测量太阳升出地平线的高度，从而得知他们所处的南北位置。

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A sextant combines a telescope, a ruler, and a mirror, and requires skill to use accurately."

六分仪结合了望远镜、尺子和镜子，需要技巧才能准确使用。

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" Then what happened?" asked Rebecca

“后来呢？”丽贝卡问。

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" Both men insisted they were right, and a scandal erupted," replied Dr. Clark

“两人都坚称自己是对的，于是爆发了一场丑闻，”克拉克博士回答。

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" In the end, the National Geographic Society backed Peary's claim of reaching the North Pole

“最终，国家地理学会支持皮里到达北极点的说法。

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But even today, some still question whether Peary really succeeded."

但直到今天，仍有人质疑皮里是否真的成功了。”

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" Why do people doubt him?" asked Rebecca

“人们为什么怀疑他？”丽贝卡问。

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" Robert Peary was a great explorer," explained her father," but not a very good navigator

“罗伯特·皮里是一位伟大的探险家，”父亲解释，“但不是一位很好的导航员。

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Some people thought he had read his instruments wrong when he claimed that he was at the North Pole."

有人认为，他声称到达北极点时，看错了仪器。”

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" How about you, Dad? What do you use when you go exploring?" Rebecca asked

“你呢，爸爸？你去探险时用什么？”丽贝卡问。

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" Today life in the Arctic is very different from what it was one hundred years ago," said her father

“如今北极的生活与一百年前大不相同，”她父亲说。

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" We use airplanes, submarines, and special ships called icebreakers to visit the North Pole

“我们使用飞机、潜艇和叫做破冰船的特殊船只前往北极点。

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Since Peary's trip, there have been hundreds of Arctic expeditions

自皮里的旅行以来，已有数百次北极探险。

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We use computers and satellite telephones to keep in touch

我们使用电脑和卫星电话保持联系。

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Many scientists spend months in the Arctic doing tests, collecting data, and researching different scientific occurrences."

许多科学家在北极花上几个月时间进行测试、收集数据和研究各种科学现象。”

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" Just like you, right, Dad?" Rebecca said

“就像你一样，对吧，爸爸？”丽贝卡说。

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She looked out the window at the pale sun, still shining in the late Arctic evening

她望向窗外，淡淡的太阳在北极的深夜依然照耀着。

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" And me," she added with a wide smile

“还有我，”她灿烂地笑着补充道。

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" I'm going to be a polar scientist when I grow up too!"

“我长大后也要成为一名极地科学家！”