Yaël: Hey Don, whatch'a doing?嘿，Don, 你在干什么？Don: Booking a trip to Glacier National Park. I want to go there before the glaciers disappear.订张去冰川国家国家公园的票。在冰川融化之前我想去那儿一趟。Y: What do you mean?你是什么意思啊？D: Scientists predict that within twenty years the park's remaining glaciers will melt away.科学家们预测20年之内这个公园内的冰川将渐渐融化。Y: Why?为什么啊？D: Whether it's because of human industry or natural cycles, temperatures are rising. And when temperatures rise, glaciers melt.不管是因为人类工业还是自然循环，气温都在逐渐上升。而当气温上升时，冰川就会融化。Y: Forgive me for sounding insensitive, but so what? Glaciers are nice to look at, but what difference will it make if they melt?原谅我的后知后觉，但是那又如何？冰川看起来很漂亮，但是如果它们融化又会有什么不同呢？D: Glaciers are more than just pretty pictures. They're the main sources for many rivers that people depend on for drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power.冰川不只是壮美这么简单。它们是许多河流的源头。人们的饮用水、灌溉和水力电气的能源都需要依赖这些河流。Y: So are rivers drying up?那么，河流会变得干涸吗？D: Not yet, but the amount of glacier water affects a river's flow volume. 还不确定，但冰川水的量会影响河水的流量。The lower the flow volume the less water there is for drinking, power, and everything else people depend on rivers for. 流量越少，供人们饮用，发电以及做其他一切事的水就会越少。Also, greater water volume helps dilute a river's chemical content. 另外，丰富的水量可以帮助稀释河流内的化学物质。The less water a river has, the higher the chemical concentration, which can pollute a lake fed by the river.一条河的水量越少，其内的化学物质浓度就会越高。这会污染这条河注入的湖泊。Y: I didn't know that. But how about this...Higher temperatures mean that more water will evaporate from the oceans, which means more precipitation, including snow. 我倒不清楚那个。但这个呢？温度越高就意味着海洋的水将会有更多被蒸发，也就是说降水量也会增多，包括雪。So maybe some glaciers will actually grow even though it's getting warmer.所以说尽管气候是在变暖，但冰川的数量还可能会增加。D: Some scientists make that argument, but most don't buy it. 有些科学家做出了那样的论断，但大部分人并不认同。Sure, some glaciers are growing temporarily thanks to unusual amounts of snow, but they're the exception to the rule. 确实，一些冰川的暂时性生长是因为不寻常的降雪数量，但这只是冰川生成过程中的例外情况。Generally, glaciers grow when the amount of snow that melts in the summer is less than the amount that falls in the winter. 一般来说，夏天雪融化的数量少于冬天降雪的数量时才会生成冰川。Right now, more snow is melting than falling.现在，融化的雪量比降雪量多。Y: I guess you should book that trip. 我想你该订下这趟旅程。
