英汉双语阅读：尼斯湖水怪

　　Many groups of people have ancient stories about huge frighteningcreatures called monsters. However, the existence of such animalshas never been proven scientifically. One of the most well-known mystery animals is the Loch Ness monster. It is said to live in a lake in Scotland called Loch Ness. For years, people have searched and studied the lake. But they have never found any unusual creature.许多人都有关于可怕的怪物的古老传说。然而，这种动物的存在从未被科学证明。最闻名的神秘动物之一是尼斯湖水怪。据说它位于苏格兰一条名叫尼斯湖的湖里。很多年以来，人们一直在搜寻和研究这个湖。但他们从未发现任何特别的生物。

　　Now, an Italian scientist may have finally discovered what makesthe Loch Ness monster seem to appear. Luigi Piccardi says earthquakes under the lake cause the waters to roll and shake strongly. This makes people believe there is a huge powerful animal in the water.现在，一位意大利科学家可能终于解开了尼斯湖水怪出现之谜。Luigi Piccardi说，湖底的地震使得湖水翻滚而且强烈晃动。由此使得人们相信，水里有一个庞大的动物。

　　Mister Piccardi presented his study of the Loch Ness monster at a geology conference in Edinburgh, Scotland recently. He studies theorigin, history and structure of the Earth. Mister Piccardi uses thescience of geology to help explain ancient traditional stories.皮卡尔迪先生最近在苏格兰爱丁堡的老年学会议上展示了他对尼斯湖水怪的研究。他研究地球的起源、历史和结构。皮卡迪先生利用地质学的科学知识来解释古代的传统故事。

　　The scientist says the first known writing about the Loch Nessmonster was in the seventh century. The document described a terrible animal that arrived "with a strong shaking" and left"shaking herself." Mister Piccardi explains that Loch Ness isdirectly over an active fault line. This line is the divisionbetween two pieces of the Earth. An earthquake happens when these pieces move against each other. The quake happens along the faultline. These movements of the Earth cause loud noises. The quakes also cause the water to shake strongly. Mister Piccardi says this may be why ancient people said there was a monster under the water. 这位科学家说，关于尼斯湖水怪的最早记载是在7世纪。这份文件描述了一种令人毛骨悚然的动物，它“伴随着强烈的摇晃”来到这里，然后“摇晃着自己”离开。皮卡迪先生解释说，尼斯湖就在一条活动断层线上。这条线是地球的两部分之间的分界线。当这些碎片互相碰撞时就会发生地震。地震沿着断层线发生。地球的这些运动引起很大的噪音。地震还会使水剧烈晃动。Piccardi先生说这可能就是为什么古人说水下有一个怪物的原因。

　　An American scientist disagrees. Robert Rines is the head of the Academy of Applied Science in Concord, New Hampshire. He says MisterPiccardi's theory does not explain every sighting of the Loch Nessmonster. Mister Rines says that in Nineteen-Seventy-Two, he saw ananimal in the Scottish lake that looked like the back of anelephant. The scientist led a team to study the lake in Nineteen-Ninety-Seven. They used sound waves to search Loch Ness.Mister Rines says they recorded something in the water. He begananother larger study of Loch Ness with expert underwater scientists last month. He says they are using the most modern underwater equipment in the world.一位美国科学家不同意这种说法。罗伯特·莱恩斯是新罕布什尔州康科德应用科学学院的院长。他说，米斯特皮卡迪的理论并不能解释每次看到尼斯湖水怪的现象。莱恩斯先生说，在1972年，他在苏格兰的湖里看到了一种看起来像大象的背部的动物。1997年，这位科学家带领一个小组研究这个湖。他们用声波搜索尼斯湖。莱恩斯先生说他们在水里记录了一些东西。上个月，他开始与水下专家一起对尼斯湖进行另一项规模更大的研究。他说他们正在使用世界上最现代化的水下设备。

　　Other scientists have used strong lights and underwater camerasto search for the Loch Ness monster. But they have found no strong evidence of the creature. 其他科学家使用强光和水下摄像机搜寻尼斯湖水怪。但是他们还是没有发现这怪物存在的强有力证据。

　　Some scientists agreed that earthquakes are the most believableexplanation of the Loch Ness monster mystery. They say geology has been used to explain other ancient stories. For example, the Jewish and Christian holy book, the Bible, includes a story of a flood thatcovered the whole Earth. A man named Noah was one of the few peoplewho survived. Scientists say there was a real flood in the Black Sea area that explains that ancient story. 一些科学家认为地震是对尼斯湖水怪之谜最可信的解释。他们说地质学已经被用来解释其他古代故事。例如，犹太教和基督教的圣书《圣经》中有一个洪水淹没整个地球的故事。一个名叫诺亚的人是为数不多的幸存者之一。科学家们说，在黑色海域发生了一场真正的洪水，这就解释了这个古老的故事。

　　Mister Piccardi also has studied ancient religious places aroundthe Mediterranean Sea. He says similar stories of monsters arelinked to places where earthquakes and other earth movements have happened. This scientific explanation may end the mystery that has interested people for such a long time.皮卡迪先生还研究了地中海周围的古代宗教场所。他说，类似的怪物故事与地震和其他地壳运动发生的地方有关。这种科学的解释可能会结束长久以来人们感兴趣的谜团。

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