Lake Chippewa

魏巍

主题语境：自然环境篇幅：381词建议用时：7分钟

1 The beautiful landscape of Wiscon?sins Lake Chippewa is a natural wonderthat poses a unique challenge for thelocal community. This hidden wonder isnone other than a giant floating island.The island， composed of plants and trees，occasionally floats around the lake， causing a significant inconvenience by blocking a vitalbridge. Later， the local people proposed a solution to this problem. Every year， local boatowners work together and push the island away from the bridge.

2 Lake Chippewa was born in 1923 when a vast bog was transformed through flooding.Soon after that， many of the peat bogs started rising to the surface and became perfectgrowing spots for plants， with seeds carried by wind and wild birds to this floating place.Over the years， these bogs have grown plants and trees and turned into full islands. As timegoes by， plants take root， and the oldest islands even have trees that act as sails whenthe wind blows， moving the entire floating mass around the lake.

3 Although the decades?old floating island does not relocate （迁移） constantly， when itdoes， it causes trouble for the community by blocking the vital bridge that serves as thesole passage between the lake's east and west sides. The only solution is to gather a fleet of boats， and not just one or two， but dozens of boats working together to push the island away.“It takes a community's effort， and you must have the winds at your back to push them in，”said a resident. Moving the island also requires precision （精确）， as merely relocating it ashort distance may result in its return within days.

4 Some people have suggested blowing up the floating island to get rid of the problem.However， the big bog in Lake Chippewa has been around for decades， and in that time awealth of animal and plant species have made it their home. Therefore， local authoritiesprefer it be dealt with in a way that won't negatively impact wildlife， highlighting the deli?cate balance between human convenience and environmental conservation. The annual tra?dition of relocating Lake Chippewas floating island is evidence of the coexistence of hu?manity and nature， a heartwarming display of community unity， and a reminder of the im?portance of preserving the unique habitats that enrich our world.

Reading

Check

1. What does the underlined word“ solution” in paragraph 1 refer to？

A. Building a new bridge.

B. Transforming the vast bog.

C. Moving the floating island away.

D. Reconstructing the local community.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about？

A. The formation of the floating island.

B. The history of flooding in Lake Chippewa.

C. The abundance of species in Lake Chippewa.

D. The impact of the wind on the floating island.

3. What do we know about the relocation work from paragraph 3？

A. It is usually finished within days.

B. It is demanding in cooperation and precision.

C. It can only be carried out during windless days.

D. It greatly disturbs the community residents' lives.

4. Why have the local authorities refused to blow up the island？

A. To save costs for local people.

B. To ensure the safety of residents.

C. To increase the bond between communities.

D. To protect the wildlife species on the island.

Language

Study

Ⅰ. Text?centered chunks

be composed of 由……组成

a vast bog 巨大的沼泽

peat bog 泥炭沼泽地

take root 生根；扎根

a fleet of 一队

blow up 爆炸；炸毁

a wealth of 很多的

local authority 地方当局

Ⅱ. Difficult sentence in the text

As time goes by， plants take root， and the oldest islands even have trees that act assails when the wind blows， moving the entire floating mass around the lake. 随着时间的流逝，植物生根发芽，最古老的岛屿上甚至有树木，当风吹起时，它们就像帆一样，带动整个漂浮物在湖面上移动。

【点石成金】本句中，As time goes by中的As引导的是时间状语从句；that引导的是定语从句，在从句中作主语；when引导的是时间状语从句。