Lesson 107 Can We Glide Now? 我们能滑行吗？



Words:



gigantic adj. 巨大的



gilding n. 贴金箔，镀金



girder n. 大梁（钢架结构）



girdle n. 腰带，围绕物



gust n. 要旨



glacial adj. 冰的，冰河的



glaciated adj. 冻结成冰的



glacier n. 冰河



glamorous adj. 迷人的，富有魅力的



glamour n. 魅力，魔力，迷人的力量



glare n. 炫目的光



glaring adj. 耀眼的，刺目的



glassware n. 玻璃制品



glaze vt. 上釉，使表面光华



gleam n. 亮光，闪光



glean v. 点滴收集；拾



gleeful adj. 极高兴的，兴奋的



glide vi. 滑动，滑行



glimpse n. 一瞥，一看；vt. 瞥见



global adj. 全球性的



Alice and Bessie found themselves climbing the highest glaciated peak in Italy. The sun reflected off the snow, creating an awful

glare. It made Bessie dizzy. Gasping for air, Bessie asked, “When are we ever going to reach the top of this gigantic mountain?

The glaring light is making me sick.”



“I don’t know,” Alice said. “But I can see glacial ice. It must near the top.”



Bessie was becoming delirious. “With all this talk about global warning, how can there be so much ice left? Please tell me again, what is so glamorous about climbing to the top of a glacier?”



“There’s no glamour involved,” said Alice. “It’s just a personal challenge. With the information we glean from this difficult experience, maybe we can write a book, Anyway, don’t you want to glimpse the heavens? Listen, when you start to feel weak, just tell yourself, ‘I’m as strong as a girder’. It also helps to take your mind off the climbing. Let’s talk about girdles.”

“I get the gist of what you’re saying,” said Bessie. “I want a girdle with gilding. What do you think about that?”



“It makes about as much sense as a ceramic girdle with glaze on it,” replied Alice. “Let’s talk about glassware.”



“I like the gleam of crystal glassware,” said Bessie.



All of a sudden, Alice had a gleeful look in her eye. “We’ve reached the top! Aren’t you relieved?”



“Yes, I am,” said Bessie. She glanced around the top, still wondering why she bothered to climb so far. She also began to dread

the long walk down the mountain. She turned to Alice and smiled. “Do you think we can glide down this glacier?”



爱丽丝和贝西发现自己在攀登意大利最高的冰峰。太阳光从雪面上反射回来，形成可怕的炫目的强光。它使贝西头晕眼花。贝西喘着气，问道：“我们什么时候能到达这座大山的山顶？耀眼的光让我不舒服。”



“我不知道，”爱丽丝答道。“但是我看到了冰河的冰。这说明我们接近山顶了。”



贝西开始胡言乱语了。“都说全球变暖，怎么还剩那么多的冰？请在告诉我一遍，爬到冰河的顶部都有什么吸引人的？”



“没有什么迷人的力量，”爱丽丝说，“这只是对个人的挑战。有了从这次艰苦的经历中收集到的资料，也许我们可以写一本书。无论如何，难道你不想看一眼天空吗？听着，当你开始觉得虚弱的时候，就对自己说：‘我像钢梁一样强壮’。它也能帮助你不去想登山这件事。让我们谈谈腰带吧。”



“我知道你说的要点了，”贝西说。“我想要一件镀金的腰带。你觉得怎么样？”



“这和上釉的陶瓷腰带几乎没什么两样，”爱丽丝回答。“让我们说说玻璃制品吧。”

“我喜欢水晶玻璃制品的b，”贝西说。



突然，爱丽丝眼中闪现出兴奋的眼神。“我们已经到达山顶了。你不感到欣慰吗？”



“是的，我感到欣慰，”贝西说。她看看四周，仍然不明白自己为什么非要爬那么远。她又开始害怕漫长的下山的路了。她转向爱丽丝，笑了。“你觉得我们可以从冰河上滑行下去吗？”