一張NASA照片如何述說數十個故事：英語精讀講義

How much can a single picture tell us about ourselves? 表達脈絡

一張照片能告訴我們多少關於我們自己的事？

This is a composite image of several satellite photos.

這是一張由幾張衛星照片合成的影像。

It can help us better understand the current developments and conflicts underway. 用詞

它可以幫助我們更好地了解當前的局勢發展與正在進行中的衝突。

The amount of light pollution is most severe in heavily populated areas,

光害在人口稠密的地區最為嚴重，

as well as in regions of high prosperity. 片語搭配

在高度繁榮的地區也是如此。

In Europe, the Benelux region and the densely populated Po-Valley

在歐洲，比荷盧地區和人口密集的波河谷

are so bright that the individual towns blend into one big sea of light. 講解

亮到各個城鎮都融成了一片光海。

Especially in the Arab world,

尤其是在阿拉伯世界，

the extraction of oil creates bright lights from the flaring of gas. 文化背景

石油開採過程中，燃燒天然氣產生了明亮的火光。

And in Africa, you can trace the path of the Nile River, 片語搭配

而在非洲，你可以循著尼羅河的軌跡看過去，

which as the lifeline of Egypt, attracts civilization and is filled with commercial boats. 慣用語

作為埃及的生命線，它吸引了文明的聚集，且河面上布滿了商船。

In the mostly uninhabited regions of Western Australia,

在西澳洲大部分無人居住的地區，

the satellites could even capture lights from wildfires that occurred over a span of 22 days. 片語搭配

衛星甚至能捕捉到跨度達 22 天的野火所發出的火光。

And in Asia, the Indian subcontinent is clearly standing out. 片語動詞

在亞洲，印度次大陸顯得格外搶眼。

Nearly 20% of the planet's population lives here.

地球上將近 20% 的人口居住在這裡。

And the rapid population and economic growth can be seen 文法

這裡人口與經濟的快速成長，

by comparing the area from how it looked in 2012 and then again in 2016.

可以透過對比該地區 2012 年與 2016 年的樣貌來看出。

However, it's just as interesting to look at the regions where there is no light. 表達脈絡

然而，觀察那些沒有燈光的地區同樣很有意思。

The Syrian Civil War, which has wiped out hundreds of thousands of lives, 片語動詞

奪去了數十萬人生命的敘利亞內戰，

has darkened the country.

讓這個國家陷入了黑暗。

Due to the ongoing fights, the electrical grid is only partially available, 用詞

由於持續不斷的戰鬥，電網只能部分運作，

and the power supply is poor.

電力供應十分匱乏。

Aleppo, the largest city in Syria,

敘利亞最大的城市阿勒頗，

is considered an important cultural place.

被視為一個重要的文化勝地。

The Old Town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. 文化背景

它的舊城區自 1986 年起就被列為聯合國教科文組織世界遺產。

But the war has almost completely destroyed the historic city.

但戰爭幾乎將這座歷史名城徹底摧毀。

The darkening can also be observed in Raqqa,

在拉卡也能觀察到這種黑暗，

which has long acted as the de facto capital of the terrorist Islamic State. 用詞

這裡長期以來被作為恐怖組織「伊斯蘭國」的實質首都。

When we see a city darken in these images,

當我們在這些影像中看到一座城市變暗時，

it shows the annihilation of a place and its history

它代表著一個地方及其歷史的覆滅，

and ultimately the end of many human lives.

以及最終許多生命的終結。

These black pixels in such an image can say a lot more than the lit ones. 慣用語

這樣的影像裡，黑色的像素往往比發光的像素能說明更多問題。

This also applies to the Korean Peninsula. 片語搭配

這點同樣適用於朝鮮半島。

While South Korea is brightly lit, 文法

南韓燈火通明，

North Korea is almost completely black.

而北韓則幾乎是一片漆黑。

The metropolitan area around the capital of the South, Seoul,

南韓首都首爾周邊的都會區，

now has more than 25 million inhabitants.

如今擁有超過 2500 萬居民。

The population density here is twice that of New York City 文法

這裡的人口密度是紐約市的兩倍，

and eight times larger than that of Rome.

更是羅馬的八倍之多。

Also, the waters surrounding Korea are brightly lit from the numerous fishing boats off the coast.

此外，韓國周圍的海域也被海岸邊無數漁船的燈光照得通明。

According to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, 文化背景

根據《聯合國海洋法公約》，

there are clear rules for how far off the coast a country may exploit its resources. 用詞

對於一個國家可以在離岸多遠的地方開發資源，有著明確的規定。

Additionally, there are several agreements between countries that regulate fishing.

另外，國家之間還有若干規範捕魚的協議。

This creates odd shapes and perfectly straight lines,

這就形成了各種奇怪的形狀和絕對筆直的線條，

bringing to light the absurdity of dividing our planet into arbitrary legal zones. 慣用語

暴露了將我們的星球劃分為任意法律區域的荒謬性。

All these lights from South Korea and the waters that surround it

南韓及其周圍水域的所有這些燈光

stand in stark contrast to the north, 片語搭配

與北部形成了鮮明的對比，

where only the North Korean capital Pyongyang stands out a bit.

那裡只有北韓首都平壤稍微亮一點點。

North Korea's energy infrastructure is obsolete,

北韓的能源基礎設施老舊落後，

and power shortages are frequent.

而且經常發生電力短缺。

While South Korea is easily accessible,

南韓很容易進入和了解，

much of what happens in the north remains in the dark. 慣用語

但北方發生的很多事情仍然隱於黑暗之中。

And the strictly guarded border dividing both nations, the DMZ, 文化背景

劃分兩國、戒備森嚴的邊界，即非軍事區（DMZ），

is clearly traceable.

清晰可見。

This image may be the most impressive illustration of how big the impact 文法

這張圖可能是展現

of more than 70 years of division are.

70 多年分裂影響有多大的一幅最令人印象深刻的畫面。

But the map also teaches us the long-lasting impacts such separations can have, 文法

這張地圖還向我們展示了這種分裂可能產生的深遠影響，

even those that have already been overcome.

甚至包括那些已經被克服的分裂。

At the time of the Cold War, Germany was separated into East and West,

在冷戰時期，德國被分為東德和西德，

and the city of Berlin was divided as well.

柏林市也被一分為二。

And as a result of that, its city lights still appear in two different colors. 表達脈絡

結果就是，直到現在，它的城市燈光依然呈現出兩種不同的顏色。

The western part of the city was cut off from the rest of West Germany 片語動詞

這座城市的西半部曾與西德的其他地區隔絕，

and relied on gas lamps because it wanted to be independent 片語動詞

它依賴瓦斯燈，因為它想保持獨立，

from a possibly failing power supply.

免受可能發生故障的電力供應的影響。

Although Germany has been reunited since 1990, 文法

儘管德國自 1990 年起就已統一，

and this separation has been overcome for more than a quarter of a century,

且這種分裂已經被克服了超過四分之一世紀，

it can still be seen from space.

但從太空中依然能看到它的痕跡。

This image points to the global challenges 講解

這張圖片指出了

posed by the steadily increasing world population.

全球人口穩定成長所帶來的全球性挑戰。

And while man-made borders cannot be seen during the day,

雖然在白天看不到人造邊界，

the lines of political origin become apparent at night, 片語搭配

但出於政治原因劃定的界線在夜間就顯露出來了，

but appear all the more absurd and artificial. 片語搭配

不過看起來卻顯得更加荒謬和不自然。

When viewed during daylight, the human influence on our planet is less obvious, 文法

在日光下觀察時，人類對我們星球的影響不太明顯，

but this single image highlights the social divides and political strife 用詞

但這僅有的一張圖片卻凸顯了過去和現在

from both the past and the present.

的社會分化與政治衝突。