Lake Chippewa's floating island

山东 魏 巍

主题语境：自然环境 篇幅：381词 建议用时：7分钟

1The beautiful landscape of Wisconsin's Lake Chippewa is a natural wonder that poses a unique challenge for the local community. This hidden wonder is none 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 vital bridge. Later, the local people proposed a solution to this problem. Every year, local boat owners work together and push the island away from the bridge.

2Lake 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 perfect growing 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 time goes by, plants take root, and the oldest islands even have trees that act as sails when the wind blows, moving the entire floating mass around the lake.

3Although the decades-old floating island does not relocate (迁移) constantly, when it does, it causes trouble for the community by blocking the vital bridge that serves as the sole 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 a short distance may result in its return within days.

4Some 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 a wealth of animal and plant species have made it their home. Therefore, local authorities prefer it be dealt with in a way that won't negatively impact wildlife, highlighting the delicate balance between human convenience and environmental conservation. The annual tradition of relocating Lake Chippewa's floating island is evidence of the coexistence of humanity and nature, a heartwarming display of community unity, and a reminder of the importance of preserving the unique habitats that enrich our world.

Reading

Check

Vocabulary 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.

Gist 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.

Detail 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.

Detail 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 as sails 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。