英文欣赏：尼斯湖水怪 The Loch Ness Monster(上)
The Loch Ness Monster
尼斯湖水怪
Loch Ness, the largest freshwater lake in the British Isles, is twenty four miles long and, at one point, one and a half miles wide.
尼斯湖是大不列颠群岛最大的淡水湖，有24英里长，一边有1.5英里宽。
It has an average depth of four hundred and fifty feet and at times drops close to a thousand.
湖的平均水深是450英尺，有时候高达1000英尺。
It is cold and murky, with dangerous currents. In short, it is the perfect place to hide a monster from even the sharpest eyes of science.
这里又冷又黑暗，还有危险的激流。总之，这里是隐藏怪物的绝佳之处，即使是最锐利的科学之眼也很难察觉到。
The Loch Ness Monster, also called Nessie, is supposedly living in this area.
尼斯湖水怪也叫尼西，据说在这个地区生活。
The earliest recorded sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was in the biography of St. Columba by Adamnan in the year 565 AD.
最早有关尼斯湖水怪的场景记录出现在公元565年，阿德曼写的圣鸽属的传记中。
The monster apparently attacked and killed a man who was swimming in the River Ness.
显然，怪物袭击和杀害了正在尼斯湖洗澡的人。
The monster didn’t make headlines again until August 27, 1930 when 3 fishermen reported seeing a creature 20 feet long approaching their boat, throwing water in the air.
直到1930年8月27日，三个渔人看见一头20英里长的怪物正向他们的船游来，拍打着湖水，水花四溅，怪物又上了报纸的头条。
As it passes them, its wake caused their boat to rock violently.
当它经过渔船，引起渔船猛烈地震动。
In 1933, after a new road was built along the Loch, the number of reports soared.
1933年，建了沿湖新马路之后，相关的报道就大大增加了。
Early in 1934 there was a land sighting of the beast. Arthur Grant, a young vet student, was out on his motorcycle one evening when he almost ran into the monster as it crossed the road.
1934年早期，有人在路边看到了怪兽。一天晚上，阿瑟·格兰特，一个年轻的兽医学生，骑着摩托车经过湖边，遇见了那只怪物。
Grant’s description of the thing, small head, long thin neck and tail with a big body, seemed to match the appearance of the Plesiosauru, an aquatic type of dinosaur that has been extinct for 65 million years.
格兰特描述怪物的头很小，脖子又细又长，身体很大。听上去它的样子和已经灭绝了6500万年的水生恐龙蛇颈龙相似。
In 1962 The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau was formed to act as a research organization for information about the creature.
1962年，尼斯湖调查局作为一个研究生物信息的组织成立了。
1. at times 有时；偶尔
eg. He gets close to wildlife at times, but only when the animals come to him.
他有时候和野生动物有近距离的接触，但也只是那些动物主动靠近他。
eg. Though he is being rude at times, he respects you from the bottom of his heart.
虽然他有时对你有些不礼貌，但在内心深处他还是尊敬你的。
2. close to 接近于；在附近
eg. We were close to when it happened.
事情发生时我们正在附近。
eg. But sadly the chance that these recommendations will be implemented in 2011 is close to zero.
但遗憾的是，这些建议在2011年得到实行的可能性接近于零。
3. to make headlines 成为重要/头条新闻
eg. Of course there are risks in diverting offenders to less secure facilities; some will run off and make headlines.
当然，把犯人转向不太安全的地方是要冒风险的；一些犯人会越狱而成为报纸的头条新闻。
eg. Achievements in each of these areas do not necessarily make headlines.
在这些领域的成就并不必然会成为大新闻。
4. ran into 跑进……；偶然碰见……
eg. My friend Terry ran into me on my way to class.
在我去上课的路上遇到了我的朋友特里。