那些海滩上好玩的事

    Put on your suit and grab your shades! It's a beautiful day for the beach. The sun is strong, and the day is warm. Crowds are heading to the ocean shore.

　　快快换好泳衣，戴上墨镜！今天正是去海滩的好天气。阳光明媚，天气温暖，人们成群结队地涌向海滩。

　　Looking past the People 海滩上的人们

　　Beach towel dot the sand with color. Plastic buckets and balls roll around in the breeze. You can swim. You can splash. You can wade¹ or just rest. There are lots of things to do today.

　　随处可见的大浴巾把海滩点缀得五颜六色。塑料小桶和沙滩球在海风的吹拂下四处滚动。你可以游泳，打水仗，还可以在浅滩上玩水，或者干脆休息休息。今天有许多事情可以做。

　　It seems that people bring all the activity to the beach. But the sandy shore is a busy place even without the many people who visit. And the wind and waves change it all the time. There's lots of interesting science to discover at the beach.

　　似乎是人们让海滩变得生机勃勃，不过即使没有这些游客，海滩仍然是个很热闹的地方。风浪一直在改变着海滩的面貌，这里有许多有趣的科学知识等你去发现。

　　Want to know more about the sandy shore? Well, let's see.

　　想知道更多关于海滩的事情吗？好吧，就让我们来看看。

　　See History in the Sand 了解沙子的由来

　　Sand! It's everywhere. It sticks to your face and hands. It even gets inside your sandwich. Where does it all come from?

　　沙子！这里到处都是沙子，不仅沾上了你的脸和手，甚至还跑到了你的三明治里。沙子究竟是从哪里来的呢？

　　Day after day, year after year, wind and water pound the shore. The pounding breaks shells and rocks into little pieces. As the grinding goes on, the pieces get small. Over a long time, tiny grains of sand are made. Wind and water move these grains to many places along the shore.

　　日复一日，年复一年，风浪不停地冲击着海岸，把贝壳和岩石撞成很小的碎粒。在风浪的冲刷下，这些碎粒被磨得越来越小，很久以后就形成了很小的沙粒。风浪又把这些沙粒沿着海岸线带到许多地方。

　　Did you know that sand can be many different colors? Some sand is yellow. Some is red. Some is even pale purple. The color of sand comes from the rocks or shells it was made from. Some rocks from volcanoes break down to form black sand.

　　你知道吗？沙可以有很多不同的颜色。有些沙是黄色的，有些是红色的，甚至还有些是浅紫色的。不同颜色的岩石和贝壳形成不同颜色的沙。有些火山岩被撞碎后会形成黑色的沙。

You've probably noticed that water makes sand stick together. Then it is easy to mold. The next time you play in the sand, just think about where the sand came from. It's hard to believe it could end up making a great sand castle.

　　你大概注意到了，水能让沙子粘在一起，这样沙子就很容易被塑成各种形状。下次在海滩玩耍的时候，想想沙是怎么来的，你很难相信这个过程最终结局会是一座大沙堡。

　　Watch Shore Birds Fly 看滨鸟翱翔

　　Pelicans³ dive. s run. Seagulls swoop⁵. Have you ever noticed all the birds at the beach?

　　鹈鹕一头扎入海中，矶鹞在沙滩上奔跑，海鸥从半空猛冲下来。你有没有留意过海滩上的各种鸟类呢？

　　Birds that live along the sandy shore have learned how to use both land and water. They nest on land. And they get much of their food from the ocean.

　　生活在海滩上的鸟很清楚如何同时利用陆地和大海。它们在陆地上筑巢，从大海里获取大部分食物。

　　One of the most common birds on the sandy shore is the seagull. There are many different kinds. Often you hear high-pitched cries of the gulls⁴ as they search for food. It is a sound that is as common as the crashing waves.

　　海滩上最常见的一种鸟类就是海鸥。海鸥有许多种。你常常可以听到正在捕食的海鸥发出尖厉的叫声。在海滩上，这叫声就和海浪拍岸的声音一样正常。

　　Brown pelicans are large birds with an interesting look. You've probably noticed that they have big pouches⁷ at the bottom of their beaks⁹. The pouch⁶ acts like a scoop¹⁰. When brown pelicans spot a fish in the ocean, they dive straight at it. In the water, the pelican²'s beak⁸ opens for the fish. Water rushes into the pouch, carrying the fish with it. The pelican quickly closes its beak. The water drains out of the pouch--but the fish is trapped. The pelican can then gobble the fish right down.

　　褐鹈鹕是一种模样有趣的大鸟。你大概已经注意到了它们的喙下面那个大大的喉囊，它的作用就像一把大勺子。褐鹈鹕一发现海里有鱼，就会一头扎进水里，把喙打开，让海水跟鱼一起冲进喉囊，然后立刻把喙闭合。水会从喉囊流出去，而喉囊中的鱼则被和鹈鹕直接吞了下去。

　　On the beach, there's so much interesting science to learn. Plus it changes every time you visit.

　　海滩上有趣的科学知识真是太多了。而且，你每一次到访，海滩就会呈现一派新的气象。