The Alaska pipeline starts at the frozen edge of the Arctic ocean. It stretches southward across the largest and northernmost state in the United States, ending at a remote ice-free seaport village nearly 800 miles from where it begins. It is massive in size and extremely complicated to operate.
The steel pipe crosses windswept plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops the frozen ground. It weaves through crook canyons, climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags, makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.
Resting on H-shaped steel racks called " bents," long sections the pipeline follow a zigzag course high above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the surface later on. The pattern of the pipelines's up-and-down route is determined by the often harsh demands of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet, depending largely upon the type of terrain and the properties of soil.
One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest and most expensive construction project ever undertaken by private industry. in fact, no single business could raise that much money, so 8 major oil companies formed a consortium in order to share the cost. Each company controlled oil rights to particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid into the pipeline-construction fund according to the size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed and is operating.
重點(diǎn)單詞：
pipeline : n. 管道,傳遞途徑
frozen : a. 凍結(jié)的,冰冷的,冷酷的;vbl. freeze 的過(guò)去分詞
arctic : a. 北極的,極寒的;n. 北極圈,北極地方
stretch : n. 伸展,張開,連綿,一段路,一段時(shí)間;a. 可伸縮的,彈性的;vt. 伸展,張開,曲解,使過(guò)度伸展;vi. 伸展,延伸
ice-free : a. 不會(huì)冰凍的,不凍的
massive : a. 大而重的,寬大的,宏偉的
extremely : ad. 極端地,非常地,很
complicated : a. 復(fù)雜的
steel : n. 鋼,鋼制品,鋼鐵,堅(jiān)硬,堅(jiān)固;a. 鋼的,鋼制的,鋼鐵業(yè)的,堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的;vt. 使堅(jiān)強(qiáng),鋼化,使冷酷
windswept : a. 被風(fēng)吹掃的,暴露在風(fēng)中的
plain : n. 平原,草原;a. 簡(jiǎn)單的,明白的,平常的,清晰的,普通的,樸素的;ad. 清楚地;n. 無(wú)格式
endless : a. 不停的,無(wú)窮盡的,無(wú)盡的
delicate : a. 細(xì)致優(yōu)雅的,微妙的,美味的
tundra : n. 苔原,凍土地帶
weave : n. 編法,織法,編織;vt. 編織,組合,編排,使迂回前進(jìn);vi. 紡織,迂回行進(jìn),搖晃
crook : n. 鉤,彎曲部分,惡棍;vt. 使彎曲,詐騙;vi. 彎曲
canyon : n. 峽谷,溪谷
sheer : a. 絕對(duì)的,全然的,徹底的,透明的,峻峭的,純粹的;vi. 躲開,躲避,偏航,;vt. 使避開,使偏航;ad. 完全,全然,峻峭;n. 偏航
plunge : n. 鉆進(jìn),跳進(jìn),跳水,盲目投資,投入,跳水池,下跌,落下;vi. 投入,跳進(jìn),陷入,下降,急降;vt. 使投入,使插入,使陷入,使遭受
crag : n. 峭壁,危巖
forest : n. 森林,林木;vt. 植樹于
stream : n. 水流,小河,流出,趨勢(shì),人潮;vt. 流出,流動(dòng),展開;vi. 流,涌,飄揚(yáng)
diameter : n. 直徑
barrel : n. 桶;vt. 裝入桶內(nèi)
crude : a. 天然的,未成熟的,粗糙的,粗魯?shù)?n. 天然的物質(zhì)
pump : n. 抽水機(jī),打氣筒,泵,追問(wèn),抽吸,盤問(wèn);vt. 用唧筒抽水,打氣,盤問(wèn),使疲憊,灌輸,傾注;vi. 抽水,盤問(wèn),上下往復(fù)運(yùn)動(dòng)
rack : n. 架,行李架,飼草架,行云,痛苦,拷問(wèn)臺(tái),小步跑,燒酒,齒條,擱物架,破壞;vt.放在架上, 在架上制作, 折磨,壓榨,加以拷問(wèn),使痛苦,扭傷,榨取;vi. 在飼草架裝滿干草,變形,傾斜,(云)隨風(fēng)飄,(馬)小步跑
bent : a. 彎曲的,決心的;vbl. 彎曲;n. 愛好
zigzag : n. 曲折,Z字形;a. 曲折的,鋸齒形的;ad. 曲折地,成鋸齒形地;vt. 使成之字形,使曲折;vi. 成之字形,彎曲地走路
spongy : a. 海綿狀的,海綿質(zhì)的,多孔的
pattern : n. 模范,典型,式樣,模式,樣品,格調(diào),圖案;vt. 模仿,仿造,以圖案裝飾;vi. 形成圖案
route : n. 路徑,途徑,路線;vt. 確定路線,按規(guī)定路線發(fā)送
harsh : a. 粗糙的,刺耳的,嚴(yán)厲的
subarctic : a. 靠近北極的,亞北極的
tortuous : a. 扭曲的,彎曲的,羅嗦的,欺騙的
composition : n. 作文,著作,組織
permafrost : 多年凍土,永凍土
permanently : ad. 永久性的
elevated : a. 提高的
remainder : n. 剩余物,其他的人,殘余,余數(shù);vt. vi. 廉價(jià)出售;a. 剩余的,出售剩書的
bury : vt. 埋葬,埋藏
terrain : n. 地帶,地域,地形,領(lǐng)域,范圍
approximately : ad. 大約,大致,近乎
undertake : vt. 從事,保證,承擔(dān),同意,接受
private : a. 私人的,秘密的,私立的,隱蔽的;n. 士兵,陰部
consortium : n. 協(xié)會(huì),公會(huì),國(guó)際資本家聯(lián)合
particular : n. 個(gè)別項(xiàng)目,詳細(xì)說(shuō)明;a. 特別的,獨(dú)有的,挑剔的
shortage : n. 不足,缺乏
treacherous : a. 叛逆的,危險(xiǎn)的,背叛的,不可靠的
terrain : n. 地帶,地域,地形,領(lǐng)域,范圍
theft : n. 盜竊,盜竊罪,贓物
The steel pipe crosses windswept plains and endless miles of delicate tundra that tops the frozen ground. It weaves through crook canyons, climbs sheer mountains, plunges over rocky crags, makes its way through thick forests, and passes over or under hundreds of rivers and streams. The pipe is 4 feet in diameter, and up to 2 million barrels (or 84 million gallons) of crude oil can be pumped through it daily.
Resting on H-shaped steel racks called " bents," long sections the pipeline follow a zigzag course high above the frozen earth. Other long sections drop out of sight beneath spongy or rocky ground and return to the surface later on. The pattern of the pipelines's up-and-down route is determined by the often harsh demands of the arctic and subarctic climate, the tortuous lay of the land, and the varied compositions of soil, rock, or permafrost (permanently frozen ground). A little more than half of the pipeline is elevated above the ground. The remainder is buried anywhere from 3 to 12 feet, depending largely upon the type of terrain and the properties of soil.
One of the largest in the world, the pipeline cost approximately $8 billion and is by far the biggest and most expensive construction project ever undertaken by private industry. in fact, no single business could raise that much money, so 8 major oil companies formed a consortium in order to share the cost. Each company controlled oil rights to particular shares of land in the oil fields and paid into the pipeline-construction fund according to the size of its holdings. Today, despite enormous problems of climate, supply shortages, equipment breakdowns, labor disagreements, treacherous terrain, a certain amount of mismanagement, and even theft, the Alaska pipeline has been completed and is operating.
重點(diǎn)單詞：
pipeline : n. 管道,傳遞途徑
frozen : a. 凍結(jié)的,冰冷的,冷酷的;vbl. freeze 的過(guò)去分詞
arctic : a. 北極的,極寒的;n. 北極圈,北極地方
stretch : n. 伸展,張開,連綿,一段路,一段時(shí)間;a. 可伸縮的,彈性的;vt. 伸展,張開,曲解,使過(guò)度伸展;vi. 伸展,延伸
ice-free : a. 不會(huì)冰凍的,不凍的
massive : a. 大而重的,寬大的,宏偉的
extremely : ad. 極端地,非常地,很
complicated : a. 復(fù)雜的
steel : n. 鋼,鋼制品,鋼鐵,堅(jiān)硬,堅(jiān)固;a. 鋼的,鋼制的,鋼鐵業(yè)的,堅(jiān)強(qiáng)的;vt. 使堅(jiān)強(qiáng),鋼化,使冷酷
windswept : a. 被風(fēng)吹掃的,暴露在風(fēng)中的
plain : n. 平原,草原;a. 簡(jiǎn)單的,明白的,平常的,清晰的,普通的,樸素的;ad. 清楚地;n. 無(wú)格式
endless : a. 不停的,無(wú)窮盡的,無(wú)盡的
delicate : a. 細(xì)致優(yōu)雅的,微妙的,美味的
tundra : n. 苔原,凍土地帶
weave : n. 編法,織法,編織;vt. 編織,組合,編排,使迂回前進(jìn);vi. 紡織,迂回行進(jìn),搖晃
crook : n. 鉤,彎曲部分,惡棍;vt. 使彎曲,詐騙;vi. 彎曲
canyon : n. 峽谷,溪谷
sheer : a. 絕對(duì)的,全然的,徹底的,透明的,峻峭的,純粹的;vi. 躲開,躲避,偏航,;vt. 使避開,使偏航;ad. 完全,全然,峻峭;n. 偏航
plunge : n. 鉆進(jìn),跳進(jìn),跳水,盲目投資,投入,跳水池,下跌,落下;vi. 投入,跳進(jìn),陷入,下降,急降;vt. 使投入,使插入,使陷入,使遭受
crag : n. 峭壁,危巖
forest : n. 森林,林木;vt. 植樹于
stream : n. 水流,小河,流出,趨勢(shì),人潮;vt. 流出,流動(dòng),展開;vi. 流,涌,飄揚(yáng)
diameter : n. 直徑
barrel : n. 桶;vt. 裝入桶內(nèi)
crude : a. 天然的,未成熟的,粗糙的,粗魯?shù)?n. 天然的物質(zhì)
pump : n. 抽水機(jī),打氣筒,泵,追問(wèn),抽吸,盤問(wèn);vt. 用唧筒抽水,打氣,盤問(wèn),使疲憊,灌輸,傾注;vi. 抽水,盤問(wèn),上下往復(fù)運(yùn)動(dòng)
rack : n. 架,行李架,飼草架,行云,痛苦,拷問(wèn)臺(tái),小步跑,燒酒,齒條,擱物架,破壞;vt.放在架上, 在架上制作, 折磨,壓榨,加以拷問(wèn),使痛苦,扭傷,榨取;vi. 在飼草架裝滿干草,變形,傾斜,(云)隨風(fēng)飄,(馬)小步跑
bent : a. 彎曲的,決心的;vbl. 彎曲;n. 愛好
zigzag : n. 曲折,Z字形;a. 曲折的,鋸齒形的;ad. 曲折地,成鋸齒形地;vt. 使成之字形,使曲折;vi. 成之字形,彎曲地走路
spongy : a. 海綿狀的,海綿質(zhì)的,多孔的
pattern : n. 模范,典型,式樣,模式,樣品,格調(diào),圖案;vt. 模仿,仿造,以圖案裝飾;vi. 形成圖案
route : n. 路徑,途徑,路線;vt. 確定路線,按規(guī)定路線發(fā)送
harsh : a. 粗糙的,刺耳的,嚴(yán)厲的
subarctic : a. 靠近北極的,亞北極的
tortuous : a. 扭曲的,彎曲的,羅嗦的,欺騙的
composition : n. 作文,著作,組織
permafrost : 多年凍土,永凍土
permanently : ad. 永久性的
elevated : a. 提高的
remainder : n. 剩余物,其他的人,殘余,余數(shù);vt. vi. 廉價(jià)出售;a. 剩余的,出售剩書的
bury : vt. 埋葬,埋藏
terrain : n. 地帶,地域,地形,領(lǐng)域,范圍
approximately : ad. 大約,大致,近乎
undertake : vt. 從事,保證,承擔(dān),同意,接受
private : a. 私人的,秘密的,私立的,隱蔽的;n. 士兵,陰部
consortium : n. 協(xié)會(huì),公會(huì),國(guó)際資本家聯(lián)合
particular : n. 個(gè)別項(xiàng)目,詳細(xì)說(shuō)明;a. 特別的,獨(dú)有的,挑剔的
shortage : n. 不足,缺乏
treacherous : a. 叛逆的,危險(xiǎn)的,背叛的,不可靠的
terrain : n. 地帶,地域,地形,領(lǐng)域,范圍
theft : n. 盜竊,盜竊罪,贓物