为什么要给珠峰测身高？
今天，珠峰高程测量登山队成功登顶，完成了峰顶测量任务，并创造了中国人在珠峰峰顶停留时长新纪录（150分钟）。
小朋友，你是否有很多问号？为什么要给珠峰测身高？为什么非要人去测，直升机、卫星呢？知道珠峰多高有什么用呢？我们开始今天的学习吧。
Why is Mount Everest so tall?
无注释原文：
Chinese Team Summits Everest Amid Bid to Remeasure Peak
The Associated Press
A Chinese survey team on Wednesday became the first and perhaps only group to climb Mt. Everest this year, part of a project to remeasure the exact height of the world's tallest mountain.
The ascent, reported by Chinese state media, comes after both China and Nepal canceled the spring climbing season on the mountain that straddles their border in a bid to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading among expedition teams that typically live for weeks in tightly packed camps with little access to emergency medical help.
That could make the Chinese survey team the only people this year to reach the peak of Everest, which has seen growing crowds of climbers and mounds of accumulated garbage in recent years as commercial operations make it easier to scale the mountain.
A 53-member team from China’s Ministry of National Resources has been conducting scientific work on Everest since early March. China’s network of Beidou satellites is being used in the survey to determine the mountain’s current height and natural resources, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Data on snow depth, weather and wind speed is also being measured to aid in glacier monitoring and ecological protection, it said.
China has conducted six major surveys of the mountain, known in China as Qomolangma, since the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949. It’s height was registered at 8,848.13 meters (29,029 feet) in 1975 and 8,844.43 meters (29,017 feet) in 2005.
Why it pays to measure Qomolangma
China Daily
Ask people to name the world's tallest peak and anybody with sound general knowledge will name Mount Qomolangma. But quiz them on its exact height and many will falter.
In 1975, Chinese surveyors determined that Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) was 8848.13 meters high. As technology improved, satellites, photoelectricity, radars and gravity measurement technologies were employed to get more exact figures. Of course, someone still had to carry instruments to what is the world's rooftop.
In 2005, a Chinese team scaled Qomolangma and found that it was not as high as that, as they calculated the height to be 8844.43 meters. A 30-member Chinese survey team is now measuring the peak's height again. The team marked a commencement ceremony on reaching a camp at 5,200 meters on Tuesday and is within reach of the summit.
Scaling Qomolangma is no mean task. The average air temperature there is -29 degrees Celsius, four degrees lower than in Antarctica. The snow there is 4-5 meters thick and hurricane-like winds blow all the time. Team members were training since January to cope with the extreme conditions.
In a nutshell, measuring the Qomolangma's height is a tall order, involving huge amounts of money and human resources. But it is worth the effort. Located at the point where the Eurasian plate meets the Indian plate, Qomolangma is the perfect window for observing crustal movements. And changes to the peak's height could indicate whether the two plates are heading toward or away from each other. Actually, Mount Qomolangma emerged from an ocean 38 million years ago as a result of the two plates colliding.
During the ongoing survey, the team also noted the condition of snow and other natural materials at the top, which could be an indicator of imminent climate change on the the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. That's why measuring the Qomolangma's height is so significant. Put to good use, it can benefit mankind.
- ◆ -
含注释全文：
Chinese Team Summits Everest Amid Bid to Remeasure Peak
The Associated Press
A Chinese survey team on Wednesday became the first and perhaps only group to climb Mt. Everest this year, part of a project to remeasure the exact height of the world's tallest mountain.
珠穆朗玛峰
有Mount Qomolangma和Mount Everest两种说法，在英文里Mount Everest说得更多一些。Google搜索结果中，“Mount Everest”找到约 20,000,000 条结果，而“Mount Qomolangma”仅约 193,000 条结果。
⛰️ Everest发音：/ˈɛvərɪst/ 注意区分和著名阿尔卑斯山脉作区分，英文为：Alps /ælps/
⛰️ The Alps are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe.
The ascent, reported by Chinese state media, comes after both China and Nepal canceled the spring climbing season on the mountain that straddles their border in a bid to prevent the new coronavirus from spreading among expedition teams that typically live for weeks in tightly packed camps with little access to emergency medical help.
ascent
表示“上升；升高；登高；攀登”，英文解释为“the act of climbing or moving up; an upward journey”，如：the first ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro 首次攀登乞力马扎罗山。
straddle /ˈstrædəl/
1）表示“跨过，横跨（河流、道路或一片土地）”，英文解释为“to cross, or exist on both sides of, a river, a road or an area of land”举个🌰：
The mountains straddle the French-Swiss border.
这座山脉横跨法国和瑞士边界。
2）横跨的可以是物理上的东西，也可以指精神文化的内容，可表示“横跨，同属（不同时期、活动或群体）；两栖于（不同活动）”，英文解释为“to exist within, or include, different periods of time, activities or groups of people”举个🌰：
He straddles two cultures, having been brought up in the United States and later converted to Islam.
他跨越两种文化，从小在美国受教育，后来又改信伊斯兰教。
expedition
表示“远征；探险；考察”，英文解释为“an organized journey with a particular purpose, especially to find out about a place that is not well known”，如：to plan/lead/go on an expedition to the North Pole 计划/带队/去北极探险。
That could make the Chinese survey team the only people this year to reach the peak of Everest, which has seen growing crowds of climbers and mounds of accumulated garbage in recent years as commercial operations make it easier to scale the mountain.
mound
表示“（一）堆，一（垛）”，英文解释为“a large pile of something”，如：a mound of potatoes/papers 一堆土豆/报纸。
scale
熟词僻义，表示“攀登；到达…顶点”，英文解释为“to climb to the top of sth very high and steep”，如；the first woman to scale the world's five highest peaks 第一位登上世界五大高峰的女性。
A 53-member team from China’s Ministry of National Resources has been conducting scientific work on Everest since early March. China’s network of Beidou satellites is being used in the survey to determine the mountain’s current height and natural resources, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Data on snow depth, weather and wind speed is also being measured to aid in glacier monitoring and ecological protection, it said.
glacier /ˈɡlæsɪə/
表示“冰川，冰河”，英文解释为“a large mass of ice that moves slowly”。
China has conducted six major surveys of the mountain, known in China as Qomolangma, since the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949. It’s height was registered at 8,848.13 meters (29,029 feet) in 1975 and 8,844.43 meters (29,017 feet) in 2005.
register
表示“显示（读数）；记录”，英文解释为“if a measuring instrument registers an amount or sth registers an amount on a measuring instrument, the instrument shows or records that amount”举个🌰：
The thermometer registered 25°C.
温度计显示读数为25摄氏度。
register一词，我们常见的含义是注册，登记。政府工作报告中也经常会出现这个词，比如今年2020政府工作报告中提到的：
以及2018年报告中提到的：
都有“显示；指示；表达”的含义（to record, show, or express something）。
- 📖 -
Why it pays to measure Qomolangma
China Daily
Ask people to name the world's tallest peak and anybody with sound general knowledge will name Mount Qomolangma. But quiz them on its exact height and many will falter.
general knowledge
表示“一般知识；常识”，英文解释为“knowledge of facts about a lot of different subjects”。
falter /ˈfɔːltə/
表示“（嗓音）颤抖；结巴地说；支吾其词；犹豫”，英文解释为“to speak in a way that shows that you are not confident”举个🌰：
His voice faltered as he began his speech.
他开始演讲时说话结结巴巴。
In 1975, Chinese surveyors determined that Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) was 8848.13 meters high. As technology improved, satellites, photoelectricity, radars and gravity measurement technologies were employed to get more exact figures. Of course, someone still had to carry instruments to what is the world's rooftop.
In 2005, a Chinese team scaled Qomolangma and found that it was not as high as that, as they calculated the height to be 8844.43 meters. A 30-member Chinese survey team is now measuring the peak's height again. The team marked a commencement ceremony on reaching a camp at 5,200 meters on Tuesday and is within reach of the summit.
Scaling Qomolangma is no mean task. The average air temperature there is -29 degrees Celsius, four degrees lower than in Antarctica. The snow there is 4-5 meters thick and hurricane-like winds blow all the time. Team members were training since January to cope with the extreme conditions.
no mean task
表示“绝非易事，不简单，不是容易的事，了不起的事，了不起的成就”，英文解释为“The task is not trivial, not easy, not beneath a person's capabilities. The task is difficult.”还有说，no mean achievement，no mean feat，举个🌰：
Getting the job finished on time was no mean achievement.
按时完成这项工作可真是不简单。
🎬 电影《大侦探福尔摩斯》（Sherlock Holmes）中的台词提到：She is no mean feat. 她可不是吃素的。
In a nutshell, measuring the Qomolangma's height is a tall order, involving huge amounts of money and human resources. But it is worth the effort. Located at the point where the Eurasian plate meets the Indian plate, Qomolangma is the perfect window for observing crustal movements. And changes to the peak's height could indicate whether the two plates are heading toward or away from each other. Actually, Mount Qomolangma emerged from an ocean 38 million years ago as a result of the two plates colliding.
crustal movements 地壳运动
in a nutshell
表示“简要地说，概括地说”，英文解释为“using as few words as possible”举个🌰：
Well, to put it in a nutshell, we're lost.
嗯，一句话，我们迷路了。
a tall order
和上一段说的no mean task含义类似，表示“离谱的要求，难以完成的任务；困难的任务；艰巨的任务，是件困难的事情；是件难以做到的事情”，英文解释为“to be something that is difficult to do”举个🌰：
Building the bridge in time for the Olympics will be a tall order.
赶在奥运会前及时修好这座桥是一件很难的事。
📺 美剧《国务卿女士》（Madam Secretary）中的台词提到：Getting a national parks designation is a tall order. 要被评为国家公园可不容易。
🎬 电影《海底总动员2：多莉去哪儿》（Finding Dory）中的台词提到：Uh, I know they're good friends of yours, but a truck is kind of a tall order. 我知道他们是你的好朋友 但是那可是一辆卡车啊。
plate
熟词僻义，表示“板块”，英文解释为“one of the very large pieces of rock that form the earth's surface and move slowly”，如：the Pacific plate 太平洋板块，the Eurasian plate 欧亚板块，the Indian plate 印度板块。
During the ongoing survey, the team also noted the condition of snow and other natural materials at the top, which could be an indicator of imminent climate change on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. That's why measuring the Qomolangma's height is so significant. Put to good use, it can benefit mankind.
the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau 青藏高原
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