Yaël: Hey Don, whatch'a doing?

嘿，Don, 你在干什么？Don: Booking a trip to Glacier National Park. I want to go there before the glaciers disappear.

订张去冰川国家国家公园的票。在冰川融化之前我想去那儿一趟。

Y: What do you mean?

你是什么意思啊？D: Scientists predict that within twenty years the park's remaining glaciers will melt away.

科学家们预测20年之内这个公园内的冰川将渐渐融化。

Y: Why?

为什么啊？

D: Whether it's because of human industry or natural cycles, temperatures are rising. And when temperatures rise, glaciers melt.

不管是因为人类工业还是自然循环，气温都在逐渐上升。而当气温上升时，冰川就会融化。

Y: Forgive me for sounding insensitive, but so what? Glaciers are nice to look at, but what difference will it make if they melt?

原谅我的后知后觉，但是那又如何？冰川看起来很漂亮，但是如果它们融化又会有什么不同呢？

D: Glaciers are more than just pretty pictures. They're the main sources for many rivers that people depend on for drinking water, irrigation, and hydroelectric power.

冰川不只是壮美这么简单。它们是许多河流的源头。人们的饮用水、灌溉和水力电气的能源都需要依赖这些河流。

Y: So are rivers drying up?

那么，河流会变得干涸吗？D: Not yet, but the amount of glacier water affects a river's flow volume.

还不确定，但冰川水的量会影响河水的流量。

The lower the flow volume the less water there is for drinking, power, and everything else people depend on rivers for.

流量越少，供人们饮用，发电以及做其他一切事的水就会越少。

Also, greater water volume helps dilute a river's chemical content.

另外，丰富的水量可以帮助稀释河流内的化学物质。

The less water a river has, the higher the chemical concentration, which can pollute a lake fed by the river.

一条河的水量越少，其内的化学物质浓度就会越高。这会污染这条河注入的湖泊。Y: I didn't know that. But how about this...Higher temperatures mean that more water will evaporate from the oceans, which means more precipitation, including snow.

我倒不清楚那个。但这个呢？温度越高就意味着海洋的水将会有更多被蒸发，也就是说降水量也会增多，包括雪。

So maybe some glaciers will actually grow even though it's getting warmer.

所以说尽管气候是在变暖，但冰川的数量还可能会增加。D: Some scientists make that argument, but most don't buy it.

有些科学家做出了那样的论断，但大部分人并不认同。

Sure, some glaciers are growing temporarily thanks to unusual amounts of snow, but they're the exception to the rule.

确实，一些冰川的暂时性生长是因为不寻常的降雪数量，但这只是冰川生成过程中的例外情况。

Generally, glaciers grow when the amount of snow that melts in the summer is less than the amount that falls in the winter.

一般来说，夏天雪融化的数量少于冬天降雪的数量时才会生成冰川。

Right now, more snow is melting than falling.

现在，融化的雪量比降雪量多。

Y: I guess you should book that trip.

我想你该订下这趟旅程。