英語聽力文摘460 氣候變化與小提琴
為什么史特拉第瓦里小提琴聲音那么美妙?
A:What did i tell you?
B:You're right Yaoyao.This is a beautiful piece.
A:It should be.
B:What's so special about Stradivarius violins?
A:That’s something that musicians and scientists have been trying to figure out for centuries. Scientists at the University of Tennessee and Columbia University think that the violins’ unique sound has to do with climate change.
Between 1645 and 1715 Western Europe experienced what’s known as the “Maunder Minimum,” a period of unusually cold weather due to the sun’s reduced activity during the time. Temperatures may have dropped by two degrees Celsius, which was enough to make trees grow more slowly. Slower tree growth produces stronger, denser wood.
B:Let me guess. The scientists think that a violin maker like Stradivarius used wood from these slowly growing, denser trees to make violins.
A:Right! If the scientists are correct, the special quality of the wood is one factor that allows a Stradivarius violin to produce such brilliant tones.
B:Is it possible for today's violin makers to use techonology to make violins that sound just as good as Stradivarius?
A:Maybe.In fact, nearly all Stradivarius violins have been modified over the centuries so that they don’t sound much like they did originally. If Stradivarius were alive today, he might not even recognize the sound.
A:我告訴過你什么來著?
B:瑤瑤，你說的很對，這是一首美妙的曲子。
A:它本該如此。
B:那瓦里小提琴有什么特別的呢?
A:那就是音樂家和科學家們幾世紀以來一直試圖尋覓的東西。田納西大學和哥倫比亞大學的科學家們覺得該小提琴的獨特聲音與氣候變化有關。
在1645年至1715年期間，西歐歷經了一個名為“蒙德極小期”的時期。在這期間，因為太陽活動減弱，天氣異常的冷。氣溫降了2℃，這足以讓樹木生長的更加緩慢，產出更堅硬，密度更大的木頭。
B:讓我來猜猜?？茖W家應該覺得像制造“史特拉第瓦里”這樣的小提琴制造者就用了來自這些生長緩慢、且木質密度高的樹的木頭吧!
A:是的!如果科學家(的想法)是對的，那種有特殊品質的木頭就是讓瓦里小提琴可以發(fā)出如此絕妙聲音的原因之一。
B:那現在的小提琴生產者還可能用什么技術來讓小提琴的聲音像“史特拉第瓦里”嗎
A:或許吧!事實上，幾乎所有的瓦里小提琴都已經在這幾世紀發(fā)生改變了，以至于它們現在的聲音并沒有像最開始那樣好聽。如果斯特拉迪瓦里現在還活著的話，他或許都不能聽出這個聲音了吧!
Vocabularies：
Maunder Minimum:蒙德極小期,1645-1715年[順治2年—康熙54年]太陽活動非常衰微的時期。
University of Tennessee:(美)田納西大學
Columbia University：(美)哥倫比亞大學
Stradivarius：斯特拉迪瓦里(1644～1737)。他是是迄今最偉大的小提琴制作家。22歲制成第一把完美的。1700～1725年制作了許多傳世名琴，1737年所制琴稱“天鵝號”，標簽上加注“93歲作”，仍為后世使用的名琴。他一生制小提琴約950把，中提琴、大提琴約150把，傳至今日有線索可查者約500～800把。各琴皆有別號，價值連城。他還制作過琉特、吉他、曼陀林等。
