5.0山脉
章节大纲
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How and why do mountains form?
::山脉是如何以及为什么形成的？
All mountains are old. Some are older than others. There is a process to mountain building. The process takes a very long time. Some mountains are still getting taller. Others have reached their peak. Others are being worn down by another process. Why do mountains form?
::所有的山都是古老的。有些人比其他人更老。造山有一个过程。这个过程需要很长时间。有些山还在增高。其他的已经达到了顶峰。另一些则被另一个过程所消耗。山脉为什么会形成？
The Earth’s crust is made of many plates. These plates are in constant motion. Areas of the crust get pushed up. This happens when Earth’s plates are moving towards each other. These areas are called mountain ranges. Mountain ranges contain many mountains.
::地壳是由许多板块组成的。这些板块在不停地运动。地壳的部分区域被推高。这发生在地球板块相互移动的时候。这些地区被称为山脉。山脉包含许多山脉。
Earth’s plates move very slowly. They move only centimeters per year. Scientists use special tools to measure this change. Mountain ranges are pushed up very slowly. It can take a long time for them to form.
::地球板块移动非常缓慢。它们每年只移动几厘米。科学家们使用特殊的工具来测量这种变化。山脉被缓慢地推高。它们可能需要很长时间才能形成。
Some mountains are very tall. You may have heard of the Himalayan Mountains. It is the tallest mountain range in the world. You may have heard of Mt. Everest. It is the tallest mountain in the world. This area has many other tall peaks.
::有些山很高。你可能听说过喜马拉雅山脉。它是世界上最高的山脉。你可能听说过珠穆朗玛峰。它是世界上最高的山。这个地区还有许多其他的高峰。
The Himalayan Mountain Range is still growing. It is very young. The range sits between two of Earth’s plates. These plates are moving towards each other. The Indian plate is moving to the north. It is colliding with the Asian plate. The collision is causing Earth’s crust to be pushed up.
::喜马拉雅山脉仍在扩大。它很年轻。该山脉位于地球的两个板块之间。这些板块在相互移动。印度板块正在向北移动。它正在与亚洲板块碰撞。碰撞导致地壳被推高。
People from all over come to this area. They want to climb these tall peaks. Only the best climbers in the world can climb Mt. Everest. Mt. Everest gets taller every year. Do you know why?
::来自世界各地的人们来到这个地区。他们想爬上这些高峰。只有世界上最好的登山者才能攀登珠穆朗玛峰。珠穆朗玛峰一年比一年高。你知道为什么吗？
Other mountains around the globe are much easier to climb. They are not nearly as tall as Mt. Everest. Why are they not as tall?
::世界上其他的山要容易得多。它们远没有珠穆朗玛峰那么高。为什么他们没有那么高？
In some places the collision of plates has stopped. The plates have stopped moving towards each other. The mountains are no longer getting taller. Another process now takes over. Over time, the mountains get smaller. They are worn away by rain, snow and ice. Their tall peaks get more round.
::在一些地方，板块的碰撞已经停止。板块之间已经停止了相互移动。山不再增高了。现在另一个过程起作用了。随着时间的推移，山脉变小了。它们被雨、雪和冰磨损了。它们高高的山峰变得更圆了。
It takes a long time for mountains to be built. It also takes a long time for them to be worn away. Earth’s processes never stop. There is always change happening. This change may be too slow for us to notice.
::造山需要很长时间。它们也需要很长时间才能磨损掉。地球的进程从未停止。变化总是在发生。这种变化可能太慢了，我们注意不到。
