翻译题
Take a minute to familiarize yourself with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). 【F1】It's a massive ocean current system that's critical to the stability of our climate, as it moves a significant amount of heat from the Southern Hemisphere and the tropics up toward the North Atlantic, where that heat is released to the atmosphere. For Europe and North America, the AMOC helps regulate how seasons are experienced. But in a study published Friday in the journal Nature Communications, scientists at the University of South Florida (USF) used NASA data to conclude that Greenland's rapidly melting ice sheet could be slowing down the AMOC, (according to a map of the surface currents (solid curves) and deep currents (dashed curves) that form a portion of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation). And that could be a problem. 【F2】As the Greenland ice sheet melts and the meltwater runs off (and it's running off much faster than previously thought according to the latest research), more and more cold freshwater is pushed into the Labrador Sea. The scientists used data from NASA's gravity-sensing GRACE satellite mission to determine that freshwater is significantly "freshening" the North Atlantic Ocean. Freshwater is more buoyant than salt water, and the GRACE mission can detect that subtle difference in height—and therefore gravitational pull—of the more-buoyant water. 【F3】The Greenland runoff, then, "has the potential to increase the buoyancy of surface waters and reduce formation of dense, deep water that helps drive the overturning circulation," explained Don Chambers, a professor of marine science at USF College and an author on the study, in a statement. That, in turn, could "weaken," or slow down, the AMOC. In other words, this ocean current could be knocked off-kilter. "The major effect of a slowing AMOC is expected to be cooler winters and summers around the North Atlantic, and small regional increases in sea level on the North American coast," Chambers said. 【F4】On a global scale, however, the effects are much harder to understand—but could be more consequential. "The AMOC and Gulf Stream are part of a complex global ocean circulation system that is still not completely understood," Tom Dixon, another USF professor and author on the study, said. "【F5】If human activities are starting to impact this system, it is a worrying sign that the scale of human impacts on the climate system may be reaching a critical point."
【答案解析】①此句为较复杂的主从复合句，句中包含两个定语从句和一个原因状语从句。主句带有一个that引导的定语从句，修饰主句中的表语ocean current system；句末的定语从句2补充说明逗号前的地点the North Atlantic。②主句中的定语从句，that既是引导词，又充当从句的主语，be critical to sth．为固定搭配，意为“对某事至关重要”。③第一个逗号后是由as连接的原因状语从句，其中from the Southern Hemisphere…the North Atlantic为介词短语作从句的地点状语，意为“从南半球和热带地区输送到北大西洋”。④where引导的定语从句2修饰先行词the North Atlantic，说明把热量释放到大气中的地点是北大西洋。句中包含一个被动结构：be+过去分词，be released to意为“被释放到……”。hemisphere意为“半球”；the tropics意为“热带地区”。
【答案解析】①此句为一个主从复合句，带有一个伴随状语从句。括号内的内容可视为插入语，对括号前的内容作补充说明，指出最新研究发现融水流失的速度远比预想的快，according to the latest research作括号内的状语成分。②主句中谓语使用了被动语态be pushed…，意为“被推到……”，在这里是“流入”的意思，指淡水流入了拉布拉多海。
【答案解析】①本句是由but连接两个简单句的并列句，两个简单句都是主系表结构，主语均为the effects。②句子开头的On a global scale为地点状语，说明这些影响很难被人们理解的地点范围。③分句1含有比较级形容词，much harder意为“更难的”。分句2同样带有一个形容词比较级作表语，more consequential意为“更重要的”。consequential意思是“结果的；重要的”。
【答案解析】①本句为较复杂的主从复合句，带有一个条件状语从句，主句中带有that引导的主语从句。②主句中的it是形式主语，真正的主语为that引导的主语从句that the scale of．．．on the climate system…a critical point。介词短语on the climate system作后置定语，修饰the scale of human impacts，说明人类影响规模的对象。impact on…意为“对……的影响”。