零起点美语-The Dikes

The Dikes

堤防
A day at a beach on the North Sea. Kathy and Evan see their first dikes.
K:It's really heavenly here. It's not hot at all.
E:You know, the climate in the Netherlands is rather mild. It's hardly ever hot, and the winters don't get too cold, either.
K:Let's move here.
E:Whoa! We still have to visit Denmark and Sweden, not to mention the rest of Europe sooner or later. Besides, I don't think I could ever leave New York.
K:See ya!
E:Oh, stop it! You love New York, too.
K:That's true, but it sure is a treat to see something different and as beautiful as Holland.
E:You're right there. Hey, did you see those sea walls out in the ocean on our way here?
K:Yeah. What were they? Piers?
E:No, those are the dikes. They keep the sea water out and have allowed the Dutch for hundreds of years to reclaim land from the sea. Where we are right now used to be underwater.
K:Really? That's amazing! Well, just don't stand there. Help me look.
E:What for? Did you drop something?
K:No, silly. Help me look for some seashells!

北海海滩一日游。凯西和艾凡毕生第一次看到堤防。
凯西：这里真是人间天堂。天气一点也不热。
艾凡：你知道的，荷兰的气候相当温和，几乎没有炎热的天气，冬天也不会太冷。
凯西：咱们搬到这里吧。
艾凡：慢着！我们还要去丹麦和瑞典玩，更不用说有一天会到欧洲其它国家去。此外，我不认为我会离开纽约。
凯西：那拜拜了！
艾凡：哦，别闹了！你也喜爱纽约的。
凯西：没错，但是看看不同于纽约而且和荷兰一样美丽的事物确实是件愉快的事。
艾凡：你说得对。嘿，在我们来这儿的途中，你有没有看到外海中的那些海墙呢？
凯西：有啊。那些是什么东西？码头？
艾凡：不是的，那些东西叫做堤防。它们挡住了海水，数百年来一直帮助荷兰人与海争地。现在我们所在的地方以前是在水中。
凯西：真的？真是不可思议！那么就别光站在那儿。帮我找找看。
艾凡：找什么？你有东西掉了吗？
凯西：没有，呆子。帮我找些贝壳！