四 川 建 筑 职 业 技 术 学 院 授 课 教 案 Unit 4 Text A The Bermuda Triangle I. Introduction 1. Introductory Remarks The Bermuda Triangle, also called the Devil's Triangle, is an area of the Atlantic Ocean off southeast Florida, where the disappearance of ships and airplanes on a number of occasions has led to considerable interest in unexplainable losses and other atmospheric disturbances. Violent storms and downward air currents frequently occur there, but studies have not produced any convincing answers to the mystery of the triangle. Nevertheless, there are still many theories about the area. Some people go so far as to suggest that the disappearances are caused by unknown magnetic forces from outer space or from the bottom of the sea. But there are still many people who don't recognize the triangle as a dangerous zone. They are convinced that "the majority of disappearances (in the triangle) can be attributed to the area's unique environmental features." Boundaries of the Bermuda Triangle are formed by drawing an imaginary line from Melbourne, Fla., to Bermuda, to Puerto Rico, and back to Florida. These boundaries vary, however, among many writers, if not all, who are trying to establish a Bermuda Triangle "mystery" by their mysterious accounts. Yet, so far, nobody is so certain. 2. Introductory Questions Exercise 1 Additional questions based on the Introductory Remarks: 1 ) Are there any studies which can clearly explain the mystery? 2) What is one of the interesting explanations given by some scientists and authors? 3) Why do some other people not regard the triangle as a dangerous place? 4) How do you look at this mysterious area? Exercise 3 after reading the passage II. Outline A. The Mysterious Disappearances (Paras. 1 - 3) l. 5 U.S. Navy bombers (Flight 19) (Dec. 5, 1945) 2. More than 50 ships and 20 plans in all, including: --the U.S. Navy ship Cyclops (1918) -- the merchant vessel Marine Sulphur Queen (1963) -- 2 U.S. Air Force KC 135 planes (1963) 3. The U.S. Navy nuclear submarine Scorpion (1968) B. The Possible Theories Proposed (Paras. 4 - 6) 1. Unknown magnetic forces 2. Underwater volcanic action 3. The lost continent of Atlantis 四 川 建 筑 职 业 技 术 学 院 授 课 教 案 4. A product of journalism 5. A "nothing special" triangle III. Detailed Study of the Text 1 ....on a routine training flight over the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida. -- ... on a regular training flight over the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida. routine: (esp. of work) ordinary and regular; according to rule e.g. It is necessary for you to have a routine medical checkup at least once a year. The first knowledge-based expert program was written in 1967, which could predict the structures of unknown chemical compounds based on routine analyses. A computer is an apparatus built to perform routine calculations with speed, reliability, and ease. cf. regular: l) happening often with the same length of time between the occasions e.g. He heard the regular noise (tick) of the clock. 2) happening, coming, doing something, again and again at the same times each day, week, etc. e.g. She is a regular customer in this shop. 3) happening every time e.g. Regular attendance at church on Sundays is important for Christians. 4) proper; according to rule or custom e.g. He knows a lot about the law but he's not a regular lawyer. 2. A short time later the base received ... base: a place from which one goes and to which one returns when working over a large areas, esp. where one keeps supplies, etc. e.g. The air base was closed and there are no more planes here now. With the ending of the Cold War, a lot of American bases in the UK have been closed. cf. basis: the main or most important part, idea, fact, motive, etc. e.g. On what basis do you suggest spending more money in that area? There is no basis for his opinion that computers may some day replace human beings. 3 ....but no trace of the missing planes or their pilots was found. -- ... but nobody discovered any sign of the lost planes or their pilots. trace: a mark or sign showing the former presence or passing of some person, vehicle, or event e.g. Did the police find any trace of the murderer? The Bermuda Triangle is an area of the Pacific Ocean where ships are said to have disappeared without trace. So far no trace of water in any form has been found on the Moon. missing: that cannot be found or that is not in its usual place; lost e.g. In order to improve worldwide forecasting procedures, the World Weather Watch (WWW) 四 川 建 筑 职 业 技 术 学 院 授 课 教 案 uses a network of international centers to obtain previously missing data. The two sides have failed to reach an agreement on the issue of prisoners of war and those missing in action. 4. They had simply and inexplicably disappeared. -- These planes and their pilots had just become lost without explanation. 5. This event was sufficient to confirm in many people's minds ... -- This event was sufficient to make people believe/feel certain ... confirm: to make someone feel or believe something even more strongly; establish the truth of something e.g. What you have told me about John confirmed me in my suspicion/confirmed my suspicion that he has stolen my gold watch. The rumor that there was flooding was confirmed by a news broadcast. He sent the written request to confirm his telephone order. 6 ....-- a section of the North Atlantic bounded roughly by Bermuda, ... Bermuda really was haunted, and in some mysterious way was responsible for the loss of ships and planes. ... -- a part/an area of the North Atlantic more or less surrounded by Bermuda .... -- really was an area full of mystery where ghosts regularly appear, and in some mysterious way caused the loss of ships and planes/was the cause of disappearance of ships and planes. bound: 1) to mark the edges of; keep within a certain space e.g. The US is bounded on the north by Canada and on the south by Mexico. North America is bounded on three sides by the sea. 2) (usu. pl.) limit e.g. Man's imagination may sometimes extend beyond the bounds of space and time. He could never keep his bad temper within bounds. cf. A ball bounds back when it is thrown on the pavement. (to bounce; spring; jump) Of course we cannot expect to attain our desires at a single bound. (a jumping movement) He hasn't got any money; so he's bound to mm up sooner or later. (to be certain to) haunt: l) (esp. of a spirit) to visit; visit (a place) regularly e.g. People say that the old house is haunted by a ghost. 2) to cause repeated anxiety or worry e.g. A wrongdoer is constantly haunted by fear of discovery. be responsible for: 1) to have done or been the cause of esp. something bad e.g. Who's responsible for this terrible mess? 2) to have the duty of e.g. The teacher made him responsible for keeping the class in order while she went 四 川 建 筑 职 业 技 术 学 院 授 课 教 案 out. 3) to be sensible, trustworthy, and able to make good moral and practical judgment e.g. You can leave the children with him -- he is very responsible. 7. In ail, in this area ..., more than 50 ships and 20 planes have mysteriously disappeared. -- Altogether more than 50 ships and 20 planes have inexplicably disappeared in this area ... in all: all being counted; altogether; as the total e.g. You have four apples and I have three bananas, making seven pieces of fruit in all. She visited, in all, twelve schools in the US last year. cf. In all, I hope that you will enjoy learning about communication and find it as rewarding and fascinating as I do. (= in short) 8. In other words, it is not only small boats and planes that have vanished in the area, but the most modern and best equipped too. -- That is to say, not only small boats and planes but also the most modem and best equipped ones have suddenly disappeared in the area. in other words: expressed in a different way; that is to say e.g. It was a perfectly ordinary day; in other words, I went to work and came home again. Your performance in the exam did not reach the required standard -- in other words, you failed. vanish: to disappear completely and suddenly e.g. Their fear vanished when the storm ended. The magician waved his hand, and the hat suddenly vanished into thin air. 9. .... like others before her, ... --... like other ships that had disappeared before .... 10. ....but the reason for her loss has not been properly explained. -- ... but till now no satisfactory explanation has ever been given why the US Navy nuclear submarine was missing. properly: 1) suitably; correctly e.g. I'm learning German, but I still can't speak it properly. 2) really; actually; exactly e.g. She's not, properly speaking, a nurse, as she hasn't been trained, but she has looked after many sick people. 3) completely; thoroughly e.g. He's properly muddled! 11. Many theories about the area have been proposed, and whole books have been written on the subject. -- Many theories about the area have been put forward, and whole books have been written 四 川 建 筑 职 业 技 术 学 院 授 课 教 案 about the mysterious disappearance of ships and planes in the Bermuda. propose: to put forward sth. for consideration; suggest e.g. I propose a short break before we continue the work. (= I propose to have a short rest .../I propose having a short rest .../I propose that we (should) have a short rest ... ) He proposed we go into the city to see Wheatley. subject: something being considered; the main area of interest treated in a work (esp. written) e.g. He wrote to me on the subject of changing his job. I was told to write a short essay and take "My Holiday" as the subject. cf. She takes three subjects in her examination. (a branch of knowledge studied as in a system of education) His strange clothes were the subject of great amusement. (a cause) She gave the test to the seven subjects. (a person or animal chosen to experience something or to be studied in an experiment) 12 ....and another that suggests the lost continent of Atlantis ..., is involved. -- ... and another theory that suggests the lost continent of Atlantis .... has a strong connection with the disappearances of ships. involve: to include e.g. Effective communication involves the development of several skills. Housekeeping involves cooking, washing dishes, sweeping, and cleaning. cf. 1) involve sb. in: to get someone into a complicated or difficult condition e.g. We hope not to involve them in our difficulties. John was involved in the trouble. 2) be/become involved with: to become closely connected with e.g. A firm may invite job applicants to become involved with the company. While he was in Thailand he became involved with a group of people engaged in drug trafficking. (毒品交易 ) 13 .... this imaginary triangle of water ... imaginary: existing only in the mind or imagination; not real e.g. The equator is an imaginary line. Although the main characters in the novel are so true to life, they are entirely imaginary. cf. imaginative: showing the use of imagination; good at thinking of new, interesting ideas, and at forming pictures in one's mind. e,g. The artist's imaginative use of color delighted the critics. An imaginative set designer can always enhance a play. an imaginary story ( 表示一个完全虚构的故事~ ) an imaginative story ( 表示根据提供的已知素材，加以想象而写成的一个故事) 14. After al!, ships, boats and planes are lost at sea in all parts of the world due to 四 川 建 筑 职 业 技 术 学 院 授 课 教 案 weather, mechanical failure or human error, ... -- In spite of what has been mentioned above, ships, boats and planes are missing at sea all over the world either because of bad weather, or because of mechanical failure, or because of the mistakes made by human beings themselves. due to: because of; caused by e.g. His success is entirely due to hard work. The price of gold rose again, due in part to rumors of war. error: a mistake; the state of being wrong in behaviour or beliefs e.g. The bank made an error in my account. It wasn't all Jane's fault when she left Bill; there were errors on both sides. The accident was caused by human error. A mistake in the map led the traveler into error. 15. The Marie Celeste, an American cargo boat, for example, was found in 1872 off the coast of Portugal in perfect order but with no crew on board. For instance, an American cargo boat the Marie Celeste was discovered at sea near Portugal in a very good condition but those who work on a ship disappeared without trace. cargo: (one load of) the goods or freight carried by a ship, plane, or vehicle e.g. We sailed to Newcastle with a cargo of coal. We can't take any more cargo; we're full already. cf. goods: articles for sale e.g. There's a large variety of leather goods in the shops. in perfect order: working extremely well; in good condition e.g. The car is in perfect order and worth every penny I'm asking for it. The TV set was bought 10 years ago but it is still in perfect order. crew: all the persons working on a ship, aircraft; train, etc. e.g. The crew are paid to do all the work on the ship. All sixty-eight passengers and six crew members died in the crash. 16. Were all the crew killed by some unknown agent? Were all the crew killed by something unknown to us? agent: a thing that works to produce a result e.g. Rain and the sun are agents which help plants to grow. Gravity is the agent that draws objects to earth. cf. She is not a good actress, but she gets a lot of parts because she has a good agent. (a person who for someone or some business) 17. Did they try to escape from some danger or other? Did they try to escape from some danger or from some other possible dangerous situation? 18. However, regardless of the theories ... that a higher percentage of accidents and losses occur in this section ... Nevertheless, in spite of the theories concerning the "Bermuda Triangle", ships, boats and planes go on sailing or flying through the region very frequently, and there has been no proof that 四 川 建 筑 职 业 技 术 学 院 授 课 教 案 more accidents and losses take place in this part than in other areas of the world's oceans. regardless of: without worrying about or taking account of e.g. They decorated the house regardless of the cost. All our proposals were rejected, regardless of their merits. occur: to take place; happen e.g. The tragedy occurred only minutes after takeoff. The rule may save your life when an emergency occurs. cf. occur to: (of an idea) to come to (someone's) mind e.g. This name just did not occur to my memory. It suddenly occurred to him that this was something he should never do. IV. Summary of the Text Five bombers from a US Naval Air Station on a routine training flight over the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida inexplicably disappeared together with the planes sent to look for them on the 5th December, 1945. The US navy nuclear submarine Scorpion disappeared without explanation in May 1968. The Marie Celeste, an American cargo boat was found in 1872 off the coast of Portugal in perfect order but with no crew on board. More than 50 ships and 20 planes have mysteriously disappeared there. What on earth has caused these losses? Magnetic forces? Underwater volcanic action? Or the lost continent of Atlantis? No one knows. Though we have so many theories and speculations about the area, it is more likely that there is nothing special about it. V. Text-related Information 1, The Bermuda Triangle: also called the Devil's Triangle, is a section of the North Atlantic Ocean off southeast Florida, with a triangle-shaped area covering about 3 900 000 sq. kin. in total, formed by drawing an imaginary line between the island of Bermuda, the coast of southern Florida, and Puerto Rico. 2. Bermuda: a British colony including over 300 coral islands in the N. Atlantic, 965 km. east of the southern USA. Main island: Bermuda. Naval and air bases were leased (1941) to the USA for 99 years. 3. Puerto Rico: the easternmost island of the Great Anflles, comprising with Vieques, Culebra and Monals, a territory of the USA. Florida: a state formed by a low-lying peninsula at the southeastern tip of the USA.