Nile Valley: Civilization Shaped by Flow

课文

1. For over 5,000 years, the Nile’s predictable annual floods deposited rich silt along its banks.

   五千多年来，尼罗河每年规律性的泛滥，都在两岸沉积下肥沃的淤泥。

2. Ancient Egyptians aligned pyramids and temples with celestial patterns tied to the river’s cycles.

   古埃及人将金字塔和神庙的朝向与尼罗河周期相关的天体运行模式对齐。

3. The Aswan High Dam, completed in 1970, ended natural flooding but enabled year-round irrigation.

   1970年建成的阿斯旺高坝终结了自然泛滥，却实现了全年灌溉。

4. Without seasonal floods, farmers now depend on chemical fertilizers to replace lost nutrients.

   没有了季节性泛滥，农民如今只能依靠化肥来补充流失的养分。

5. Lake Nasser, formed behind the dam, stores water but also traps sediment that once renewed farmland.

   大坝后形成的纳赛尔湖虽可蓄水，却也截留了原本滋养农田的泥沙。

6. Upstream dams in Ethiopia, like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, raise concerns about downstream water sharing.

   埃塞俄比亚在上游修建的大坝（如复兴大坝）引发下游水资源分配担忧。

7. Cairo’s rapid growth strains aging infrastructure built for far fewer residents decades ago.

   开罗的快速扩张，正使几十年前为远少人口设计的老化基础设施不堪重负。

8. Archaeologists continue uncovering settlements buried beneath layers of ancient flood deposits.

   考古学家仍在尼罗河古泛滥沉积层下不断发现被掩埋的古代聚落。