大自然的景色变化万千。昼夜的更迭、季节的变换、日月星辰、山川地貌，都令我们惊叹不已。这些景象的英文名称我们大概都已学过不少了。但跟这些常用词语有关的习惯用语，你又懂多少呢？
这里给同学们介绍一些自然景象名称 mountain，coral，earth，ocean构成的英语习惯用语，配上汉语对照，使你明白它们的含义、用法及有关知识。生动有趣的漫画更可加深你的印象，学习英语词语就变成了一件轻松愉快的事了。英汉对照，你还可以从中揣摩翻译技巧，只要你从阅读中找到乐趣，那就是最大的收获。
mountain 山
The highest mountain on earth is Mt． Qomolangma．All mountaineers consider it as the
GREatest prize in life to reach its peak．
If your father works in an office，he may occasionally have a mountain of paperwork to
do．If your family is a big one，your mother may have a mountain of house hold duties to do．
“To make a mountain out of a molehill” is to make an unimportant matter seem important．When a person gets very angry because of a small joke played on him，you can say he makes a
mountain out of a mole hill．
地球上最高的山峰是珠穆朗玛峰。所有登山运动员都把爬上其峰顶视作是人生的最大收获。
如果你爸爸在办公室工作，他偶尔会有堆积如山的文书要处理。如果你的家是个大家庭，你的妈妈也许会有一大堆家务要做。
“把山丘夸作大山（小题大作）”就是使不重要的事情显得很重要。一个人因为有人向他开个小玩笑便大发雷霆，这时候你就可以说，他把小事情看得过于严重了。
coral 珊瑚
Coral is a stone like mate rial formed in the sea by the bones of very small sea animals．Coral reefs are formed by the growth of coral，so are coral islands．Is the same true of coral trees？Not at all．“Coral tree”is the name of several tropical trees of shrubs which bear large，brightly coloured flowers．
Coral is known for its bright colours and various shapes．It is often used for making
decorations or jewelry．Has your mother a coral bracelet？
A coral bracelet is made of coral；a coral table cloth is not．It is a table cloth whose colour is pinkish-red，like that of coral．
珊瑚是海上小动物骨骼在海中形成的类似石头的物质。珊瑚礁由珊瑚增长而形成，珊瑚岛也是这样。珊瑚树也是这个样子的吗？完全不是的。“珊瑚树”是好几种热带树木或灌木的名称，开有宽阔、色泽鲜艳的花朵。
珊瑚以其鲜艳的颜色和多姿的形态而闻名。它常常用于装饰和制作饰物。你妈妈有没有珊瑚手镯呢？
珊瑚手镯用珊瑚做成；而珊瑚红桌布却不是的。它是一种色泽略带粉红、像珊瑚般颜色的桌布。
earth 土地，地球
As a pupil or student，you certainly know the earth revolves on its axis and at the same time moves around the sun．
“On earth”means“in the world”．The Nile is the longest river on earth．“What on earth are you doing？”is equal to“What in the world are you doing？”But in this case the two phrases are both used only for emphasis．They are usually used after such words as“what”，“who”and“where”．
Some people have aims which are too high to achieve．They should come down to earth and be practical．
你作为小学生或中学生，肯定知道，地球自转并同时环绕太阳旋转。
“在地球上”意思是“在世界上”。尼罗河是地球上最长的河流。“你究竟在做什么？”等于“你到底在做什么？”在这种情况下，两个短语都用于加强语气。它们通常都用在what、 who和whe re等词之后。
有些人定下的目标太高，无法达到。他们应该脚踏实地，讲求实际。
ocean 洋
There are three vast oceans in the world：The Pacific Ocean，the Atlantic Ocean and the
Indian ocean．There is a small fourth ocean—the Arctic Ocean．
Do you know anything about Oceania？ It is a general name for the region of the central and south Pacific，including Australia and New Zealand．
Now look at these two idioms：“oceans of something”and“a drop in the ocean”． Study the following example and you can see how they can be used：“A project like the new airport in Hong Kong calls for oceans of money．For such a project the sum of a million dollars is only a drop in the ocean．”
世界上有三大洋：太平洋、大西洋和印度洋。还有第四个小洋——北冰洋。
关于大洋洲，你知道些什么吗？那是太平洋中部和南部区域的总称，包括了澳大利亚和新西兰。
请看看这两条成语：oceans of something（大量，许多）和a drop in the ocean（沧海之一滴，极少）。学学下面的例句你就会知道怎么使用它们：“像香港新机场这样的工程需要极其大量的钱。对这个项目来说，一百万元的金额也仅仅是沧海之一滴。”
