【双语有声阅读】内卡河上木筏行(2)

These rafts were of a shape and construction to the crookedness¹ and extreme narrowness of the Neckar.

 

这些木筏的形状和结构都适用于内卡河道弯曲和极狭窄的特点。

They were from fifty to one hundred yards long, and they gradually tapered² from a nine-log breadth at their sterns, to a three-log breadth at their bow-ends.

它们的长度由100码逐渐缩为50码，由尾部9根原木的宽度缩小到头部3根的宽度。

The main part of the steering³ is done at the bow, with a pole;the three-log breadth there furnishes room for only the steersman, for these little logs are not larger around that an average young lady's waist.

主要的舵是一根撑篱，安装在木筏的前部。3根原木的宽度，只能容纳一个舵手，因为这些小木材的粗细也不过一名普通妇女的腰围大小。

The connections of the several sections of the raft are slack and pliant⁴, so that the raft may be readily bent⁵ into any sort of curve required by the shape of the river.

木筏几部分的连接是松散的，灵活性也较强，以便随时变向来适应河流任何水流形式的需要。

The Neckar is in many places so narrow that a person can throw a dog across it, if he has one;when it is also sharply curved in such places, the raftsman has to do some pretty nice snug⁶ piloting to make the turns.

内卡河的很多地方都非常狭窄，以至于你可以把一只小狗扔到对面。当一些地方水流陡变时，撑筏者就不得不使出几招绝技，引航变向。

The river is not always allowed to spread over its whole bed—which is as much as thirty, and sometimes forty yards wide.

河流并不总是淹没整个河床—河床的宽度达到30码，有些地方甚至达到40码。

but is split into three equal bodies of water, by stone dikes which throw the main volume,depth,and current into the central one.

但是石堤把注入其中的水流分隔成三等份，并把主要的水量汇集到中心水道中去。

In low water these neat narrow-edged dives project four or five inches above the surface, like the comb of a submerged roof, but in high water they are overflowed⁸.

在浅水期，这些整齐的、狭窄的石堤会露出水面四五英寸，就像被淹没的房屋的屋顶。但在深水期，它们就都会被河水淹没。

A hatful of rain makes high water in the Neckar, and produces an overflow⁷.

在内卡河，一帽子的雨水就能使水位上涨，一满筐的雨水就会使水决堤！

There are dikes abreast⁹ the Schloss Hotel, and the current s vioiontty swift at that point.

舒劳斯旅馆与几条堤坝走向相同，与它并排的那一段，水流湍急。

I used to sit for hours in my glass caoe, watching the long, narrow rafts slip along through the central channel.

我时常坐在自己的房间，透过玻璃看那长而狭窄的木筏沿着中心水道。

1 crookedness   

[医]弯曲

参考例句：

• She resolutely refused to believe that her father was in any way connected with any crookedness. 她坚决拒绝相信她父亲与邪魔歪道早有任何方面的关联。
• The crookedness of the stairway make it hard for the child to get up. 弯曲的楼梯使小孩上楼困难。

2 tapered   

adj. 锥形的，尖削的，楔形的，渐缩的，斜的 动词taper的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The tail tapered to a rounded tip. 尾部越来越细，最后成了个圆尖。
• The organization tapered off in about half a year. 那个组织大约半年内就逐渐消失了。

3 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

4 pliant   

adj.顺从的；可弯曲的

参考例句：

• She's proud and stubborn,you know,under that pliant exterior.你要知道，在温顺的外表下，她既自傲又固执。
• They weave a basket out of osiers with pliant young willows.他们用易弯的柳枝编制篮子。

5 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

6 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

7 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。

8 overflowed   

溢出的

参考例句：

• Plates overflowed with party food. 聚会上的食物碟满盘盈。
• A great throng packed out the theater and overflowed into the corridors. 一大群人坐满剧院并且还有人涌到了走廊上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 abreast   

adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地

参考例句：

• She kept abreast with the flood of communications that had poured in.她及时回复如雪片般飞来的大批信件。
• We can't keep abreast of the developing situation unless we study harder.我们如果不加强学习，就会跟不上形势。