英语听书《海底两万里》第399期 第25章 地中海四十八小时(25)

 I can see, captain, that nature is your obedient servant, any time or any place. You're safe on this lake, and nobody else can visit its waters.  船长，我看见大自然随时随地都被您所利用，给您方便。您在这湖中很安全，除了您，没有谁能到这湖水中来。

But what's the purpose of this refuge? The Nautilus doesn't need a harbor. 可是这港口有什么用呢？诺第留斯号并不需要停泊的地方。

No, professor, but it needs electricity to run, batteries to generate its electricity, sodium¹ to feed its batteries, coal to make its sodium, and coalfields from which to dig its coal.  是的，它不需要停泊的地方，教授。但它需要电力发动，需要原料发电，需要钠产生电原料，需要煤制造钠，需要煤坑采掘煤炭。而正是在这里，海水淹没了无数森林，这些森林在地质时期就埋人沙上了。

Now then, right at this spot the sea covers entire forests that sank underwater in prehistoric² times; today, turned to stone, transformed into carbon fuel, they offer me inexhaustible coal mines. 现在僵化成石了，变为煤炭了，对我来说，它们是采不尽的矿藏。

So, captain, your men practice the trade of miners here? 船长，那么，您的人员到这里来都做矿工的职业了。

Precisely³. These mines extend under the waves like the coalfields at Newcastle. Here, dressed in diving suits, pick and mattock in hand, my men go out and dig this carbon fuel for which I don't need a single mine on land.  正是这样。这些矿藏摆在海水下面，像纽卡斯尔的媒坑一样。就在这地方，穿上潜水衣，手拿锄和铲，我的人员去采煤，我因此用不着向地上的旷藏要煤。

When I burn this combustible⁴ to produce sodium, the smoke escaping from the mountain's crater⁵ gives it the appearance of a still-active volcano. 当我烧这种燃料来制造钠的时候，从这山的旧火口出去的烟，表面看来它还是一座仍在喷火的火山。

And will we see your companions at work? 我们可以看到您的同伴们做挖煤的工作吗？

No, at least not this time, because I'm eager to continue our underwater tour of the world. Accordingly, I'll rest content with drawing on my reserve stock of sodium.  不，至少这一次看不到，因为我很急，要继续我们的海底周游。所以，我只把我所储藏的钠拿来使用罢了。

We'll stay here long enough to load it on board, in other words, a single workday, then we'll resume our voyage. So, Professor Aronnax, if you'd like to explore this cavern⁶ and circle its lagoon⁷, seize the day. 装载钠的时间，仅仅是一天，我们又要继续开行赶路了。如果您想在这岩洞中走走，周游这咸水湖，阿龙纳斯先生，那您就利用这一天的时间吧。

1 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

2 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

3 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

4 combustible   

a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物

参考例句：

• Don't smoke near combustible materials. 别在易燃的材料附近吸烟。
• We mustn't take combustible goods aboard. 我们不可带易燃品上车。

5 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

6 cavern   

n.洞穴，大山洞

参考例句：

• The cavern walls echoed his cries.大山洞的四壁回响着他的喊声。
• It suddenly began to shower,and we took refuge in the cavern.天突然下起雨来，我们在一个山洞里避雨。

7 lagoon   

n.泻湖，咸水湖

参考例句：

• The lagoon was pullulated with tropical fish.那个咸水湖聚满了热带鱼。
• This area isolates a restricted lagoon environment.将这一地区隔离起来使形成一个封闭的泻湖环境。