英语听书《海底两万里》第417期 第25章 地中海四十八小时(44)

 Oho! We know that, do we? Captain Nemo replied in a tone of mild surprise. Well, professor, we have good reason to know it because it's the truth.  啊！人们知道这事吗？”尼摩船长回答，语气有点惊异。那么，教授，人们当然知道，因为这是事实。

I might add, in fact, that the air bladders of fish contain more nitrogen than oxygen when these animals are caught at the surface of the water, and conversely, more oxygen than nitrogen when they're pulled up from the lower depths.  我还要说，鱼类的缥子，当鱼是在水面上捕得的，里面藏有的氮多于氧，但从水深处捉到它们时就相反，氧多于氮。

Which bears out your formulation. But let's continue our observations. 这也是证明您所说的这一点是对的。

My eyes flew back to the pressure gauge¹. The instrument indicated a depth of 6,000 meters. Our submergence had been going on for an hour.  现在我们继续做我们的观察我的眼光盯在压力表上面。表指六千米的深处。我们下沉开始以来有一小时了。

The Nautilus slid downward on its slanting² fins³, still sinking.  诺第留斯号跟它的纵斜机板溜下去，老是往下沉。

These deserted⁴ waters were wonderfully clear, with a transparency impossible to convey. An hour later we were at 13,000 meters-about three and a quarter vertical⁵ leagues--and the ocean floor was nowhere in sight. 汪洋无物的海水显得十分透明；这种透亮性简直无法形容。再过一小时后，我们到一万三千米，即三里又四分之一深了，但人们还没有感到就要抵达海底。

However, at 14,000 meters I saw blackish peaks rising in the midst of the waters.  但是，到了一万四千米的时候，我看见带黑色的尖顶从海水中间露出来。

But these summits could have belonged to mountains as high or even higher than the Himalayas or Mt. Blanc, and the extent of these depths remained incalculable. 不过这些尖顶可能是属于跟喜马拉雅山或白山一样高或更高的山的峰顶，下面的深渊还是深不可测。

Despite the powerful pressures it was undergoing, the Nautilus sank still deeper.  诺第留斯号虽然受到强大压力，但仍然继续下降。

I could feel its sheet-iron plates trembling down to their riveted⁶ joins; metal bars arched; bulkheads groaned⁷; the lounge windows seemed to be warping⁸ inward under the water's pressure.  我感觉它的钢板在螺旬·衔接的地方都颤动了，白的方格铁板有些弯起来了，它的中间隔板发出悲鸣了，客厅的玻璃窗受海水的压力好像要凹陷了。

And this whole sturdy mechanism⁹ would surely have given way, if, as its captain had said, it weren't capable of resisting like a solid block. 如果这架坚固的机器，不像它的船长所说过的，坚硬得像一大块实铁：那它一定早就要垮了。

1 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

2 slanting   

倾斜的，歪斜的

参考例句：

• The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。
• The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。

3 fins   

[医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌

参考例句：

• The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关，与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
• Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句

4 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

5 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

6 riveted   

铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意

参考例句：

• I was absolutely riveted by her story. 我完全被她的故事吸引住了。
• My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes. 我的注意力被灌木丛中的轻微晃动吸引住了。

7 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 warping   

n.翘面，扭曲，变形v.弄弯，变歪( warp的现在分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾，

参考例句：

• Tilting, warping, and changes in elevation can seriously affect canals and shoreline facilities of various kinks. 倾斜、翘曲和高程变化可以严重地影响水渠和各种岸边设备。 来自辞典例句
• A warping, bending, or cracking, as that by excessive force. 翘曲，弯曲，裂开：翘曲、弯曲或裂开，如过强的外力引起。 来自互联网

9 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。