英语听书《海底两万里》第490期 第30章 从合恩角到亚马逊河(13)

 These were manatees¹, which belong to the order Sirenia, like the dugong and Steller's sea cow. 这些海牛像海马和大海马一样，属于人鱼目。

Harmless and unaggressive, these fine animals were six to seven meters long and must have weighed at least 4,000 kilograms each. 这些美丽、安详、温顺的动物，长6至7米，体重至少有4000公斤。

I told Ned Land and Conseil that farseeing nature had given these mammals a major role to play. 我告诉尼德·兰和康塞尔，有远见的造物主赋予这些哺乳动物一个重要的角色。

In essence, manatees, like seals, are designed to graze the underwater prairies,  的确，正是它们，像海豹一样，以海中的海草为食，

destroying the clusters of weeds that obstruct² the mouths of tropical rivers. 把阻塞热带河流出海口的大面积海草消灭掉。

"And do you know," I added, "what happened since man has almost completely wiped out these beneficial races?  “你们知道吗，”我补充说，“当人类差不多将这些有用的动物种类统统消灭光时，会有什么后果吗？

Rotting weeds have poisoned the air, and this poisoned air causes the yellow fever that devastates³ these wonderful countries. 那就是，腐烂了的海草就会毒化空气，而有毒的空气会导致黄热病，使这个富饶的地区变得一片荒凉。

This toxic⁴ vegetation has increased beneath the seas of the Torrid Zone, 而有害的植物就会蔓延滋长在这片酷热的海里，

so the disease spreads unchecked from the mouth of the Rio de la Plata to Florida!" 疾病就会不可抵制地从普拉塔的里约河口，一直蔓延到佛罗里达。”

And if Professor Toussenel is correct, 但如果按杜斯耐尔的观点，

this plague is nothing compared to the scourge⁵ that will strike our descendants once the seas are depopulated of whales and seals. 这种灾难比起海里的鲸鱼和海豹数量减少而带给我们的后代的灾难来说，那还不算什么。

By then, crowded with jellyfish, squid, and other devilfish, the oceans will have become huge centers of infection, 海洋里到处充斥着章鱼、水母和枪乌贼，海洋将变成一个巨大的疾病传染源，

because their waves will no longer possess "these huge stomachs that God has entrusted⁶ with scouring⁷ the surface of the sea." 因为现在海里不再存在着那些“上帝派来清扫海面的大胃口动物”。

Meanwhile, without scorning these theories, the Nautilus's crew captured half a dozen manatees. 然而，尽管明了这些道理，“鹦鹉螺号”船上的人还是捕捉了6只海牛。

In essence, it was an issue of stocking the larder⁸ with excellent red meat, even better than beef or veal⁹. 这其实是为了充实船上的食品储备，这种美味的海牛肉比牛肉和小牛肉还好吃。

1 manatees   

n.海牛（水生哺乳动物，体宽扁，尾圆，有鳃状肢）( manatee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The manatees tamed quickly. 海牛很快地被驯服。 来自互联网
• Gentle and slow moving, manatees are said to be the mythical mermaids of sailors' imaginations. 海牛游动温和而缓慢，被认为是海员遐想中富有神秘色彩的美人鱼。 来自互联网

2 obstruct   

v.阻隔，阻塞(道路、通道等)；n.阻碍物，障碍物

参考例句：

• He became still more dissatisfied with it and secretly did everything in his power to obstruct it.他对此更不满意，尽在暗里使绊子。
• The fallen trees obstruct the road.倒下的树将路堵住了。

3 devastates   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的第三人称单数 )；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮

参考例句：

• Strip mining devastates whole regions, leaving bare and useless ground. 露天矿产毁坏全部区域，离开赤裸和无用的地面。 来自互联网
• Prostitution is a profession that devastates the lives of young women. 雏妓这个职业是对女孩子极度的摧残。 来自互联网

4 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

5 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

6 entrusted   

v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He entrusted the task to his nephew. 他把这任务托付给了他的侄儿。
• She was entrusted with the direction of the project. 她受委托负责这项计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 scouring   

擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤

参考例句：

• The police are scouring the countryside for the escaped prisoners. 警察正在搜索整个乡村以捉拿逃犯。
• This is called the scouring train in wool processing. 这被称为羊毛加工中的洗涤系列。

8 larder   

n.食物贮藏室，食品橱

参考例句：

• Please put the food into the larder.请将您地食物放进食物柜内。
• They promised never to raid the larder again.他们答应不再随便开食橱拿东西吃了。

9 veal   

n.小牛肉

参考例句：

• She sauteed veal and peppers,preparing a mixed salad while the pan simmered.她先做的一道菜是青椒煎小牛肉，趁着锅还在火上偎着的机会，又做了一道拼盘。
• Marinate the veal in white wine for two hours.把小牛肉用白葡萄酒浸泡两小时。