英语听书《海底两万里》第505期 第31章 章鱼(12)

 Its unstable¹ color would change with tremendous speed as the animal grew irritated, 它身上的颜色不稳定，极其迅速，地随着这头动物的情绪激动程度变化而变化，

passing successively from bluish gray to reddish brown. 从灰白色一直变到红褐色。

What was irritating this mollusk²?  是什么激恼了这只软体动物呢？

No doubt the presence of the Nautilus, even more fearsome than itself,  可能是由于比它更巨大的“鹦鹉螺号” 的出现，

and which it couldn't grip with its mandibles or the suckers on its arms.  而且它的吸盘或者下颚又抓不住这只船的缘故吧。

And yet what monsters these devilfish are, what vitality³ our Creator has given them, 然而，这些章鱼是怎样的怪物啊！造物主赋予了它们怎样的生命力，

what vigor⁴ in their movements, thanks to their owning a triple heart! 它们竟然有三个心脏，它们的动作是多么的有力啊！

Sheer chance had placed us in the presence of this squid,  偶遇把我们带到这只枪乌贼面前，

and I didn't want to lose this opportunity to meticulously⁵ study such a cephalopod specimen⁶. 我不想失去一次对这一种头足类动物，种类进行仔细研究的机会。

I overcame the horror that its appearance inspired in me, picked up a pencil, and began to sketch⁷ it. 我克服了由于它的外貌而引起的心理恐惧，拿起，一只铅笔，开始画下它的样子。

Perhaps this is the same as the Alecto's, Conseil said. “这可能是那艘‘阿利敦号’船只遇到的那只章鱼，”康塞尔说。

"Can't be," the Canadian replied, "because this one's complete while the other one lost its tail!"  “不是，”加拿大人回答说，“那只失去了尾巴，而这只身体完整。” 

"That doesn't necessarily follow," I said.  “这不是个理由，”我回答说，

"The arms and tails of these animals grow back through regeneration, and in seven years the tail on Bouguer's Squid has surely had time to sprout⁸ again." “这类动物的爪子和尾巴能慢慢重新长出来，已经七年了，‘布格尔的枪乌贼’的尾巴大概有时间重新长出来的。”

"Anyhow," Ned shot back, "if it isn't this fellow, maybe it's one of those!" “再说，”尼德接着说，“如果这只不是‘布格尔的枪乌贼’，那么那些里面可能有一只是它。” 

Indeed, other devilfish had appeared at the starboard window.  果然，在船右舷的玻璃窗前又出现了另一些章鱼。

I counted seven of them.  我数了一下，共七条。

They provided the Nautilus with an escort, and I could hear their beaks⁹ gnashing on the sheet-iron hull¹⁰. 它们在给“鹦鹉螺号”护航呢，我听到了它们的嘴巴啃着船壳的铁皮发出的，咯咯声。

We couldn't have asked for a more devoted¹¹ following. 我们成了它们希望中的食物了。

1 unstable   

adj.不稳定的，易变的

参考例句：

• This bookcase is too unstable to hold so many books.这书橱很不结实，装不了这么多书。
• The patient's condition was unstable.那患者的病情不稳定。

2 mollusk   

n.软体动物

参考例句：

• I swear I have never seen such a mollusk with thorns all over its body.我敢发誓我从来没有见过这种全身长满棘刺的软体动物。
• The colour varies with the mollusk and its environment.颜色因母体及其环境的不同而异。

3 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

4 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

5 meticulously   

adv.过细地，异常细致地；无微不至；精心

参考例句：

• The hammer's silvery head was etched with holy runs and its haft was meticulously wrapped in blue leather. 锤子头是纯银制成的，雕刻着神圣符文，而握柄则被精心地包裹在蓝色的皮革中。 来自辞典例句
• She is always meticulously accurate in punctuation and spelling. 她的标点和拼写总是非常精确。 来自辞典例句

6 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

7 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

8 sprout   

n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条

参考例句：

• When do deer first sprout horns?鹿在多大的时候开始长出角？
• It takes about a week for the seeds to sprout.这些种子大约要一周后才会发芽。

9 beaks   

n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者

参考例句：

• Baby cockatoos will have black eyes and soft, almost flexible beaks. 雏鸟凤头鹦鹉黑色的眼睛是柔和的，嘴几乎是灵活的。 来自互联网
• Squid beaks are often found in the stomachs of sperm whales. 经常能在抹香鲸的胃里发现鱿鱼的嘴。 来自互联网

10 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

11 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。