英语听书《海底两万里》第30期 第3章 随您先生的便(8)

 　　I left Conseil to the proper stowing of our luggage and climbed on deck to watch the preparations for getting under way.

　　我留下康塞尔安顿我们的箱子，独自一个人上了甲板，观看准备开船的操作。

　　Just then Commander Farragut was giving orders to cast off the last moorings holding the Abraham Lincoln to its Brooklyn pier¹.

　　这时候，法拉古舰长正要人解开布洛克林码头缆柱上拴住林肯号的最后几根铁索。

　　And so if I'd been delayed by a quarter of an hour or even less, the frigate² would have gone without me,

　　看来如果我迟到一刻钟，半刻钟，船就会开走，

　　and I would have missed out on this unearthly, extraordinary, and inconceivable expedition, whose true story might well meet with some skepticism.

　　我也就不能参加这次出奇的、神秘的、难以相信的远征了。

　　But Commander Farragut didn't want to waste a single day, or even a single hour, in making for those seas where the animal had just been sighted.

　　这次远征的经过，虽然是真实记录，将来可能还会有人怀疑的。法拉古舰长不愿意耽搁一天甚至一小时，他要赶快把船开到那个动物所在的海中。

　　He summoned his engineer.

　　他把船上的工程师叫来了。

　　"Are we up to pressure?" he asked the man.

　　“蒸汽烧足了吗？”舰长问他。

　　"Aye, sir," the engineer replied.

　　“烧足了，舰长。”工程师答。

　　"Go ahead, then!" Commander Farragut called.

　　“开船！”法拉古舰长喊。

　　At this order, which was relayed to the engine by means of a compressed-air device, the mechanics activated³ the start-up wheel.

　　开船的命令通过话筒传到机器房，轮机人员接到命令，立即让机轮转动起来。

　　Steam rushed whistling into the gaping⁴ valves. Long horizontal pistons⁵ groaned⁶ and pushed the tie rods of the drive shaft⁷.

　　蒸汽涌入半开的机关中；发出呼呼的啸声。一排排横列的活塞发出格格的声响，推动机轴的杠杆。

　　The blades of the propeller⁸ churned the waves with increasing speed, and the Abraham Lincoln moved out majestically⁹ amid a spectator-laden escort of some 100 ferries and tenders.

　　推进器的轮翼不断加大速率，搅动海水，于是林肯号在上百只满载观众前来送别的渡轮和汽艇的行列中，庄严地向前行驶着。

1 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

2 frigate   

n.护航舰，大型驱逐舰

参考例句：

• An enemy frigate bore down on the sloop.一艘敌驱逐舰向这只护航舰逼过来。
• I declare we could fight frigate.我敢说我们简直可以和一艘战舰交战。

3 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

4 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 pistons   

活塞( piston的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some pistons have seating rings of metal or leather. 有些活塞上有金属或皮革的密封环。
• A pump uses valves and pistons. 泵使用阀和活塞。

6 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》

7 shaft   

n.(工具的)柄，杆状物

参考例句：

• He was wounded by a shaft.他被箭击中受伤。
• This is the shaft of a steam engine.这是一个蒸汽机主轴。

8 propeller   

n.螺旋桨，推进器

参考例句：

• The propeller started to spin around.螺旋桨开始飞快地旋转起来。
• A rope jammed the boat's propeller.一根绳子卡住了船的螺旋桨。

9 majestically   

雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地

参考例句：

• The waters of the Changjiang River rolled to the east on majestically. 雄伟的长江滚滚东流。
• Towering snowcapped peaks rise majestically. 白雪皑皑的山峰耸入云霄。