英语听书《海底两万里》第259期 第20章 托列斯海峡(7)

 　　It's the heartland of the blacks who occupy all Malaysia, Mr.de Rienzi has said;  雷恩兹说过：巴布亚是占据全部马来亚的黑人的集中地。

　　and I hadn't the foggiest inkling that sailors' luck was about to bring me face to face with these daunting¹ Andaman aborigines. 我很相信，这次航行的偶然机会，已经把我拉到可怕的安达孟尼人面前来了。

　　So the Nautilus hove before the entrance to the world's most dangerous strait, a passageway that even the boldest navigators hesitated to clear:  诺第留斯号于是驶到地球上最危险的海峡口上来了，这海峡，就是很大胆的航海家也差点儿不敢冒险通过，

　　the strait that Luis Vaez de Torres faced on returning from the South Seas in Melanesia,  路易·已兹·德·托列斯从南方海上回到美拉尼西亚群岛时，曾经冒险穿过，

　　the strait in which sloops² of war under Captain Dumont d'Urville ran aground in 1840 and nearly miscarried with all hands.  1840年，杜蒙·居维尔的几艘船搁浅在那里，几乎全部都要沉没了。

　　And even the Nautilus, rising superior to every danger in the sea, was about to become intimate with its coral reefs. 诺第留斯号虽然可以超越海中所有的危险，现在也要来试试这珊瑚礁石群的厉害了。

　　The Torres Strait is about thirty-four leagues wide, but it's obstructed³ by an incalculable number of islands, islets, breakers,  托列斯海峡约有三十四里宽，但有无数的小岛、岛屿、

　　and rocks that make it nearly impossible to navigate⁴.  暗礁和岩石堵在里面，给航行带来很多困难，几乎没法前进。

　　Consequently, Captain Nemo took every desired precaution in crossing it.  因此，尼摩船长为了安全通过这海峡，采取了必要的措施。

　　Floating flush with the water, the Nautilus moved ahead at a moderate pace.  诺第留斯号浮在水而上前进，

　　Like a cetacean's tail, its propeller⁵ churned the waves slowly. 它的推进器像鲸鱼类的尾巴一般，慢慢地冲开海浪。

　　Taking advantage of this situation, my two companions and I found seats on the ever-deserted platform.  乘这个机会，我的两个伺伴和我都走上总是没有人的平台上来。

　　In front of us stood the pilothouse, and unless I'm extremely mistaken, Captain Nemo must have been inside, steering⁶ his Nautilus himself. 在我们面前是领航人的笼间，如果我没有搞错，那是尼摩船长本人在里面，他亲自指挥诺第留斯号。

1 daunting   

adj.使人畏缩的

参考例句：

• They were faced with the daunting task of restoring the house.他们面临着修复房子的艰巨任务。
• Starting a new job can be a daunting prospect.开始一项新工作有时会让人望而却步。

2 sloops   

n.单桅纵帆船( sloop的名词复数 )

参考例句：

3 obstructed   

阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止

参考例句：

• Tall trees obstructed his view of the road. 有大树挡着，他看不到道路。
• The Irish and Bristol Channels were closed or grievously obstructed. 爱尔兰海峡和布里斯托尔海峡或遭受封锁，或受到了严重阻碍。

4 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

5 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。

6 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。