英语听书《海底两万里》第343期 第23章 珊瑚王国(40)

 　　First division in the polyp group, the class Spongiaria has been created by scientists precisely¹ for this unusual exhibit whose usefulness is beyond dispute.  海绵纲是水熄类的第一纲，这一纲就是由这种非常有用处的新奇产物组成的。

　　The sponge is definitely not a plant, as some naturalists² still believe, but an animal of the lowest order, a polypary inferior even to coral.  海绵并不是植物，像现在还有些…生物学家承认的那样。它是动物，不过是最低一目的动物，是比珊瑚更低的水熄丛。

　　Its animal nature isn't in doubt, and we can't accept even the views of the ancients, who regarded it as halfway³ between plant and animal.  它的动物性是无可怀疑的，我们不能接受古代人的意见，认为它是动植物间的中介物。

　　But I must say that naturalists are not in agreement on the structural⁴ mode of sponges.  不过我要说，关于海绵的机体组织，生物学家还没有共同一致的意见。

　　For some it's a polypary, and for others, such as Professor Milne-Edwards, it's a single, solitary⁵ individual. 有些生物学家说海绵是水熄丛：另外一些，像爱德华先生，却认为它是独立的、单一的个体。

　　The class Spongiaria contains about 300 species that are encountered in a large number of seas and even in certain streams, where they've been given the name freshwater sponges. 海绵纲大约共有三百种，大多数的海中都有，并且也生在某部分淡水流里面，被称为“河水海绵”。

　　But their waters of choice are the Red Sea and the Mediterranean⁶ near the Greek Islands or the coast of Syria.  不过海绵特别“繁殖的地方是地中海、希腊半岛、叙利亚海岸和红海一带。

　　These waters witness the reproduction and growth of soft, delicate bath sponges whose prices run as high as 150 francs apiece:  在这一带海中，那些柔软细嫩的海绵繁殖得很快，每块价值达一百五十法郎，

　　the yellow sponge from Syria, the horn sponge from Barbary, etc.  比如叙利亚的金色海绵，巴巴利亚的坚韧海绵等。

　　But since I had no hope of studying these zoophytes in the seaports⁷ of the Levant, from which we were separated by the insuperable Isthmus⁸ of Suez, I had to be content with observing them in the waters of the Red Sea. 既然我们被苏伊土地峡分开，走不过去，我不可能·在近东各港湾里来研究这些植虫动物，我只得在红海中来观察它们了。

　　So I called Conseil to my side, while at an average depth of eight to nine meters, the Nautilus slowly skimmed every beautiful rock on the easterly coast. 所以，当诺第留斯号在平均八至九米的水层，慢慢溜过这些东部海岸的美丽岩石的时候，我叫康塞尔到我身边来。

1 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

2 naturalists   

n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者

参考例句：

• Naturalists differ much in determining what characters are of generic value. 自然学者对于不同性状决定生物的属的含义上，各有各的见解。 来自辞典例句
• This fact has led naturalists to believe that the Isthmus was formerly open. 使许多自然学者相信这个地蛱在以前原是开通的。 来自辞典例句

3 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

4 structural   

adj.构造的，组织的，建筑（用）的

参考例句：

• The storm caused no structural damage.风暴没有造成建筑结构方面的破坏。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities.北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

5 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

6 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

7 seaports   

n.海港( seaport的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner. 机场和海港一样成为来访的外国人的入境关口。 来自互联网
• Sanya has 16 seaports, 10 islands and 180km of coastline. 三亚有16个港口、10个海岛和180公里的海岸线。 来自互联网

8 isthmus   

n.地峡

参考例句：

• North America is connected with South America by the Isthmus of Panama.巴拿马海峡把北美同南美连接起来。
• The north and south of the island are linked by a narrow isthmus.岛的北部和南部由一条狭窄的地峡相连。