英语听书《海底两万里》第459期 第28章 惊奇还是意外(1)

 THE NEXT DAY, March 22, at six o'clock in the morning, preparations for departure began.  第二天，3月22日早晨六点，诺第留斯号准备开走。

The last gleams of twilight¹ were melting into night.  清晨的最后曙光没人黑暗中去了。

The cold was brisk. The constellations² were glittering with startling intensity³.  天气很冷。各星座在天空中照耀，特别明亮，

The wonderful Southern Cross, polar star of the Antarctic regions, twinkled at its zenith. 天空的顶点有那辉煌的南宿，那是南冰洋地区的极星。

The thermometer marked -12 degrees centigrade, and a fresh breeze left a sharp nip in the air.  温度表降到零下十二度，寒风吹来，刺人肌骨。

Ice floes were increasing over the open water. The sea was starting to congeal⁴ everywhere.  冰群在流动的水上愈来愈多了。海面渐渐冻结。

Numerous blackish patches were spreading over its surface, announcing the imminent⁵ formation of fresh ice.  无数灰黑的冰块摆在水面上，这表示新的冰层形成了。

Obviously this southernmost basin froze over during its six-month winter and became utterly⁶ inaccessible⁷.  很显然，南极的海面在冬季六个月全是结冰的，绝对无法通过。

What happened to the whales during this period?  这个时期鲸鱼类怎样呢？

No doubt they went beneath the Ice Bank to find more feasible seas.  当然它们从冰山下面出去，找寻比较适宜居住的海水。

As for seals and walruses⁸, they were accustomed to living in the harshest climates and stayed on in these icy waterways.  至于海豹和海马，习惯了严寒的天气，是仍然留在这冰天雪地中的。

These animals know by instinct how to gouge⁹ holes in the ice fields and keep them continually open; they go to these holes to breathe.  这些动物天赋有本能在这冰场中挖掘洞穴，老是让洞门敞开，它们可以到洞口来呼吸。

Once the birds have migrated northward¹⁰ to escape the cold, these marine¹¹ mammals remain as sole lords of the polar continent. 鸟类被寒冷所迫，迁移到北方去。这时只有这些哺乳类动物是这南极大陆的唯一主人。

Meanwhile the ballast tanks filled with water and the Nautilus sank slowly.  这时，储水池装满了，诺第留斯号慢慢下降。

At a depth of 1,000 feet, it stopped.  到一千英尺深的时候，它停下来。

Its propeller¹² churned the waves and it headed due north at a speed of fifteen miles per hour.  它的推进器搅动海水，以每小时十五海里的速度直向北方行驶。

Near the afternoon it was already cruising under the immense frozen carapace¹³ of the Ice Bank. 晚上，它已经驶到冰山下边巨大的冰冻甲壳下面了。

1 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

2 constellations   

n.星座( constellation的名词复数 )；一群杰出人物；一系列（相关的想法、事物）；一群（相关的人）

参考例句：

• The map of the heavens showed all the northern constellations. 这份天体图标明了北半部所有的星座。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His time was coming, he would move in the constellations of power. 他时来运转，要进入权力中心了。 来自教父部分

3 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

4 congeal   

v.凝结，凝固

参考例句：

• The blood had started to congeal.血液已经开始凝结。
• Gear lubricants may congeal and channel in cold weather.天气冷时齿轮润滑油可能凝结而形成凹槽。

5 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

6 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

7 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

8 walruses   

n.海象( walrus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Walruses have enormous appetites and hunt for food almost constantly. 海象食欲极大，几乎一直在猎取食物。 来自互联网
• Two Atlantic walruses snuggle on an ice floe near Igloolik, Nunavut, Canada. 加拿大努勒维特伊格卢利克附近，两头大西洋海象在浮冰上相互偎依。 来自互联网

9 gouge   

v.凿；挖出；n.半圆凿；凿孔；欺诈

参考例句：

• To make a Halloween lantern,you first have to gouge out the inside of the pumpkin.要做一个万圣节灯笼，你先得挖空这个南瓜。
• In the Middle Ages,a favourite punishment was to gouge out a prisoner's eyes.在中世纪，惩罚犯人最常用的办法是剜眼睛。

10 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。

11 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

12 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。

13 carapace   

n.（蟹或龟的）甲壳

参考例句：

• The tortoise pulled its head into his carapace.乌龟把头缩进它的壳里。
• He tickled gently at its glossy carapace,but the stubborn beetle would not budge.他轻轻地搔着甲虫光滑的壳，但这只固执的甲虫就是不动。