万物简史 第394期:浩瀚的海洋(13)

 　　He thought underwater exploration a waste of resources and pointed¹ out that the Navy was not a research institute. 他认为水下探索是浪费资源，还指出海军不是个研究机构。

　　The nation, moreover, was about to become fully² preoccupied³ with space travel and the quest to send a man to the Moon, 而且，当时这个国家就要全力以赴地搞空间旅行，努力把人送上月球。

　　which made deep sea investigations⁴ seem unimportant and rather old-fashioned. 因此，深海调查似乎变得不大重要，已经过时。

　　But the decisive consideration was that the Trieste descent didn't actually achieve much. 但是，最决定性的看法是，“的里雅斯特”号其实没有取得多大成就。

　　As a Navy official explained years later: "We didn't learn a hell of a lot from it, other than that we could do it. Why do it again?" 正如几年以后一位海军官员说的：“我们只是知道了我们办得到，除此以外没有了解到多少该死的东西。干吗还要干？”

　　It was, in short, a long way to go to find a flatfish, and expensive too. 总而言之，寻找比目鱼的路程很远，而旦很花钱。

　　Repeating the exercise today, it has been estimated, would cost at least $100 million. 有人估计，今天要再干一回，至少要花费1亿美元。

　　When underwater researchers realized that the Navy had no intention of pursuing a promised exploration program, there was a pained outcry. 当水下研究人员获悉海军无意实施答应过的探索计划的时候，他们痛苦万分，表示强烈抗议。

　　Partly to placate⁵ its critics, the Navy provided funding for a more advanced submersible, 为了平息他们的不满，海军提供了一笔资金，计划建造一个更加先进的潜水器，

　　to be operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution of Massachusetts. 由马萨诸塞州伍兹霍尔海洋研究所进行管理。

　　Called Alvin, in somewhat contracted honor of the oceanographer Allyn C. Vine, 它被命名为“阿尔文”号，以纪念海样学家阿林·C·瓦因。

　　it would be a fully maneuverable minisubmarine, though it wouldn't go anywhere near as deep as the Trieste. 它将是一条操作灵活的微型潜艇，虽然它根本潜不到“的里雅斯特”号的深度。

　　There was just one problem: the designers couldn't find anyone willing to build it. 只有一个问题：设计人员找不到愿意制造它的人。

　　According to William J. Broad in The Universe Below: 威廉·J·布罗德在《水下的字窗》一书中说：

　　"No big company like General Dynamics⁶, which made submarines for the Navy, “没有哪家大公司，包括为海军生产潜艇的通用动力公司，

　　wanted to take on a project disparaged⁷ by both the Bureau of Ships and Admiral Rickover, the gods of naval⁸ patronage⁹." 愿意接受一个被船舶局和里科弗将军都瞧不起的项目。”

　　Eventually, not to say improbably, 最后，简直不可思议，

　　Alvin was constructed by General Mills, the food company, at a factory where it made the machines to produce breakfast cereals. “阿尔文”号由通用面输公司在下属的一家生产早餐食品机器的工厂建造。

1 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

5 placate   

v.抚慰，平息(愤怒)

参考例句：

• He never attempts to placate his enemy.他从不企图与敌人和解。
• Even a written apology failed to placate the indignant hostess.甚至一纸书面道歉都没能安抚这个怒气冲冲的女主人。

6 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

7 disparaged   

v.轻视( disparage的过去式和过去分词 )；贬低；批评；非难

参考例句：

• French-Canadian fur trappers and Sioux disparaged such country as "bad lands. " 法语的加拿大毛皮捕兽器和苏人的贬低国家作为“坏土地”。 来自互联网
• She disparaged her student's efforts. 她轻视她的学生做出的努力。 来自互联网

8 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

9 patronage   

n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场

参考例句：

• Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午，店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
• I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉，我的赞助只能到此为止。