英语听书《海底两万里》第58期 第5章 冒险活动(13)

 　　Come on, Conseil! I told him. Here's your last chance to pocket that 2,000.00!

　　喂，康塞尔，我跟他说，现在是获得两千美元奖金的最后一次机会了。

　　If master will permit my saying so, Conseil replied, I never expected to win that prize, and the Union government could have promised 100,000.00 and been none the poorer.

　　请先生容许我对这件事说句话，康塞尔答，我从不想获得这笔奖金，合众国政府可以答应给十万美元，它也并不因此就穷了。

　　You're right, Conseil, it turned out to be a foolish business after all, and we jumped into it too hastily.

　　你说得对，康塞尔；总之，这是一件愚蠢的事情，我们没怎么考虑就参加进来了。

　　What a waste of time, what a futile¹ expense of emotion! Six months ago we could have been back in France.

　　白费了多少时间，消耗了多少精神！要不，六个月以前，我们已经回到法国了…

　　In master's little apartment, Conseil answered. In master's museum! And by now I would have classified master's fossils.

　　在先生的小房子里！康塞尔答道，在先生的博物馆里！我早已把先生的生物化石分类了！

　　And master's babirusa would be ensconced in its cage at the zoo in the Botanical Gardens, and it would have attracted every curiosity seeker in town!

　　先生的野猪也早就养在植物园的笼中，吸引着巴黎全城所有好奇的人来参观了!

　　Quite so, Conseil, and what's more, I imagine that people will soon be poking² fun at us!

　　正跟你所说的一样，康塞尔，并且，我想，我们还没有估计到人家会怎样嘲笑我们呢！

　　To be sure, Conseil replied serenely³, I do think they'll have fun at master's expense. And must it be said...?

　　可不是，康塞尔安然回答，我想，人们一定会嘲笑您先生。我该不该说…？

　　It must be said, Conseil.

　　你说下去，康塞尔。

　　Well then, it will serve master right!

　　好，那就是先生应得的报酬！

　　How true!

　　确是这样！

　　When one has the honor of being an expert as master is, one mustn't lay himself open to.

　　一个人如果有幸能和先生一样是一位学者，他就决不该冒昧从事…

　　Conseil didn't have time to complete the compliment. In the midst of the general silence, a voice became audible. It was Ned Land's voice, and it shouted:

　　康塞尔没有说完他的恭维话。在全船的沉默当中，大家听到了一个人的声音，那是尼德·兰的声音，他喊着：

　　Ahoy! There's the thing in question, abreast⁴ of us to leeward⁵!

　　看哪！我们寻找了多时的那家伙就在那里，正斜对着我们呢！

1 futile   

adj.无效的，无用的，无希望的

参考例句：

• They were killed,to the last man,in a futile attack.因为进攻失败，他们全部被杀，无一幸免。
• Their efforts to revive him were futile.他们对他抢救无效。

2 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

3 serenely   

adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地

参考例句：

• The boat sailed serenely on towards the horizon.小船平稳地向着天水交接处驶去。
• It was a serenely beautiful night.那是一个宁静美丽的夜晚。

4 abreast   

adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地

参考例句：

• She kept abreast with the flood of communications that had poured in.她及时回复如雪片般飞来的大批信件。
• We can't keep abreast of the developing situation unless we study harder.我们如果不加强学习，就会跟不上形势。

5 leeward   

adj.背风的；下风的

参考例句：

• The trees all listed to leeward.树木统统向下风方向倾。
• We steered a course to leeward.我们向下风航驶。