英语听书《海底两万里》第89期 第7章 一种从未见过的鱼(12)

 　　I swiftly hoisted¹ myself to the summit of this half-submerged creature or object that was serving as our refuge.

　　我很快爬到这个半浸在水中，已经作了我们的临时避难所的生物上面。

　　I tested it with my foot. Obviously it was some hard, impenetrable substance, not the soft matter that makes up the bodies of our big marine² mammals.

　　我用脚踢它，它分明是坚固结实、钻不透的硬物体，而不是构成海中哺乳类动物的庞大躯体的柔软物质。

　　But this hard substance could have been a bony carapace³, like those that covered some prehistoric⁴ animals,

　　不过这个坚硬物体可能是一种骨质的甲壳，跟太古时代动物的甲壳相似，

　　and I might have left it at that and classified this monster among such amphibious reptiles⁵ as turtles or alligators⁶.

　　我很可以把这个怪物归人两栖的爬虫类，如龟鳖、鳄鱼、遥龙之类。

　　Well, no. The blackish back supporting me was smooth and polished with no overlapping⁷ scales.

　　可是！不然！在我脚下的灰黑色的背脊是有光泽的。滑溜溜的，而不是粗糙有鳞的。

　　On impact, it gave off a metallic⁸ sonority⁹, and as incredible as this sounds, it seemed, I swear, to be made of riveted¹⁰ plates.

　　它被撞时发出金属的响亮声，这是那么不可思议，看来，我只好说它是由螺丝钉铆成的铁板制造的了。

　　No doubts were possible!

　　再不可能怀疑了！

1 hoisted   

把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He hoisted himself onto a high stool. 他抬身坐上了一张高凳子。
• The sailors hoisted the cargo onto the deck. 水手们把货物吊到甲板上。

2 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。

3 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。

4 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

5 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 alligators   

n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Two alligators rest their snouts on the water's surface. 两只鳄鱼的大嘴栖息在水面上。 来自辞典例句
• In the movement of logs by water the lumber industry was greatly helped by alligators. 木材工业过去在水上运输木料时所十分倚重的就是鳄鱼。 来自辞典例句

7 overlapping   

adj./n.交迭（的）

参考例句：

• There is no overlapping question between the two courses. 这两门课程之间不存在重叠的问题。
• A trimetrogon strip is composed of three rows of overlapping. 三镜头摄影航线为三排重迭的象片所组成。

8 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

9 sonority   

n.响亮，宏亮

参考例句：

• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants.元音比辅音响亮。
• The introduction presents arpeggios on the harp against a string tremolo--an enchanting sonority.引子在弦乐的震音上竖琴奏出了琶音，一种迷人的音响。

10 riveted   

铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意

参考例句：

• I was absolutely riveted by her story. 我完全被她的故事吸引住了。
• My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes. 我的注意力被灌木丛中的轻微晃动吸引住了。