英语听书《海底两万里》第190期 第14章 黑潮暖流(4)

 　　Now then, at the spot indicated on the world map, one of these seagoing rivers was rolling by, the Kuroshio of the Japanese, the Black Current: heated by perpendicular¹ rays from the tropical sun, it leaves the Bay of Bengal, crosses the Strait of Malacca, goes up the shores of Asia, and curves into the north Pacific as far as the Aleutian Islands, carrying along trunks of camphor trees and other local items, the pure indigo² of its warm waters sharply contrasting with the ocean's waves. It was this current the Nautilus was about to cross. I watched it on the map with my eyes, I saw it lose itself in the immenseness of the Pacific, and I felt myself swept along with it, when Ned Land and Conseil appeared in the lounge doorway³.

　　正是，在平面地图上记下的那个点，展开了上面说的一条暖流，日本人叫做黑水流，黑水流从孟加拉湾出来，受热带太阳光线的直射，很为温暖，横过马六甲海峡，沿着亚洲海岸前进，人太平洋北部作环弯形，直到阿留地安群岛。它将樟脑树干和各地方的各样土产输送出去，它的暖流的纯靛蓝色跟大洋的水流显然分开。诺第留斯号要走的就是这条水流。我两眼盯着它，我看见它抿没在太平洋的无边水际中；我正感到自己跟水流一齐奔驰的时候，尼德·兰和康塞尔在客厅门口出现了。

　　My two gallant⁴ companions stood petrified⁵ at the sight of the wonders on display.

　　我的两个老实同伴看见堆在他们眼前的神奇物品，惊怪得发楞了：

　　Where are we? the Canadian exclaimed. In the Quebec Museum?

　　我们在什么地方呢？我们在什么地方呢？加拿大人喊，我们在魁北克博物馆吗？

　　Begging master's pardon, Conseil answered, but this seems more like the Sommerard artifacts exhibition!

　　如果先生认为可以，康塞尔答，还不如说这是桑美拉大厦呢！

　　My friends, I replied, signaling them to enter, you're in neither Canada nor France, but securely aboard the Nautilus, fifty meters below sea level.

　　朋友们，我回答，我同时做个手势，让他们进来，你们不是在加拿大，也不是在法兰西，而是在诺第留斯号船上，在海底下五十米。

　　If master says so, then so be it, Conseil answered. But in all honesty, this lounge is enough to astonish even someone Flemish like myself.

　　当然要相信先生的话，因为先生这样肯定了。康塞尔回答，老实说，这个客厅，就是让我这个佛兰蒙人看来也要惊奇。

　　Indulge your astonishment⁶, my friend, and have a look, because there's plenty of work here for a classifier of your talents.

　　朋友，你惊奇吧，你好好地看吧，因为对于你这么能干的一个分类者，这里实在有不少的工作可做哩。

　　Conseil needed no encouraging. Bending over the glass cases, the gallant lad was already muttering choice words from the naturalist's vocabulary: class Gastropoda, family Buccinoidea, genus cowry, species Cypraea madagascariensis, etc.

　　我并不需要鼓励康塞尔去做。这个老实人早就弯身在玻璃柜子上，嘴里已经低声说出生物学家所用的词汇：腹足纲，油螺科，磁贝属，马达加斯加介蛤种，等等…

1 perpendicular   

adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The two lines of bones are set perpendicular to one another.这两排骨头相互垂直。
• The wall is out of the perpendicular.这墙有些倾斜。

2 indigo   

n.靛青，靛蓝

参考例句：

• The sky was indigo blue,and a great many stars were shining.天空一片深蓝，闪烁着点点繁星。
• He slipped into an indigo tank.他滑落到蓝靛桶中。

3 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

4 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

5 petrified   

adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
• The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。