英语听书《海底两万里》第235期 第18章 太平洋下四千里(6)

 　　The most remarkable¹ soundings were taken in the south Atlantic near the 35th parallel,  在南大西洋，南纬35度的地方，做了成绩优良的探测，

　　and they gave 12,000 meters, 14,091 meters, and 15,149 meters.  结果有的是一万二千米，有的是一万四千零九十一米，有的又是一万五千一百四十九米，

　　All in all, it's estimated that if the sea bottom were made level, its average depth would be about seven kilometers. 总起来说，照一般的估计，如果把海底平均起来，它的平均深度可能是七千米左右.

　　Well, professor, Captain Nemo replied, we'll show you better than that, I hope.  “好，教授，尼摩船长答，“我希望，我们可以给您说些更确切的数字。

　　As for the average depth of this part of the Pacific, I'll inform you that it's a mere² 4,000 meters. 就是我们目前所在的太平洋这一部分的平均深度仅仅为四千米。”

　　This said, Captain Nemo headed to the hatch and disappeared down the ladder.  说了这话后，尼摩船长向嵌板走去，从铁梯下去不见了。

　　I followed him and went back to the main lounge.  我跟着他下来，我回到客厅中。

　　The propeller³ was instantly set in motion, and the log gave our speed as twenty miles per hour. 推进器立即发动起来，测程器指的是每小时二十海里的速度。

　　Over the ensuing days and weeks, Captain Nemo was very frugal⁴ with his visits.  好些日子，好几周过去了，尼摩船长根少过来访问。

　　I saw him only at rare intervals⁵.  我也只是在十分少有的机会才看见他。

　　His chief officer regularly fixed⁶ the positions I found reported on the chart,  他的副手按时来作航线记录，一一记在图上，

　　and in such a way that I could exactly plot the Nautilus's course. 所以我可以很正确地了解诺第留斯号所走的路线。

　　Conseil and Land spent the long hours with me.  康塞尔和尼德·兰跟我一起、谈了很长的时间。

　　Conseil had told his friend about the wonders of our undersea stroll, and the Canadian was sorry he hadn't gone along.  康塞尔把我们在海底散步的时候所见到的新奇事物告诉了他的朋友，加拿大人很后悔他没有跟我们一道去。

　　But I hoped an opportunity would arise for a visit to the forests of Oceania. 但我希望以后还会有游历海底森林的机会。

　　Almost every day the panels in the lounge were open for some hours, and our eyes never tired of probing the mysteries of the underwater world. 客厅的嵌板差不多每天都有好几个钟头要打开来，我们的眼睛尽情地观察海底世界的秘密，总看不厌。

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

3 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。

4 frugal   

adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的

参考例句：

• He was a VIP,but he had a frugal life.他是位要人，但生活俭朴。
• The old woman is frugal to the extreme.那老妇人节约到了极点。

5 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

6 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。