英语听书《海底两万里》第338期 第23章 珊瑚王国(35)

 　　We're going, Mr. Ned, where the captain's fancy takes us. 尼德·兰师傅，随船长的意思，他愿意带我们到哪里，我们就到哪里。

　　His fancy, the Canadian replied, won't take us very far.  随船长的意思，加拿大人回答，那他可不能带我们走得很远哩。

　　The Persian Gulf¹ has no outlet², and if we enter those waters, it won't be long before we return in our tracks. 波斯湾是没有出路的，我们进去，我们不久就要从原路回来。

　　All right, we'll return, Mr. Land, and after the Persian Gulf, if the Nautilus wants to visit the Red Sea, the Strait of Bab el Mandeb is still there to let us in! 好吧！兰师傅，我们回来就是了，走过波斯湾，诺第留斯号要走红海，巴布厄尔曼特海峡总在那里，可以给它一条通路驶过去。

　　I don't have to tell you, sir, Ned Land replied, that the Red Sea is just as landlocked as the gulf, since the Isthmus³ of Suez hasn't been cut all the way through yet;  先生，尼德·兰回答，我用不着告诉您，红海跟波斯湾一样是没有通路的，因为苏伊土地峡还没有凿通，

　　and even if it was, a boat as secretive as ours wouldn't risk a canal intersected with locks. So the Red Sea won't be our way back to Europe either. 即使凿通，我们这只怪船，恐怕也不方便在这些有堤堰和闸口的水道间冒险吧。所以，红海并不是带我们回到欧洲的路。

　　But I didn't say we'd return to Europe. 所以，我只是说，我们可能要回欧洲去。

　　What do you figure, then? 那您是怎么设想的呢？

　　I figure that after visiting these unusual waterways of Arabia and Egypt,  我设想，走过阿拉伯和埃及一带的新奇海水后，

　　the Nautilus will go back down to the Indian Ocean, perhaps through Mozambique Channel, perhaps off the Mascarene Islands, and then make for the Cape⁴ of Good Hope. 诺第留斯号重回到印度洋：或者经莫三鼻给海峡，或者走马斯加’林群岛海面，驶到好望角。

　　And once we're at the Cape of Good Hope? the Canadian asked with typical persistence⁵. 到了好望角怎样呢？加拿大人特别坚持地问。

　　Well then, we'll enter that Atlantic Ocean with which we aren't yet familiar.  那么我们就要走入我们还不认得的大西洋了。朋友！

　　What's wrong, Ned my friend? Are you tired of this voyage under the seas?  您对这种海底旅行感到疲倦了吗？

　　Are you bored with the constantly changing sight of these underwater wonders? Speaking for myself,  您看见海底新奇的、时常变换的景象，难道无动于衷吗？

　　I'll be extremely distressed⁶ to see the end of a voyage so few men will ever have a chance to make. 对我来说，这种旅行将来差不多是没有人能做的了，要是这这样完结了，我真觉得十分遗憾。

　　But don't you realize, Professor Aronnax, the Canadian replied, that soon we'll have been imprisoned⁷ for three whole months aboard this Nautilus? 不过，加拿大人回答，阿龙纳斯先生，您知道我们被禁在这只诺第留斯号船上快要到三个月了吗？

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

3 isthmus   

n.地峡

参考例句：

• North America is connected with South America by the Isthmus of Panama.巴拿马海峡把北美同南美连接起来。
• The north and south of the island are linked by a narrow isthmus.岛的北部和南部由一条狭窄的地峡相连。

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

5 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

6 distressed   

痛苦的

参考例句：

• He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题。
• The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。

7 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。