英语听书《海底两万里》第340期 第23章 珊瑚王国(37)

 　　Then our ship went along at a distance of six miles from the Arabic coasts of Mahra and Hadhramaut, their undulating lines of mountains relieved by a few ancient ruins.  这一带海岸线上有起伏不平的山岭，间有一些古代遗迹。

　　On February 5 we finally put into the Gulf¹ of Aden, a genuine funnel² stuck into the neck of Bab el Mandeb and bottling these Indian waters in the Red Sea. 2月5月，我们进人亚丁湾，这湾是巴布厄尔曼特长颈形海峡的真正漏斗，把印度洋的水倒流入红海中。

　　On February 6 the Nautilus cruised in sight of the city of Aden, perched on a promontory³ connected to the continent by a narrow isthmus⁴, a sort of inaccessible⁵ Gibraltar whose fortifications the English rebuilt after capturing it in 1839.  2月6日，诺第留斯号浮出水面，远远看见亚丁港，港筑在海呷上，一条很窄的地峡把它跟大陆连接起来。

　　I was convinced that when Captain Nemo reached this point, he would back out again; but I was mistaken, and much to my surprise, he did nothing of the sort. 我认为尼摩船长到了这个地方，一定要退回来，可是我错了，我很惊异，他并不这样做。

　　The next day, February 7, we entered the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, whose name means "Gate of Tears" in the Arabic language.  第二天，2月7日，我们走进巴布厄尔曼特海峡，这个名字照阿拉伯语是“泪门”的意思。

　　Twenty miles wide, it's only fifty-two kilometers long, and with the Nautilus launched at full speed, clearing it was the work of barely an hour.  海峡二十海里宽，只有五十二公里长，对诺底留斯号来说。开足马力走过去，不过是1小时的事，

　　But I didn't see a thing, not even Perim Island where the British government built fortifications to strengthen Aden's position.  但是我看不见什么，就是丕林岛也没有看到这岛是英国政府拿来使亚丁港的防卫更加巩固的。

　　There were many English and French steamers plowing⁶ this narrow passageway, liners going from Suez to Bombay, Calcutta, Melbourne, Réunion Island, and Mauritius; far too much traffic for the Nautilus to make an appearance on the surface. So it wisely stayed in midwater 过多的英国船和法国船，从苏伊士到孟买、到加尔各答、到墨尔本到波旁、到毛利斯，都经过这狭窄的海峡，使诺第留斯号不慈浮出来。所以它很小心地只在水底下行驶。

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 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

3 promontory   

n.海角；岬

参考例句：

• Genius is a promontory jutting out of the infinite.天才是茫茫大地突出的岬角。
• On the map that promontory looks like a nose,naughtily turned up.从地图上面，那个海角就像一只调皮地翘起来的鼻子。

4 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。

5 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

6 plowing   

v.耕( plow的现在分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• "There are things more important now than plowing, Sugar. "如今有比耕种更重要的事情要做呀，宝贝儿。 来自飘（部分）
• Since his wife's death, he has been plowing a lonely furrow. 从他妻子死后，他一直过着孤独的生活。 来自辞典例句