英语听书《海底两万里》第387期 第25章 地中海四十八小时(13)

 Suddenly the clock struck eight. The first stroke of its hammer on the chime snapped me out of my musings.  忽然大钟响八下了。大钟的锤子第一下敲在铃上，把我从梦中吵醒，

I shuddered¹ as if some invisible eye had plunged² into my innermost thoughts, and I rushed outside the stateroom. 我全身抖起来，好像有一只无形的眼贿穿透我思想的最秘密的地方，我急急走出这个房间。

There my eyes fell on the compass. Our heading was still northerly. The log indicated a moderate speed, the pressure gauge³ a depth of about sixty feet.  到客厅中，我的眼睛就盯在罗盘上面。我们的方向总是往北。测程器指的是平常的速度，压力表指出船在六十米左右深的水层。

So circumstances were in favor of the Canadian's plans. 所以周围的环境对加拿大人的计划都有利。

I stayed in my stateroom. I dressed warmly: fishing boots, otter⁴ cap, coat of fan-mussel fabric⁵ lined with sealskin.  我回到我的房中。我多穿了一些衣服，使身上暖和，海靴、水獭帽、海豹皮里子的贝足丝织的外衣都穿戴上了。

I was ready. I was waiting. Only the propeller's vibrations⁶ disturbed the deep silence reigning⁷ on board.  我准备好了，我等着。只有推进器的震动打断了船上的沉寂。

I cocked an ear and listened. Would a sudden outburst of voices tell me that Ned Land's escape plans had just been detected? A ghastly uneasiness stole through me. I tried in vain to recover my composure. 我用心听，我竖起耳朵来。是不是有些喊叫声，向我说明尼德·兰的逃走计划突然被发觉了吗？我感觉十分惶恐不安。

A few minutes before nine o'clock, I glued my ear to the captain's door. Not a sound.  差几分就要到九点钟了。我把耳朵贴着船长的房门。听不出声音来。

I left my stateroom and returned to the lounge, which was deserted⁸ and plunged in near darkness. 我走出我的房间，我回到厅中，厅中半黑不明，没有人。

I opened the door leading to the library. The same inadequate⁹ light, the same solitude¹⁰. I went to man my post near the door opening into the well of the central companionway.  我打开跟图书室相通的门，室内光线同样黯淡，同样是冷清清的。我到挨近门的地方站着，这门对着中央楼梯的笼间。

I waited for Ned Land's signal. 我等待尼德·兰的信号。

At this point the propeller's vibrations slowed down appreciably¹¹, then they died out altogether.  这时候，推进机的震动显然减低了，一会儿就完全没有响声了。

Why was the Nautilus stopping? Whether this layover would help or hinder Ned Land's schemes I couldn't have said. 诺第留斯号的行动为什么有变化呢？船这次停住对于尼德·兰的计划是顺当或是不利，那我可不能说。

1 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

3 gauge   

v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器

参考例句：

• Can you gauge what her reaction is likely to be?你能揣测她的反应可能是什么吗？
• It's difficult to gauge one's character.要判断一个人的品格是很困难的。

4 otter   

n.水獭

参考例句：

• The economists say the competition otter to the brink of extinction.经济学家们说，竞争把海獭推到了灭绝的边缘。
• She collared my black wool coat with otter pelts.她把我的黑呢上衣镶上了水獭领。

5 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

6 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 reigning   

adj.统治的，起支配作用的

参考例句：

• The sky was dark, stars were twinkling high above, night was reigning, and everything was sunk in silken silence. 天很黑，星很繁，夜阑人静。
• Led by Huang Chao, they brought down the reigning house after 300 years' rule. 在黄巢的带领下，他们推翻了统治了三百年的王朝。

8 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

9 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

10 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

11 appreciably   

adv.相当大地

参考例句：

• The index adds appreciably to the usefulness of the book. 索引明显地增加了这本书的实用价值。
• Otherwise the daily mean is perturbed appreciably by the lunar constituents. 否则，日平均值就会明显地受到太阳分潮的干扰。