万物简史 第316期:地下的烈火(24)

 　　In an extraordinarily¹ unself-critical book called Surviving Galeras, Williams said he could "only shake my head in wonder" when he learned afterward² 但威廉斯毫不自责，在一本名叫《加莱拉斯火山幸存记》的书里说，当他后来听到那个消息的时候，他“简直惊讶得直摇头”。

　　that his colleagues in the world of volcanology had suggested that he had overlooked or disregarded important seismic³ signals and behaved recklessly. 火山学界的同事们认为威廉斯鲁莽行事，无视或不顾火山爆发前的重要信号。

　　"How easy it is to snipe after the fact, to apply the knowledge we have now to the events of 1993," he wrote. “事后诽谤别人，用现在掌握的知识去看待1993年发生的事，这是多么容易啊。”他写道。

　　He was guilty of nothing worse, he believed, than unlucky timing⁵ when Galeras "behaved capriciously, as natural forces are wont⁶ to do. 他认为，他最感到不安的是挑了个倒霉日子，因为加莱拉斯火山“变化无常，自然力量往往就是这个样子。

　　I was fooled, and for that I will take responsibility. 我上了当。对于这一点，我要承担责任。

　　But I do not feel guilty about the deaths of my colleagues. 但是，我对于同事们的死亡并不觉得内疚。

　　There is no guilt⁴. 没有什么可值得内疚的。

　　There was only an eruption⁷." 火山就这样爆发了”。

　　But to return to Washington. 我们再回过头来说说华盛顿州。

　　Mount St. Helens lost thirteen hundred feet of peak, and 230 square miles of forest were devastated⁸. 圣海伦斯火山的顶峰矮了400米，600平方公里森林被焚毁。

　　Enough trees to build 150,000 homes (or 300,000 in some reports) were blown away. 足以建造15万栋（有的报道说是30万栋）住宅的树木被刮倒。

　　The damage was placed at $2.7 billion. 损失高达27亿美元。

　　A giant column of smoke and ash rose to a height of sixty thousand feet in less than ten minutes. 巨大的一道烟灰柱在不到10分钟的时间里升到了18000米高空。

　　An airliner⁹ some thirty miles away reported being pelted¹⁰ with rocks. 一架在48公里以外飞行的客机报告挨了岩石的袭击。

1 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。

2 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

3 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

4 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

5 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

6 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

7 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

8 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

9 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

10 pelted   

（连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮

参考例句：

• The children pelted him with snowballs. 孩子们向他投掷雪球。
• The rain pelted down. 天下着大雨。