万物简史 第325期:美丽而危险(8)

 　　It may not feel like it, but you're standing¹ on the largest active volcano in the world, “我觉得事情不是这样的，但你是站在世界上最大的活火山上面。”

　　Paul Doss, Yellowstone National Park geologist², told me soon after climbing off an enormous Harley-Davidson motorcycle  黄石国家公园的地质学家保罗·多斯对我说。他刚从一辆大型哈利-戴维森牌摩托车上下来，

　　and shaking hands when we met at the park headquarters at Mammoth³ Hot Springs early on a lovely morning in June. 跟我握了握手。6月一个美好的清晨，我们在位于马默斯温泉的公园总部相遇。

　　A native of Indiana, Doss is an amiable⁴, soft-spoken, extremely thoughtful man who looks nothing like a National Park Service employee. 多斯是印第安纳州人，和蔼可亲，说话低声细语，很会关心别人，看上去根本不像是个公园管理局的雇员。

　　He has a graying beard and hair tied back in a long ponytail. 他胡子灰白，头发往后扎成一根小辫。

　　A small sapphire⁵ stud graces one ear. 一只耳朵上戴着个小小的蓝宝石饰针。

　　A slight paunch strains against his crisp Park Service uniform. 笔挺的公园管理局制服有点紧，显得大腹便便。

　　He looks more like a blues⁶ musician than a government employee. 他看上去与其说是像个政府雇员，不如说是像个勃鲁斯音乐乐师。

　　In fact, he is a blues musician (harmonica). 实际上，他真还是个勃鲁斯音乐乐师（演奏玻璃钟琴）。

　　But he sure knows and loves geology. 但是，他确实懂得并热爱地质学。

　　"And I've got the best place in the world to do it," “这儿是世界上搞地质最棒的地方。”

　　he says as we set off in a bouncy, battered⁷ four-wheel-drive vehicle in the general direction of Old Faithful. 他一面说，我们一面上了一辆四轮驱动的旧汽车，朝老实泉驶去。

　　He has agreed to let me accompany him for a day as he goes about doing whatever it is a park geologist does. 他答应让我陪他一天，无论他作为公园的地质学家在这一天里将干什么。

　　The first assignment today is to give an introductory talk to a new crop of tour guides. 今天的第一项任务是为新一拨的导游上一堂基础课。

　　Yellowstone, I hardly need point out, is sensationally⁸ beautiful, 我无须指出，黄石公园是个极其美丽的地方，

　　with plump, stately mountains, bison-specked meadows, tumbling streams, a sky-blue lake, wildlife beyond counting. 这里有丰饶而瑰丽的山脉，野牛遍布的草地，潺潺作响的小溪，碧蓝碧蓝的湖泊，数不清的野生动植物。

　　"It really doesn't get any better than this if you're a geologist," Doss says. “要是你是个地质学家，这儿确实是个最佳的工作场所，”多斯说，

　　"You've got rocks up at Beartooth Gap that are nearly three billion years old, “比尔图思豁口那儿有着将近30亿年前的岩石，

　　three-quarters of the way back to Earth's beginning—and then you've got mineral springs here" 可以追溯到地球起始之时四分之三的历程，还有这儿的矿泉。”

　　he points at the sulfurous hot springs from which Mammoth takes its title, where you can see rocks as they are being born. 他指了指几处温泉，马默斯温泉的名字由此而来，那儿你可以看到正在形成的岩石。

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 geologist   

n.地质学家

参考例句：

• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley.在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。
• He was a geologist,rated by his cronies as the best in the business.他是一位地质学家，被他的老朋友们看做是这门行当中最好的一位。

3 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

4 amiable   

adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的

参考例句：

• She was a very kind and amiable old woman.她是个善良和气的老太太。
• We have a very amiable companionship.我们之间存在一种友好的关系。

5 sapphire   

n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的

参考例句：

• Now let us consider crystals such as diamond or sapphire.现在让我们考虑象钻石和蓝宝石这样的晶体。
• He left a sapphire ring to her.他留给她一枚蓝宝石戒指。

6 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

7 battered   

adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损

参考例句：

• He drove up in a battered old car.他开着一辆又老又破的旧车。
• The world was brutally battered but it survived.这个世界遭受了惨重的创伤,但它还是生存下来了。

8 sensationally   

参考例句：

• Newspapers reported the incident sensationally, making it appear worse than it really was. 报纸大肆渲染这件事，描述得更不像话。 来自辞典例句
• However Gattuso has sensationally come out against the 28-year-old's signature. 然而加图索已经公开的站出来反对签下这名28岁的球员。 来自互联网