万物简史 第326期:美丽而危险(9)

 　　And in between there's everything you could possibly imagine. 介于二者之间的东西应有尽有，只要你想得出来。

　　I've never been any place where geology is more evident—or prettier." 我从来没有见过哪个地方，地质情况是如此明显，或者说如此美丽。”

　　So you like it? I say. “因此你喜欢这个地方？”我说。

　　Oh, no, I love it, he answers with profound sincerity¹. “哦，不是喜欢，而是热爱这个地方。”他的回答是极其诚恳的，

　　"I mean I really love it here. “我的意思是，我确实热爱这个地方。

　　The winters are tough and the pay's not too hot, but when it's good, it's just—" 冬天很冷，工资不太高，但在情况好的时候，简直……”

　　He interrupted himself to point out a distant gap in a range of mountains to the west, which had just come into view over a rise. 他没有说下去，而是把手往西一指。远处的山里有个豁口，它刚刚探出一片高地，映入我们的眼帘。

　　The mountains, he told me, were known as the Gallatins. 他对我说，那座山脉名叫加拉丁山脉。

　　"That gap is sixty or maybe seventy miles across. “那个豁口约100公里宽。

　　For a long time nobody could understand why that gap was there, 在很长时间里，谁也不清楚为什么那里有个豁口。

　　and then Bob Christiansen realized that it had to be because the mountains were just blown away. 后来，鲍勃·克里斯琴森认为，这肯定是从山里炸出来的。

　　When you've got sixty miles of mountains just obliterated², you know you're dealing³ with something pretty potent⁴. 要在山里炸出个约100公里宽的地方，你知道这会与一个威力巨大的事件有关。

　　It took Christiansen six years to figure it all out." 克里斯琴森花了6年时间才琢磨出来。”

　　I asked him what caused Yellowstone to blow when it did. 我问他，究竟是什么原因引起了黄石火山的喷发。

　　Don't know. Nobody knows. Volcanoes are strange things. “不知道。谁也不知道。火山是很古怪的东西。

　　We really don't understand them at all. 我们对它们确实不了解。

　　Vesuvius, in Italy, was active for three hundred years until an eruption⁵ in 1944 and then it just stopped. 意大利的维苏威火山在300多年里一直很活跃，1944年爆发过一次，然后就停了下来。

　　It's been silent ever since. 自那以来，维苏威火山一直很平静。

　　Some volcanologists think that it is recharging in a big way, 有的火山学家认为，它是在大规模地重新积聚能量。

　　which is a little worrying because two million people live on or around it. But nobody knows. 这有点儿令人担心，因为维苏威火山及周围地区生活着200万人。不过，谁也说不准。”

　　And how much warning would you get if Yellowstone was going to go? “要是黄石火山快要爆发，会有多长的警报时间？”

　　He shrugged⁶. "Nobody was around the last time it blew, so nobody knows what the warning signs are. 他耸了耸肩：“上次爆发的时候我们都不在场，因此谁也说不准什么是警报信号。

1 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

2 obliterated   

v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

5 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。

6 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》