国家地理 加里曼丹岛的地底洞天(8)

The British team found that Deer Cave stretched for nearly two miles, and for a decade afterward¹ it stood as the world's largest known cave passage. In 1991 a cave discovered in Vietnam, called Hang Son Doong, surpassed it, but the drop in rank did not dull Deer Cave's allure². Today it's a major attraction for tourists, who wander its length on a boardwalk and gather at dusk at its mouth, drinks in hand, clapping and sighing as millions of bats stream like smoke into the sky.

英国探险队发现，鹿洞近两英里宽，十年过后，依然是世界上已知的最大洞穴通道。1991年，在越南发现了一个名叫韩松洞的洞穴，比鹿洞要大，但鹿洞排名的下降并没有削弱其吸引力。今天，鹿洞是一个主要景点，游客们在木板路上感受它的狭长，黄昏时分在入口处聚集，他们手里拿着饮料，看着数百万只蝙蝠像烟雾一样涌向天空，一边拍手，一边感叹。

Ostentatious, obvious, oversize -- Deer Cave hinted at what more awaited underground. Over three months in Mulu, with the help of guides from the nearby Penan and Berawan tribes, the cavers came upon a score of entrances leading deeper into the region's ancient limestone³.

雄伟、明显、超大的鹿洞暗示着地下还有更美妙的景观在等待观赏。在姆鲁考察的三个多月里，洞穴探险者在附近Penan和Berawan部落向导的帮助下，发现了二十个通向该地区古老石灰石深处的入口。

Some of the caves began as obscure cracks in rock faces, covered with brush and branches. These, usually at higher elevations⁴, were older, relatively⁵ dry caves that bored through the heart of Mulu's mountains.

在一些洞穴的入口处，石壁上有模糊的裂缝，上面覆盖着灌木丛和树枝。这些洞穴通常位于海拔较高的地方，时间久远、相对干燥，它们贯穿姆鲁的大山中心。

Other caves, at lower elevations, were like giant storm drains -- massive holes in the bedrock that channeled rainfall into subterranean⁶ rivers. These river caves were younger, formed hundreds of thousands of years ago, lined with beautiful limestone formations, and home to fish, birds, snakes, ghost-white crabs⁷, and a galaxy⁸ of insects and spiders.

另一些海拔较低的洞穴，就像巨大的雨水排水沟--把雨水引到地下河流的基岩上的大洞。这些河洞算是较为年轻的，形成于几十万年前，里面有漂亮的石灰岩、鱼、鸟、蛇、煞白的螃蟹、还有许多昆虫和蜘蛛。

1 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。

2 allure   

n.诱惑力，魅力；vt.诱惑，引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• The window displays allure customers to buy goods.橱窗陈列品吸引顾客购买货物。
• The book has a certain allure for which it is hard to find a reason.这本书有一种难以解释的魅力。

3 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

4 elevations   

（水平或数量）提高( elevation的名词复数 )； 高地； 海拔； 提升

参考例句：

• Weight of the crust changes as elevations are eroded and materials are deposited elsewhere. 当高地受到侵蚀，物质沉积到别的地方时，地壳的重量就改变。
• All deck elevations are on the top of structural beams. 所有甲板标高线均指结构梁顶线。

5 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

6 subterranean   

adj.地下的，地表下的

参考例句：

• London has 9 miles of such subterranean passages.伦敦像这样的地下通道有9英里长。
• We wandered through subterranean passages.我们漫游地下通道。

7 crabs   

n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As we walked along the seashore we saw lots of tiny crabs. 我们在海岸上散步时看到很多小蟹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。