英语听书《海底两万里》第450期 第27章 南极(9)

 In the water, their ideal element, I must say these animals swim wonderfully thanks to their flexible backbones¹, narrow pelvises, close-cropped hair, and webbed feet.  我得说，它们在海水里面生活环境优越，这些脊骨活动，骨盘狭窄，毛又短又密，掌形脚的动物，是游泳的好手。

Resting on shore, they assumed extremely graceful² positions.  当它们休息和在地上的时候，它们的姿态十分美观，使人喜欢。

Consequently, their gentle features, their sensitive expressions equal to those of the loveliest women, their soft, limpid³ eyes, their charming poses, led the ancients to glorify⁴ them by metamorphosing the males into sea gods and the females into mermaids⁵. 我跟某些生物学家的意见相同，适当地把海豹训练起来，它们可以当作打鱼的猎狗，给人类服务，做许多有益的事。

I drew Conseil's attention to the considerable growth of the cerebral⁶ lobes⁷ found in these intelligent cetaceans.  我给康塞尔指出，这种聪明的鲸科动物，大脑叶特别发达。

No mammal except man has more abundant cerebral matter.  除了人类：任何哺乳类都没有这样丰富的脑髓神经。

Accordingly, seals are quite capable of being educated; they make good pets, and together with certain other naturalists⁸, I think these animals can be properly trained to perform yeoman service as hunting dogs for fishermen. 因此，海豹可能接受某种程度的教育；它们容易驯养，成为家畜。

Most of these seals were sleeping on the rocks or the sand.  大部分海豹睡在岩石，或者睡在沙地上。

Among those properly termed seals-which have no external ears, unlike sea lions whose ears protrude-I observed several varieties of the species stenorhynchus, three meters long, with white hair, bulldog heads, and armed with ten teeth in each jaw:  在这些真正的海豹中间，它们是没有外耳的——这一点它们跟有突出的外耳的海獭不同—我看见有好些海獭的变种，长三英尺，毛白色，猎狗一般的头，上下颚共有十枚牙齿，

four incisors in both the upper and lower, plus two big canines⁹ shaped like the fleur-de-lis.  各有四枚门牙，两枚百合花形的大虎牙。

Among them slithered some sea elephants, a type of seal with a short, flexible trunk;  在它们中间，又有海象踏来蹋去，这是带有活动的短鼻筒的海豹，

these are the giants of the species, with a circumference¹⁰ of twenty feet and a length of ten meters.  是这种动物中最巨大的类型，周身二十英尺，长十英尺。

They didn't move as we approached. 它们看我们走近前去，动也不动。

Are these animals dangerous? Conseil asked me. 它们不是危险伤人的动物吗？康塞尔问我。

1 backbones   

n.骨干( backbone的名词复数 )；脊骨；骨气；脊骨状物

参考例句：

• Why do hummingbirds and gorillas both have backbones? 为什么蜂鸟和大猩猩都有脊骨？ 来自辞典例句
• Simply adding bandwidth to the Internet backbones is not an answer. 只是简单的在互联网骨架上增加带宽是应付不了的。 来自互联网

2 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

3 limpid   

adj.清澈的，透明的

参考例句：

• He has a pair of limpid blue eyes.他有一双清澈的蓝眼睛。
• The sky was a limpid blue,as if swept clean of everything.碧空如洗。

4 glorify   

vt.颂扬，赞美，使增光，美化

参考例句：

• Politicians have complained that the media glorify drugs.政治家们抱怨媒体美化毒品。
• We are all committed to serving the Lord and glorifying His name in the best way we know.我们全心全意敬奉上帝，竭尽所能颂扬他的美名。

5 mermaids   

n.（传说中的）美人鱼( mermaid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The high stern castle was a riot or carved gods, demons, knights, kings, warriors, mermaids, cherubs. 其尾部高耸的船楼上雕满了神仙、妖魔鬼怪、骑士、国王、勇士、美人鱼、天使。 来自辞典例句
• This is why mermaids should never come on land. 这就是为什么人鱼不应该上岸的原因。 来自电影对白

6 cerebral   

adj.脑的，大脑的；有智力的，理智型的

参考例句：

• Your left cerebral hemisphere controls the right-hand side of your body.你的左半脑控制身体的右半身。
• He is a precise,methodical,cerebral man who carefully chooses his words.他是一个一丝不苟、有条理和理智的人，措辞谨慎。

7 lobes   

n.耳垂( lobe的名词复数 )；（器官的）叶；肺叶；脑叶

参考例句：

• The rotor has recesses in its three faces between the lobes. 转子在其凸角之间的三个面上有凹槽。 来自辞典例句
• The chalazal parts of the endosperm containing free nuclei forms several lobes. 包含游离核的合点端胚乳部分形成几个裂片。 来自辞典例句

8 naturalists   

n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者

参考例句：

• Naturalists differ much in determining what characters are of generic value. 自然学者对于不同性状决定生物的属的含义上，各有各的见解。 来自辞典例句
• This fact has led naturalists to believe that the Isthmus was formerly open. 使许多自然学者相信这个地蛱在以前原是开通的。 来自辞典例句

9 canines   

n.犬齿( canine的名词复数 )；犬牙；犬科动物

参考例句：

• For example, the teeth are more primitive. There are large canines and unusually shaped incisors. 譬如，牙齿更为原始，有大的犬齿和非常合适的门齿。 来自辞典例句
• Well-to-canines can attend doggy daycare centers while their owners work. 富人家的狗在主人上班的时候可以去狗狗托管中心。 来自互联网

10 circumference   

n.圆周，周长，圆周线

参考例句：

• It's a mile round the circumference of the field.运动场周长一英里。
• The diameter and the circumference of a circle correlate.圆的直径与圆周有相互关系。