英语听书《海底两万里》第474期 第29章 缺少空气(6)

 By then the thermometer gave -7 degrees centigrade outside. 那时在外面的温度表指着零下七度。

Captain Nemo led me to the galley¹ where a huge distilling² mechanism³ was at work, supplying drinking water via evaporation⁴. 尼摩船长领我到厨房中，那里有许多复杂的蒸馏器，由蒸发作用供应我们可以喝的开水。

The mechanism was loaded with water, and the full electric heat of our batteries was thrown into coils awash in liquid. 机器装满了水，电池所有的电热都投到浸在水中的螺旋管中去。

In a few minutes the water reached 100 degrees centigrade. 几分钟后，这水就达到沸点。

It was sent to the pumps while new water replaced it in the process. 把开水送入抽气机中，同时就有冷水进来，补充流出去的开水。

The heat generated by our batteries was so intense that after simply going through the mechanism, water drawn⁵ cold from the sea arrived boiling hot at the body of the pump. 电池发出的热力达到很高的程度，单单经过机器，从海中吸进的凉水，一到抽气机中就滚开了。

The steaming water was injected into the icy water outside, 开水的放射开始，

and after three hours had passed, the thermometer gave the exterior⁶ temperature as -6 degrees centigrade. 三小时后，在外面的温度表指着零下六度；

That was one degree gained. 温度提高一度。

Two hours later the thermometer gave only -4 degrees. 两小时后，温度表只指在零下四度了。

After I monitored the operation's progress, double-checking it with many inspections⁷, I told the captain, "It's working." 我看了这种工作的进展，同时从许多地方加以检查，我对船长说：“我们一定可以成功。"

"I think so," he answered me. “我想可以成功，”船长回答我说，

"We've escaped being crushed. “我们不至被压扁了。

Now we have only asphyxiation⁸ to fear." 我们所怕的只有被窒息了。”

During the night the water temperature rose to -1 degrees centigrade. 在夜间，水的温度又提高了一度。

The injections couldn't get it to go a single degree higher. 开水的放射力量不能使温度再提高了。

But since salt water freezes only at -2 degrees, I was finally assured that there was no danger of it solidifyin 可是海水的冰冻作用要再下两度才能发生，因此我们得到保证，不至有凝固的危险了。

By the next day, March 27, six meters of ice had been torn from the socket⁹. 第二天，3月27日，六米厚的冰从这冰窝中挖去了。

Only four meters were left to be removed. 还剩下四米厚的冰需要挖去。

That still meant forty-eight hours of work. 还要四十八小时的工作。

The air couldn't be renewed in the Nautilus's interior. 在诺第留斯号内部，空气不可能调换。

Accordingly, that day it kept getting worse. 因此，这一天的情形是更坏了。

An unbearable¹⁰ heaviness weighed me down. 一种不可忍受的重浊空气使我难过。

Near three o'clock in the afternoon, this agonizing¹¹ sensation affected¹² me to an intense degree. 下午三点左右，这种痛苦感觉到了猛烈的程度。

Yawns dislocated my jaws¹³. 呵欠喘气把我的上下鄂都弄歪了。

My lungs were gasping¹⁴ in their quest for that enkindling elastic¹⁵ fluid required for breathing, 我的肺叶迫切寻求有活力的氧，是呼吸所必不可少的东西，

now growing scarcer and scarcer. 现在愈来愈稀薄了。

My mind was in a daze¹⁶. 我的精神完全在昏沉沉的状态中。

I lay outstretched, strength gone, nearly unconscious. 我没有气力地躺下来，差不多失去了知觉。

My gallant¹⁷ Conseil felt the same symptoms, suffered the same sufferings, yet never left my side. 我的忠实的康塞尔有了同样的病征，受着同样的苦痛，他在我身边，再不离开我。

He held my hand, he kept encouraging me, and I even heard him mutter: 他拉着我的手，他鼓励我， 我还听到他低声说：

"Oh, if only I didn't have to breathe, to leave more air for master!"  “啊！如果我可以不呼吸，让先生可以多有些空气！”

It brought tears to my eyes to hear him say these words. 我听到他说这话，不觉眼中满是泪水。

1 galley   

n.（飞机或船上的）厨房单层甲板大帆船；军舰舰长用的大划艇；

参考例句：

• The stewardess will get you some water from the galley.空姐会从厨房给你拿些水来。
• Visitors can also go through the large galley where crew members got their meals.游客还可以穿过船员们用餐的厨房。

2 distilling   

n.蒸馏（作用）v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )( distilled的过去分词 )；从…提取精华

参考例句：

• Water can be made pure by distilling it. 水经蒸馏可变得纯净。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• More ammonium sulphate solution is being recovered in the process of distilling oil shale. 在提炼油页岩的过程中回收的硫酸铵液比过去多了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

4 evaporation   

n.蒸发，消失

参考例句：

• Be careful not to lose too much liquid by evaporation.小心不要因蒸发失去太多水分。
• Our bodies can sweat,thereby losing heat by evaporation.我们的身体能出汗，由此可以蒸发散热。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

7 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 asphyxiation   

n. 窒息

参考例句：

• Objective Inquiry into the heavy asphyxiation rescues measure of the new born. 摘要目的探讨新生儿重度窒息抢救的措施。
• Self-contained breathing apparatus(SCBA) may be required to prevent asphyxiation of rescue personnel. 可能要求有自给式呼吸器(SCBA)，以防止救援人员窒息。

9 socket   

n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口

参考例句：

• He put the electric plug into the socket.他把电插头插入插座。
• The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.这个电池充电器可以插入任何类型的电源插座。

10 unbearable   

adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的

参考例句：

• It is unbearable to be always on thorns.老是处于焦虑不安的情况中是受不了的。
• The more he thought of it the more unbearable it became.他越想越觉得无法忍受。

11 agonizing   

adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式)

参考例句：

• I spent days agonizing over whether to take the job or not. 我用了好些天苦苦思考是否接受这个工作。
• his father's agonizing death 他父亲极度痛苦的死

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

13 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

14 gasping   

adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词

参考例句：

• He was gasping for breath. 他在喘气。
• "Did you need a drink?""Yes, I'm gasping!” “你要喝点什么吗？”“我巴不得能喝点！”

15 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

16 daze   

v.(使)茫然，(使)发昏

参考例句：

• The blow on the head dazed him for a moment.他头上受了一击后就昏眩了片刻。
• I like dazing to sit in the cafe by myself on Sunday.星期日爱独坐人少的咖啡室发呆。

17 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。