英语听书《海底两万里》第331期 第23章 珊瑚王国(28)
时间：2019-01-27 作者：英语课 分类：《海底两万里》中英双语有声读物
英语课
Just then a huge cave opened up in our path, hollowed from a picturesque 1 pile of rocks whose smooth heights were completely hung with underwater flora 2. 这时候，我们面前现出一个宽大的石洞，洞在满铺各种海底花草的岩石堆中。
At first this cave looked pitch-black to me. Inside, the sun's rays seemed to diminish by degrees. Their hazy 3 transparency was nothing more than drowned light. 起初，我看这洞中很黑暗。照到这里的太阳光好像渐渐微弱，以至熄灭了。剩下的模糊的亮光只不过是浸在水里的光线罢了。
Captain Nemo went in. We followed him. My eyes soon grew accustomed to this comparative gloom. 尼摩船长进入洞中。我们跟他进去。我的眼睛不久就习惯了这种并非漆黑的黑暗。
I distinguished 4 the unpredictably contoured springings of a vault 5, supported by natural pillars firmly based on a granite 6 foundation, like the weighty columns of Tuscan architecture. 我分辨出那些由天然石柱支架起来的、穹窿很宽大的形成轮廓的起拱石，这些石柱的宽大底座安在花岗岩的石基上，像托斯甘式建筑的笨重石柱那样。
Why had our incomprehensible guide taken us into the depths of this underwater crypt? I would soon find out. 我们的神秘带路人为什么拉我们到这海底下的地窖中来呢？我不久就明白了。
After going down a fairly steep slope, our feet trod the floor of a sort of circular pit. There Captain Nemo stopped, and his hand indicated an object that I hadn't yet noticed. 我们走下相当陡的斜坡，我们的脚踩踏了一种圆形的井底地面。到这里，尼摩船长停住了，他手指一件东西，但我还不能看清楚。
It was an oyster 7 of extraordinary dimensions, a titanic 8 giant clam 9, 那是一只身量巨大的珍珠贝，一只庞大无比的车渠，
a holy-water font that could have held a whole lake, a basin more than two meters wide, hence even bigger than the one adorning 10 the Nautilus's lounge. 一个盛一池水的圣水盘，一个超过两米宽的大钵，所以这只贝比诺第留斯号客厅中放着的还大。
I approached this phenomenal mollusk 11. Its mass of filaments 12 attached it to a table of granite, and there it grew by itself in the midst of the cave's calm waters. 我走近这出奇少有的软体动物面前。它的纤维带把它钉在花岗岩的石板上，附着这石板，它就在这石洞的平静海水中单独成长起来。
I estimated the weight of this giant clam at 300 kilograms. Hence such an oyster held fifteen kilos of meat, and you'd need the stomach of King Gargantua to eat a couple dozen. 我估计这只贝的重量有三百公斤。而这样一只贝可以有十五公斤的净肉，那就必须有一位卡冈都亚②的肚子才能眷食几打这样巨大的贝了。
Captain Nemo was obviously familiar with this bivalve's existence. This wasn't the first time he'd paid it a visit, and I thought his sole reason for leading us to this locality was to show us a natural curiosity. 尼摩船长分明是知道这只双壳动物的存在。他到这个地方来不止一次了，我想他带我们到这里来只是要给我们看一件天然的奇物。
I was mistaken. Captain Nemo had an explicit 13 personal interest in checking on the current condition of this giant clam. 我搞错了。尼摩船长有特别目的，是为了解这车渠的情况而来的。
adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的
- You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
- That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。
n.(某一地区的)植物群
- The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
- All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。
adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的
- We couldn't see far because it was so hazy.雾气蒙蒙妨碍了我们的视线。
- I have a hazy memory of those early years.对那些早先的岁月我有着朦胧的记忆。
adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的
- Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
- A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。
n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室
- The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
- The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
adj.花岗岩，花岗石
- They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
- The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。
n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人
- I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
- I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。
adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的
- We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
- The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。
n.蛤，蛤肉
- Yup!I also like clam soup and sea cucumbers.对呀！我还喜欢蛤仔汤和海参。
- The barnacle and the clam are two examples of filter feeders.藤壶和蛤类是滤过觅食者的两种例子。
修饰，装饰物
- Many have gems adorning their foreheads, and gold bands on their arms. 许多人在前额上挂着宝石，手臂上戴着金饰。
- The commandments, or rules, are like pure white pearls adorning the wearer. （喻）戒律洁白，可以庄严人身，好像晶莹可爱的宝珠。
n.软体动物
- I swear I have never seen such a mollusk with thorns all over its body.我敢发誓我从来没有见过这种全身长满棘刺的软体动物。
- The colour varies with the mollusk and its environment.颜色因母体及其环境的不同而异。
n.（电灯泡的）灯丝( filament的名词复数 )；丝极；细丝；丝状物
- Instead, sarcomere shortening occurs when the thin filaments'slide\" by the thick filaments. 此外，肌节的缩短发生于细肌丝沿粗肌丝“滑行”之际。 来自辞典例句
- Wetting-force data on filaments of any diameter and shape can easily obtained. 各种直径和形状的长丝的润湿力数据是易于测量的。 来自辞典例句
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