英语听书《海底两万里》第459期 第28章 惊奇还是意外(1)

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号：tingroom，领取免费英语资料大礼包。

The last gleams of twilight¹ were melting into night.  清晨的最后曙光没人黑暗中去了。

The cold was brisk. The constellations² were glittering with startling intensity³.  天气很冷。各星座在天空中照耀，特别明亮，

The wonderful Southern Cross, polar star of the Antarctic regions, twinkled at its zenith. 天空的顶点有那辉煌的南宿，那是南冰洋地区的极星。

The thermometer marked -12 degrees centigrade, and a fresh breeze left a sharp nip in the air.  温度表降到零下十二度，寒风吹来，刺人肌骨。

Ice floes were increasing over the open water. The sea was starting to congeal⁴ everywhere.  冰群在流动的水上愈来愈多了。海面渐渐冻结。

Numerous blackish patches were spreading over its surface, announcing the imminent⁵ formation of fresh ice.  无数灰黑的冰块摆在水面上，这表示新的冰层形成了。

Obviously this southernmost basin froze over during its six-month winter and became utterly⁶ inaccessible⁷.  很显然，南极的海面在冬季六个月全是结冰的，绝对无法通过。

What happened to the whales during this period?  这个时期鲸鱼类怎样呢？

No doubt they went beneath the Ice Bank to find more feasible seas.  当然它们从冰山下面出去，找寻比较适宜居住的海水。

As for seals and walruses⁸, they were accustomed to living in the harshest climates and stayed on in these icy waterways.  至于海豹和海马，习惯了严寒的天气，是仍然留在这冰天雪地中的。

These animals know by instinct how to gouge⁹ holes in the ice fields and keep them continually open; they go to these holes to breathe.  这些动物天赋有本能在这冰场中挖掘洞穴，老是让洞门敞开，它们可以到洞口来呼吸。

Once the birds have migrated northward¹⁰ to escape the cold, these marine¹¹ mammals remain as sole lords of the polar continent. 鸟类被寒冷所迫，迁移到北方去。这时只有这些哺乳类动物是这南极大陆的唯一主人。

Meanwhile the ballast tanks filled with water and the Nautilus sank slowly.  这时，储水池装满了，诺第留斯号慢慢下降。

At a depth of 1,000 feet, it stopped.  到一千英尺深的时候，它停下来。

Its propeller¹² churned the waves and it headed due north at a speed of fifteen miles per hour.  它的推进器搅动海水，以每小时十五海里的速度直向北方行驶。

Near the afternoon it was already cruising under the immense frozen carapace¹³ of the Ice Bank. 晚上，它已经驶到冰山下边巨大的冰冻甲壳下面了。

分享到：