Lesson 30 Exploring the sea-floor海底勘探

Exploring the sea-floor

科普文体 ^{Science Writing Style}

• The text uses precise, professional terminology and clear sentence structures. ^{课文使用精确的专业术语和清晰的句法结构。}
• Scientific writing avoids emotional language, focusing on objective descriptions. ^{科学写作避免情感语言，注重客观描述。}
• The exploration of the sea-floor employs a scientific style to convey factual information. ^{海底探索采用科学文体传递事实信息。}

Our knowledge of the oceans 100 years ago was confined to the two-dimensional shape of the sea surface and the hazards of navigation presented by the irregularities in depth of the shallow water close to the land.

confine … to … ^{把…局限于…}

• This attitude seems to be confined to the upper classes. ^{这种态度似乎局限于上层阶级。}
• Our knowledge was confined to the sea surface a century ago. ^{一个世纪前，我们的知识局限于海面。}
• Her research was confined to a single species. ^{她的研究局限于单一物种。}

hazard ^隐患

• The busy traffic entrance presents a hazard to pedestrians. ^{繁忙的交通入口对行人构成隐患。}
• Shallow waters posed a hazard to navigation. ^{浅水区对航行构成隐患。}
• Smoking is a serious health hazard. ^{吸烟是严重的健康隐患。}

The open sea was deep and mysterious, and anyone who gave more than a passing thought to the bottom confines of the oceans probably assumed that the sea-bed was flat.

give thought to ^考虑某事

• Anyone who gave thought to the sea-bed assumed it was flat. ^{任何考虑海底的人都假设它是平的。}
• She gave thought to changing her career path. ^{她考虑改变职业道路。}
• We must give thought to the environmental impact. ^{我们必须考虑环境影响。}

passing ^暂时的

• It was just a passing thought, not a serious plan. ^{那只是一个暂时的想法，不是认真的计划。}
• She gave the issue a passing glance. ^{她对这个问题只是匆匆一瞥。}
• The craze for that toy was only passing. ^{对那个玩具的狂热只是暂时的。}

more than ^{比…稍微仔细一些}

• It is impossible to make more than the wildest guess at their numbers. ^{对他们的数量只能做最粗略的猜测。}
• He gave more than a passing thought to the project. ^{他对这个项目不仅仅是随便想想。}
• Her analysis was more than a quick review. ^{她的分析不仅仅是快速浏览。}

confines ^范围

• It did not remain within the confines of his estate. ^{它并未局限于他的庄园范围。}
• The discussion stayed within the confines of the topic. ^{讨论保持在话题范围内。}
• Exploration beyond the confines of known waters was rare. ^{超越已知水域范围的探索很少见。}

assume ^假设

• Historians assumed calendars began with agriculture. ^{历史学家假设日历始于农业。}
• Some women assume their husbands will fix things. ^{一些女性假设她们的丈夫会修理东西。}
• Debaters weaken their case by assuming too much. ^{辩论者因假设过多而削弱了他们的论点。}

Sir James Clark Ross had obtained a sounding of over 2,400 fathoms in 1839, but it was not until 1869, when H. M. S. Porcupine was put at the disposal of the Royal Society for several cruises that a series of deep soundings was obtained in the Atlantic and the first samples were collected by dredging the bottom.

at one’s disposal ^{归某人使用}

• He put his house at my disposal during my holiday. ^{他在我的假期中将房子供我使用。}
• The ship was at the disposal of the Royal Society. ^{这艘船归皇家学会使用。}
• Resources were at their disposal for the experiment. ^{实验资源供他们使用。}

it was not until … that … ^{直到…才…}

• It was not until 1869 that deep soundings were obtained. ^{直到1869年才获得深海测深数据。}
• It was not until 1776 that the American people were liberated. ^{直到1776年美国人民才获得解放。}
• It was not until his third match in 1790 that he became Champion. ^{直到1790年第三场比赛他才成为冠军。}

Shortly after this the famous H. M. S. Challenger expedition established the study of the sea-floor as a subject worthy of the most qualified physicists and geologists.

shortly before/after ^{在…之前/之后不久}

• The accident happened shortly before midday. ^{事故发生在中午前不久。}
• Police arrived shortly after midnight. ^{警察在午夜后不久到达。}
• Shortly afterwards, four more policemen arrived. ^{不久之后，又有四名警察到达。}

establish … as … ^{确立…为…}

• He had established himself as a musician by the 1980s. ^{他在1980年代确立了自己作为音乐家的地位。}
• Zhen He’s expeditions established Ming as a naval power. ^{郑和的远征确立了明朝作为海军强国的地位。}
• The expedition established sea-floor study as a scientific field. ^{这次远征确立了海底研究作为科学领域。}

worthy ^值得的

• The matter is worthy of consideration. ^{这件事值得考虑。}
• The study was worthy of the most qualified scientists. ^{这项研究值得最有资质的科学家参与。}
• Her achievements are worthy to be celebrated. ^{她的成就值得被庆祝。}

qualified ^有资格的

• Tim is now a qualified architect. ^{蒂姆现在是一名合格的建筑师。}
• She is qualified to give advice on legal matters. ^{她有资格提供法律建议。}
• This training will qualify you for a better job. ^{这项培训将使你有资格获得更好的工作。}

A burst of activity associated with the laying of submarine cables soon confirmed the Challenger's observation that many parts of the ocean were two to three miles deep, and the existence of underwater features of considerable magnitude.

burst ^爆发

• A burst of activity confirmed the ocean’s depth. ^{一阵活动爆发证实了海洋的深度。}
• One more bite, and I’ll burst. ^{再吃一口，我就撑爆了。}
• The buds are all bursting in spring. ^{春天里，芽儿都在爆开。}

Today, enough soundings are available to enable a relief map of the Atlantic to be drawn and we know something of the great variety of the sea bed's topography.

be available to do ^{可供…/有空做某事}

• Funds are available to assist teachers who want to attend the conference. ^{有资金可供帮助想参加会议的教师。}
• My professor is always available to talk to her students. ^{我的教授总是有空与学生交谈。}
• Enough soundings are available to enable a relief map to be drawn. ^{有足够的测深数据可供绘制大西洋地形图。}

know … about / of … ^{对…有所了解}

• I don’t know anything about this. ^{我对此一无所知。}
• Not much is known about his background. ^{关于他的背景知之甚少。}
• You know nothing of this business. ^{你对这生意一无所知。}

Since the sea covers the greater part of the earth's surface, it is quite reasonable to regard the sea floor as the basic form of the crust of the earth, with superimposed upon it, the continents, together with the islands and other features of the oceans.

it is reasonable / legitimate / justifiable for … to do ^{做…是完全合理的}

• It is reasonable for scientists to regard the sea floor as the earth’s crust. ^{科学家将海底视为地壳是完全合理的。}
• It is legitimate for her to question the decision. ^{她质疑这个决定是完全合法的。}
• It’s all very well for such things to occur in fiction. ^{这种事情发生在小说中是完全可以的。}

superimpose A on / upon B ^{把A附加到B上}

• The continents are superimposed upon the sea floor. ^{大陆被附加在海底之上。}
• She superimposed a grid on the map to analyze data. ^{她在地图上附加了一个网格来分析数据。}
• Text was superimposed on the image for clarity. ^{文字被附加在图像上以提高清晰度。}

独立主格 ^{Independent Genitive}

• With the continents superimposed upon it, the sea floor forms the crust. ^{大陆附加其上，海底构成地壳。}
• The car roared by, with its headlights on. ^{汽车呼啸而过，车灯亮着。}
• The village was deserted, with the only sign of life being a goat. ^{村庄荒无人烟，唯一的生命迹象是一只山羊。}

The continents form rugged tablelands which stand nearly three miles above the floor of the open ocean.

stand ^{矗立/高达}

• The continents stand nearly three miles above the ocean floor. ^{大陆矗立在海洋底部之上近三英里。}
• The tower stands 20 meters high. ^{这座塔高达20米。}
• The Monument to the Heroes stands in the center of The Square. ^{英雄纪念碑矗立在广场中心。}

From the shore line, out to a distance which may be anywhere from a few miles to a few hundred miles, runs the gentle slope of the continental shelf, geologically part of the continents.

全部倒装 ^{Full Inversion}

• Runs the gentle slope of the continental shelf from the shore line. ^{大陆架的缓坡从海岸线延伸出去。}
• Stands a temple on the hill. ^{山上矗立着一座寺庙。}
• Appeared a man on horseback on the horizon. ^{地平线上出现了一个骑马的人。}

geologically ^{从地质学角度}

• The continental shelf is geologically part of the continents. ^{大陆架从地质学角度是大陆_clause: 大陆的一部分。}
• Geologically, the area is highly unstable. ^{从地质学角度看，该地区极不稳定。}
• The rock formations were studied geologically. ^{这些岩层被从地质学角度研究。}

The real dividing line between continents and oceans occurs at the foot of a steeper slope.

occur ^{存在于/发生}

• Minerals occur in the earth’s crust. ^{矿物质存在于地壳中。}
• The dividing line occurs at the foot of a steeper slope. ^{分界线存在于较陡斜坡的底部。}
• Earthquakes often occur in this region. ^{地震常发生在此地区。}

This continental slope usually starts at a place somewhere near the 100-fathom mark and in the course of a few hundred miles reaches the true ocean floor at 2,500-3,500 fathoms.

continental slope ^大陆坡

• The continental slope starts near the 100-fathom mark. ^{大陆坡从100英寻处开始。}
• The continental slope descends to the ocean floor over a few hundred miles. ^{大陆坡在几百英里内下降到海洋底部。}
• Exploration of the continental slope revealed its steep gradients. ^{对大陆坡的探索揭示了其陡峭的坡度。}

The slope averages about 1 in 30, but contains steep, probably vertical, cliffs, and gentle sediment-covered terraces, and near its lower reaches there is a long tailing-off which is almost certainly the result of material transported out to deep water after being eroded from the continental masses.

average ^平均值为

• The slope averages about 1 in 30. ^{该坡度的平均值约为1/30。}
• The airport averages about a thousand flights a month. ^{机场平均每月约有一千次航班。}
• Her grades average around 85%. ^{她的成绩平均在85%左右。}

分数表达 ^{Fractional Expression}

• 1 in 30 = a/one thirtieth. ^{1/30 = 三十分之一。}
• Two thirtieths of the slope is steeper than average. ^{坡度的三十分之二比平均值更陡。}
• The fraction is expressed as one thirtieth. ^{该分数表示为三十分之一。}

vertical / perpendicular ^垂直

• The slope contains vertical cliffs. ^{该坡包含垂直的悬崖。}
• The wall was built perpendicular to the ground. ^{墙壁垂直于地面建造。}
• Horizontal terraces contrast with vertical cliffs. ^{水平台地与垂直悬崖形成对比。}

复合形容词 ^{Compound Adjectives}

• Sediment-covered terraces line the slope. ^{沉积物覆盖的台地沿着坡分布。}
• The life-supporting planet sustains diverse ecosystems. ^{支持生命的星球维持着多样化的生态系统。}
• Hand-made silverware is highly valued. ^{手工制作的银器价值很高。}

reaches ^{边缘地带/河段}

• Near its lower reaches, there is a long tailing-off. ^{在其下游地带，有一个长长的逐渐消失。}
• The outer reaches of the forest are untouched. ^{森林的边缘地带未被触及。}
• The upper reaches of the river are pristine. ^{河的上游地带是原始的。}