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。}

课文用到了准确专业的术语，清晰的句法结构，而且注重各种客观描述，不带任何感情色彩。

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. ^后置定语

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。}
• He had had a long and uncomfortable trip, for he had been confined to the wooden box for over eighteen hours.
• Her research was confined to a single species. ^{她的研究局限于单一物种。}

hazard ^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。}

be a health / safety / fire / traffic hazard ^…隐患

• Piles of oily rags in the basement are a major fire hazard. ^{地下室堆积的油抹布是重大的火灾隐患。}

be / present / pose / constitute a hazard to … ^{对… 构成隐患}

• The busy traffic entrance is / presents / poses / constitutes a hazard to pedestrians.
• The broken glass on the playground poses a serious hazard to children. ^{操场上的碎玻璃对孩子们构成了严重的隐患。}

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 / consideration to sth. ^考虑某事

• 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。}
• I need to give some serious thought to your proposal before making a decision. ^{在做出决定之前，我需要认真考虑一下你的提议。}

passing ^{adj.brief and not serious 暂时的；瞬间的}

• 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;比…好一些}

• It is impossible to make more than the wildest guess at how many they kill , …
• 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 ^{n. limits 范围}

• It did not remain within the confines of his estate.
• 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（含贬义，暗示错的）}

• 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。}
• Some debaters weaken their case by assuming too much. 

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.

H.M.S. (HMS) ^{皇家舰艇(Her or His Majesty’s Ship)}

• ABBREVIATION for His (or Her) Majesty's Service ^{效力于英皇}
• One of these survey ships was to be named H.M.S. Beagle. ^{其中一艘勘测船将被命名为英国舰队贝格尔号。}
• H.M.S. Beagle and Adventure return to England at Plymouth. ^{英国舰队贝格尔号和开拓号返回英国普利茅斯港。}

at one’s disposal / at the disposal of sb. ^{归某人使用}

• He put / placed his house at my disposal during my holiday.
• 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 … ^{强调句(强调时间状语)}

• It was not until his third match in 1790 that he finally beat Humphries and became Champion of England.
• 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 …, when …, that … and ... 

It was not until the foundation of the United States of America in 1776 that the American people were finally liberated and became masters of the country. ^{直到 1776} 年美国人民才最终获得了解放并且成了国家的主人。
It was not until 1949, when Chairman Mao proclaimed the foundation of the People's Republic of China, that the Chinese people finally achieved liberation and became masters of the country. ^{直到1949年毛主席宣布中华人民共和国成立，中国人民才最终获得了解放并且成了国家的主人。}

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。}

establish … as … ^{确立…为…; 确立了…的某个地位}

• 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 ^{adj.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 ^{adj.having finished a training course, or having particular skills, etc. . 有资格的，有资质的}

• Tim is now a qualified architect. ^{蒂姆现在是一名合格的建筑师。}
• He tried to pass himself off as a qualified doctor. ^{他企图冒充自己是一名合格的医生。}
• 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 ^{v.爆发（出）}

• 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。}
• As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone burst out laughing.