Lesson 30 Exploring the sea-floor海底勘探

First listen and then answer the following question: How did people probably imagine the sea-floor before it was investigated?

Our knowledge of the oceans a hundred 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

100年前,我们只知道海洋是二维平面形的,以及靠近陆地浅水区的深浅不一能给航行带来危险。无边无际的海洋深邃而又神秘,凡是稍稍想过大海海底的人大概都会认为海底是平坦的。1839年,詹姆斯.克拉克.罗斯爵士曾测得海水深度超过2,400英寻;但直到1869年,皇家学会用英国“豪猪”号舰艇进行了几次巡航后,才在大西洋测得一个海水深度,同时能过挖掘海底,取得了研究海底的首批样品。此后不久,英国著名的“挑战者”号舰艇对海底的那次考察,把对海床的研究确立为一个值得一流物理学家和地质学家从事的研究课题,铺设海底电缆的热潮很快证实了“挑战者”号的观察结果:海洋中很多地方可深达两三英里,水下特征差异极大。

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. 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. The continents form rugged tablelands which stand nearly three miles above the floor of the open ocean. From the shore line, out 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. The real dividing line between continents and oceans occurs at the foot of a steeper slope.

现在已有足够的水深测量数据来绘制一张大西洋洋底地形图,而且我对海底地形的千变万化也有了一定的了解。既然海洋覆盖着地球的大部分表面,因此完全有理由把海床看作地壳的基本模壳,上面附加着大陆以及岛屿和海洋的其他形态。大陆是崎岖不平的高地,高出辽阔的海洋海底近三英里。从海岸线向大海延伸几英里到几百英里的区域是大陆架慢坡,从地质学上来说,它是大陆的一部分。大陆和海洋的真正分界线是在陡破脚下。

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

大陆架慢坡一般是从差不多100英寻水深的地方开始的,一直延伸到几百英里远深达2,500至3,500的地方,那里才是真正的海底。坡度平均约为1/30,但其中包括陡峭的、乃至垂直的峭壁和沉积物覆盖的缓和的阶梯地带,在这个地带的低处是很长的一段尾沙地段,基本上可以断定这个地段是大陆块体上侵蚀下来的物质被水冲到深水处形成的。

T. F. GASKELLExploring the Sea-floor from Science Survey

The Challenger
H. M. S. Challenger at St. Paul's Rocks near the Equator
15个相关单词

与课文关联的单词

navigation

/ˌnævɪˈɡeɪʃ(ə)n/n. 航海

sounding

/ˈsaʊndɪŋ/n. 水深度

fathom

/ˈfæðəm/n. 寻(1寻等于1.8米)

porcupine

//n. 箭猪

dredge

//v. 挖掘

expedition

//n. 远征

physicist

/ˈfɪzɪsɪst/n. 物理学家

magnitude

//n. 很多

topography

//n. 地形

crust

//n. 地壳

rugged

//adj. 崎岖不平

tableland

//n. 高地

sediment

//n. 沉淀物

terrace

/ˈterəs/n. 阶地

erode

//v. 侵蚀
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引子 更新于:2024-10-08 00:17:39

Exploring the sea-floor

知识点(1)

课文写作题材:科普文体;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. 

Our knowledge of the oceans(后置定语1) a hundred years ago(后置定语2) was confined to the two-dimensional shape of the sea surface(宾语1) and the hazards of navigation presented by the irregularities in depth of the shallow water close to the land(close to.. 后置定语,修饰shallow water)  (in depth... 后置定语,修饰irregularities) (presented... 后置定语,修饰navigation) (宾语2).

 

知识点(1)

confine … to … 含义1:把…局限于…

※ This attitude seems to be confined to the upper classes. 

 

【近义词组】表达“把…局限于…”:

restrict … to …

※ Our knowledge of the oceans a hundred years ago was restricted to the two-dimensional shape of the sea surface …

 

be confined to …含义2:(因为病)被局限在…

※ After the operation, she was confined to bed for a week.

※ Although confined to a wheelchair, she was very active in social life. 

 

知识点(2)【词汇】  

hazard 隐患

※ be a health / safety / fire / traffic hazard …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.

 

【同根词】

hazardous  adj. 英文解释:dangerous, especially to people’s health or safety hazardous to有危险的;冒险的;

 

【近义词】

peril  n. 英文解释:great danger, especially of being harmed or killed 危险;冒险

perilous adj. 英文解释:very dangerous

※ The ship was in grave peril. 

 

(in) jeopardy in a dangerous position or situation and likely to be lost or harmed 处于危险境地;受到威胁

※ A miner’s life is often in jeopardy.

※ The industrial depression put many men’s jobs in jeopardy.

 

【扩展【复习】

be / present / pose / constitute + a threat / menace to …构成威胁

※ Inflation may pose a potential threat to China’s social stability.

※ Religious extremism constitutes a grave menace to the security and stability in the region.

 

 

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. 

The open sea was deep and mysterious, and(大并列)anyone who gave more than a passing thought to the bottom confines of the oceans(who...定语从句) probably assumed that the sea bed was flat(宾语从句).

 

知识点(1)

give thought / consideration to sth. 考虑某事

 

知识点(2)【词汇】  

passing adj. 英文解释:brief and not serious 暂时的;瞬间的

※ a passing thought / glance / craze

 

知识点(3)

more than 比…好一些,比… 稍微仔细一些

※ It is impossible to make more than the wildest guess at how many they kill , …

 

知识点(4)【词汇】

confines n. limits 范围

※ It did not, however, remain within the confines of his estate. 

 

知识点(5)【词汇】Lesson03-38、03-46

assume (含贬义,暗示错的)

※ Up to now, historians have assumed that calendars came into being with the advent of agriculture, for then man was faced with a real need to understand something about the seasons.

※ When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate, some women assume that their husbands will somehow put things right.

※ Some debaters weaken their case by assuming too much. 

 

【近义词】表达“猜测”:

postulate (没有依据猜测)

※ Ptolemy postulated that the Earth was at the center of the universe. 

 

presume (褒义,有依据的猜测)

※ From the way they talked, I presumed that they were a couple. 

 

suppose (没有感情色彩)

 

 

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.

Sir James Clark Ross had obtained a sounding of over 2,400 fathoms in 1839, but(大并列) it was(强调句,强调时间状语) not until 1869, when H.M.S. Porcupine was put at the disposal of the Royal Society for several cruises(when... 非限定性定语从句), that(强调句) a series of deep soundings was obtained in the Atlantic and the first samples were collected by dredging the bottom.

 

知识点(1)【扩展】

H.M.S. (HMS) 皇家舰艇

Her / His Majesty’s Ship

 

知识点(2)

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.

 

知识点(3)Lesson03-21

强调句,强调时间状语:

it was not until … that … and …

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

 

※ 造句: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(master)。       

※ 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.

 

it was not until …, when …, that … and ...

※ 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.

 

【复习】Lesson03-40

only +状语 翻译为“只有、仅有”;如果是时间状语翻译为“直到”(强调时间)

语法: “only +  状语”位于句首,用部分倒装

※ Only(直到) then did he realize that he was mistaken.

※ Only(只有) by working hard can we succeed in doing anything.

※ Only(直到) after a baby seal is pushed into the sea by its mother will it learn how to swim.

※ Only(直到) when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.

 

※ 课文写法替换: 

※ It was only in 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 …

※ It was only when H.M.S. Porcupine was put at the disposal of the Royal Society for several cruises in 1869, that a series of deep soundings was …

 

 

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 after this(时间状语) 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(后置定语).

 

知识点(1)Lesson03-43

shortly before / after … 在…之前/之后不久

※ The accident happened shortly before(介词) midday. 

※ I saw him shortly before(连词) he died.

 

※ Police arrived at the scene shortly after(介词) midnight.

※ Shortly after(连词) it was launched, the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate. 

 

shortly afterwards (副词短语)不久之后

= before long

※ Shortly afterwards, four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen. 

 

知识点(2)

establish … as … 确立了…的某个地位

※ He had established himself as a musician by the 1980s.

※ Zhen He’s seven expeditions established Ming as the world’s top naval power.

 

知识点(3)Lesson03-04

表达“值”:

worth (可以看做介词)后面不能接被动

be worth sth.

be worth doing

※ He will be earning only half as much as he used to, but he feels that his rise in status is well worth the loss of money.

※ The matter is worth consideration.

※ The matter is worth considering.

 

worthy (形容词)

be worthy of sth.

be worthy to do / to be done

※ The matter is worthy of consideration.

※ The matter is worthy to be considered.

 

【辨析】

※ The day when Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games is worth being celebrated. X 表达错误be worth  后面不能接被动

※ 改正:The day when Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games is worth celebration / celebrating. √

※ The day when Beijing won the right to host the 2008 Olympic Games is worthy of celebration / to be celebrated. √

 

知识点(4)【词汇】Lesson03-53

qualified adj. 英文解释:having finished a training course, or having particular skills, etc. . 有资格的,有资质的

※ Tim is now a qualified architect. 

※ a qualified doctor / architect

 

be qualified for … 对…有资格的

※ What makes you think that you are qualified for this job? 

 

be qualified to do … 有资格去做…

※ I'm not qualified to give advice on such matters.

※ A parliamentary committee representing all political parties appoints a person who is suitably qualified to investigate private grievances against the State.

 

【同根词】

qualify v.(使)有资格或能力

 

※ qualify as 有…的资格

※ He qualified as a doctor last year. 

 

※ qualify sb. to do sth. 使某人有资格做某事

※ The test qualifies you to drive heavy vehicles. 

※ I qualified as a doctor from Peking University last year.

 

※ qualify sb. for sth. 是某人有资格得到某事

※ This training course will qualify you for a better job. 

※ Membership qualifies you for a discount on purchases.

※ She doesn't qualify for maternity leave because she hasn't been in her job long enough.

 

qualification n. (某工作需要的)资格,能力;文凭,资质证书

※ In addition to all her other qualifications, Bessie was an expert cook. 

 

【辨析】

authorize sb. to do 授权某人做某事

※ UN does not authorize US to use force against Iraq. authorization

※ US waged war on Iraq without UN authorization.

 

 

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.

A burst of activity associated with the laying of submarine cables(后置定语) soon confirmed the challenger's observation that many parts of the ocean were two to three miles deep(observation的同位语从句), and the existence of underwater features of considerable magnitude(后置定语)(observation的同位语). 

 

知识点(1)【词汇】  

burst

※ One more bite, and I’ll burst. (爆炸)

※ The buds are all bursting. (爆炸)

 

【辨析1】

burst into tears / laughter / song  突然间…

burst out crying / laughing / singing 突然间…

 

【辨析2】

a burst of sth. 某个事物突然大幅增加、爆发

※ a burst of speed / laughter / anger / activity

※ He showed that the average individual's sleep cycle is punctuated with peculiar bursts of eye-movements, some drifting and slow, others jerky and rapid.

现实情况 更新于:2024-08-24 13:08:50

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.

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

 

知识点(1)

be available to do 1.(事物做主语)有某个东西可供…;2. (人做主语)有时间、有空做某事

 

※ Funds are available to assist teachers who want to attend the conference. 

※ My professor is always available to talk to her students.

 

知识点(2)

know … about / of … 对…有所了解

※ I don't know anything about this.

※ Not much is known about his background. 

※ You know nothing of this business.

 

 

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.

Since the sea covers the greater part of the earth's surface(原因状语从句), it(形式主语)is quite reasonable to regard the sea floor as the basic form of the crust of the earth(to … 真正主语), with, superimposed upon it, the continents, together with the islands and other features of the oceans(逻辑主语后置). (独立主格)

 

知识点(1)【课文句型提炼】

it is (quite) reasonable / legitimate / justifiable for … to do 做…是完全合理的

 

It’s all very well for … to do 做…是完全合理的 Lesson03-24

※ It’s all very well for such things to occur in fiction.

 

知识点(2)

superimpose A on / upon B 把A附加导B上面

 

知识点(3)

… with, superimposed upon it, the continents, together with the islands and other features of the oceans.

※ 正常语序: 头重脚轻

… with the continents, to ether with the is ands and other features of the oceans superimposed upon it.

 

【复习】Lesson03-06

语法复习: 独立主格

(with) + n. (逻辑主语)+ 非谓语 (doing / done / to do, 其中 being 常省略), 在句中常作状语或定语

※ The silence was suddenly broken when a large car, with its headlights(逻辑主语) (being) on and its horn blaring,(整句做伴随状语) roared down the arcade.

※ One man stayed at the wheel while two others with black stockings (being) over their faces(后置定语) jumped out and smashed the window of the shop with iron bars.

 

※ …, and at this point, according to my father, I should be looking at farms and cottages in a valley, with the spire of the church of our village(逻辑主语) showing in the far distance. (后置定语,修饰valley)

 

※ It is possible that upon such an occasion a battle ensued, with the sharks(逻辑主语) being driven away or killed.(结果状语)

 

※ Apart from an interesting-looking carved dagger, the box was full of crockery, (with )much of it(逻辑主语) broken. (后置定语)

 

※ In the nineteenth century, a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences—(with)most of them(逻辑主语) wildly (being) improbable. (后置定语)

 

※ The village seemed deserted, (with)the only sign of life(逻辑主语) being an ugly-looking black goat tied to a tree on a short length of rope in a field nearby.(定语或状语)

 

※ 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(逻辑主语后置). (定语)

※ (上一句的正常语序)it is quite reasonable to regard the sea floor as the basic form of the crust of the earth, with the continents, together with the islands and other features of the oceans superimposed upon it. (定语)

 

※ Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time(逻辑主语)  (being) for boredom.

 

独立主格和非谓语动词一样,一般是为了突出句中的次要信息

※ He came in and carried a book. (没有突出重点)

※ He came in carrying a book. (突出came in)

※ He came in and a book was in his hand. (没有突出重点)

※ He came in (with) a book (being) in his hand. (突出came in)

 

 

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

知识点(1)Lesson03-03

stand 系动词. 矗立在…、有多高

※ Strange forms stand in gardens, and outside buildings and shops.

※ The Monument to the Heroes stands in the center of The Square.

※  She stood (有多高)three feet high and her hands rested on her hips.

※ An American team explored a temple which stands in an ancient city on the promontory of Ayia Irini.

※ The tower stands 20 meters. 

 

measure 系动词,表“有多长/宽/高/深”

※ The bed measures 2 meters in length / long. 

※ The bed measures 1 meter in width / wide. 

 

weigh … 系动词,有多重

※ he boy weighs 50 kilos.

※ It weighed nearly 500 pounds.

 

 

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.

From the shore line, out to a distance which may be anywhere from a few miles to a few hundred miles(which...定语从句)(地点状语), runs(全部倒装) the gentle slope of the continental shelf, geologically part of the continents(同位语).

 

知识点(1)正常语序:

※ There was a path running (vi.)through the middle of the forest.

 

【复习】Lesson03-10、03-17、03-56

语法:全部倒装(把全部谓语置于主语之前。)

1).表示位置或次序的状语置于句首,只要满足两个条件,要用全部倒装。

① 主语不是代词。

② 谓语动词不是及物动词。

这种倒装主要目的是为了突出句末的主语。

※ Now comes your turn.

※ On the hill stands a temple. 

※ In came Miss Green.

※ There are two people.

※ There once stood a little village. 

※ Next came a horse, … 

※ 课文:

※ …, there appeared on the horizon a man on horseback, …

※ 正常语序:

※ …, a man on horseback appeared there on the horizon, …

 

※ 不能倒装:

※ Off he went. X主语不能是代词

※ On the hill John saw Mary. X谓语是及物动词

 

2).表语置于句首。这种倒装主要目的是为了避免头重脚轻(主语较长)。

※ Happy is he who has a sound mind in a sound body.

※ Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay.

 

知识点(2)【词汇】

【辨析】

geography  n. 地理;地形

geometry n. 几何学

geologist   n. 地质学家,地质学者

geology     n. 地质学;地质情况

geological  adj. 地质的,地质学的

geologically   adv. 从地质学角度

 

 

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

The real dividing line between continents and oceans(后置定语) occurs(存在于) at the foot a steeper slope(地点状语).

 

知识点(1)【词汇】

occur 存在于

※ Minera s occur in the earth’s crust. 

 

【近似词组】表达“存在”:

exist / be found

※ Vitamin C is found in citrus fruit.

※ Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America. 

 

be v. 存在

※ Such terrible suffering should never be. 

 

obtain vi.存在

※ Conditions of extreme poverty now obtain in many parts of the country. 

 

lie in sth. 存在于

※ The difficulty lies in providing sufficient evidence.

※ My main interest lies in the development of new technology. 

 

lurk 潜伏

※ I saw someone lurking in the bushes.

结论 更新于:2024-08-24 13:09:06

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.

This continental slope usually starts at a place somewhere near the 100-fatheom mark(后置定语) and in the course of a few hundred miles(地点状语) reaches the true ocean floor at 2,500-3,500 fathoms(后置定语).

 

 

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.

The slope averages about 1 in 30, but contains steep, probably vertical, cliffs, and gentle sediment-covered terraces, and(大并列) near its lower reaches(地点状语) 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(时间状语)(transported … 过去分词短语做后置定语,修饰water). (which...定语从句)

 

知识点(1)Lesson04-30 数量表达:平均值

average [linking verb] 平均值为…

※ The airport averages about a thousand flights a month. 

 

知识点(2)Lesson04-30 数量表达:分数

1 in 30

a / one thirtieth

two thirtieths

 

知识点(3)【词汇】  

vertical / perpendicular 垂直

horizontal 水平的

circuitous / tortuous 弯曲的

※ The road is tortuous, but the prospects are bright.

 

知识点(4)复合形容词

语法:复合形容词简化定语从句:名词+分词 构成形容词

※ the planet which supports life

※ the life-supporting planet

 

※ animals which eat insects

※ insect-eating animals

 

※ silverware which is made by hands

※ hand-made silverware

 

※ diseases which are related to stress

※ stress-related diseases

 

※ state-owned enterprises         国有企业

※ flower-selling girls 卖花女孩

※ epoch-making masterpieces 划时代的作品

※ cancer-causing substances 致癌物质

※ time-consuming advice 费时的建议

※ law-abiding citizens 守法的公民

※ man-eating societies 吃人的社会

※ town-bred children 城里长大的孩子

 

知识点(5)【词汇】  

reaches

※ the outer reaches (边缘地带;边远地区)of the forest 

※ the upper reaches (河段;直水道)of the river 

※ the lower reaches (河段;直水道)of the river

※ the upper reaches(派生;上游(组织、体制等的)领域,部门) of the government