万物简史 第333期:美丽而危险(16)
英语课
Like Earth itself, I remarked. Precisely 1, he agreed. “就像地球本身一样。”我说。“一点不错。”他表示赞同。
The risks at Yellowstone apply to park employees as much as to visitors. 黄石公园对游客来说有危险，对公园雇员来说也同样有危险。
Doss got a horrific sense of that in his first week on the job five years earlier. 多斯5年前到这里来上班的第一个星期就有那种可怕的感觉。
Late one night, three young summer employees engaged in an illicit 2 activity known as "hot-potting"—swimming or basking 3 in warm pools. 有一天深夜，3个年轻的夏季雇员干了一件非法活动，叫做“泡沙锅”——即在热水池里游泳或取暖。
Though the park, for obvious reasons, doesn't publicize it, not all the pools in Yellowstone are dangerously hot. 虽然园方由于显而易见的理由没有把情况公开，但黄石公园的水池不是个个都是滚烫的。
Some are extremely agreeable 4 to lie in, 有一些你躺在里面简直惬意极了，
and it was the habit of some of the summer employees to have a dip late at night even though it was against the rules to do so. 部分夏季雇员有在深夜下去泡一泡的习惯，尽管这么做是违反规定的。
Foolishly the threesome had failed to take a flashlight, which was extremely dangerous 那3个人也真傻，没有带个手电筒；这是极其危险的，
because much of the soil around the warm pools is crusty and thin and one can easily fall through into a scalding vent 5 below. 因为热水池周围的泥土结成了薄薄的一层硬壳，人很容易掉进下面灼烫的喷气孔。
In any case, as they made their way back to their dorm, they came across a stream that they had had to leap over earlier. 无论如何，他们在返回宿舍的途中，要跨越一条早先不得不跳过去的小溪。
They backed up a few paces, linked arms and, on the count of three, took a running jump. 他们后退几步，胳膊挽着胳膊，数了一二三，接着就跑过去纵身一跳。
In fact, it wasn't the stream at all. It was a boiling pool. 事实上，那根本不是一条小溪，而是一个沸腾的水池。
In the dark they had lost their bearings 6. None of the three survived. 他们在黑暗里看不清方向。三个人没有一个活着回来。
I thought about this the next morning as I made a brief call, on my way out of the park, at a place called Emerald Pool, in the Upper Geyser Basin. 次日上午，在离开公园的途中，我一面想着那件事，一面对一个名叫翡翠池的地方作了短暂考察。翡翠池位于上间歇泉池。
Doss hadn't had time to take me there the day before, but I thought I ought at least to have a look at it, for Emerald Pool is a historic 7 site. 多斯前一天没有时间带我去那里，但我觉得至少应当去看一眼，因为翡翠池是个很有历史意义的地方。
adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地
- It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
- The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的
- He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
- Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。
v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽
- We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
- A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
adj.符合的，一致的，欣然同意的，令人愉快的
- He was quite agreeable to accepting the plan.他乐意接受这项计划。
- I enjoyed an agreeable holiday this summer.今年夏天我度过了一个愉快的假期。
n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄
- He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
- When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。
举止( bearing的名词复数 )； 风度； 方向； 轴承
- To keep your bearings in a desert sandstorm is impossible. 在沙漠的尘暴中要想保持方位感是不可能的。
- With the aid of a compass the traveler can find his bearings. 藉助罗盘，旅行者可以找到自己所处的方位。
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