---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/42-modern-cavemen.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：Modern Cavemen。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 42 · 现代洞穴人

### 第1段

Cave exploration, or pot-holing, as it has come to be known, is a relatively new sport. Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures people down to the depths of the earth. It is impossible to give a satisfactory explanation for a pot-holer's motives. For him, caves have the same peculiar fascination which high mountains have for the climber. They arouse instincts which can only be dimly understood.
Exploring really deep caves is not a task for the Sunday afternoon rambler. Such undertakings require the precise planning and foresight of military operations. It can take as long as eight days to rig up rope ladders and to establish supply bases before a descent can be made into a very deep cave. Precautions of this sort are necessary, for it is impossible to foretell the exact nature of the difficulties which will confront the pot-holer. The deepest known cave in the world is the Gouffre Berger near Grenoble. It extends to a depth of 3,723 feet. This immense chasm has been formed by an underground stream which has tunneled a course through a flaw in the rocks. The entrance to the cave is on a plateau in the Dauphiné Alps. As it is only six feet across, it is barely noticeable. The cave might never have been discovered had not the entrance been spotted by the distinguished French pot-holer, Berger. Since its discovery, it has become a sort of pot-holers' Everest. Though a number of descents have been made, much of it still remains to be explored.
A team of pot-holers recently went down the Gouffre Berger. After entering the narrow gap on the plateau, they climbed down the steep sides of the cave until they came to a narrow corridor. They had to edge their way along this, sometimes wading across shallow streams, or swimming across deep pools. Suddenly they came to a waterfall which dropped into an underground lake at the bottom of the cave. They plunged into the lake, and after loading their gear on an inflatable rubber dinghy, let the current carry them to the other side. To protect themselves from the icy water, they had to wear special rubber suits. At the far end of the lake, they came to huge piles of rubble which had been washed up by the water. In this part of the cave, they could hear an insistent booming sound which they found was caused by a small waterspout shooting down into a pool from the roof of the cave. Squeezing through a cleft in the rocks, the pot-holers arrived at an enormous cavern, the size of a huge concert hall. After switching on powerful arc lights, they saw great stalagmites— some of them over forty feet high—rising up like tree-trunks to meet the stalactites suspended from the roof. Round about, piles of limestone glistened in all the colours of the rainbow. In the eerie silence of the cavern, the only sound that could be heard was made by water which dripped continuously from the high dome above them.

中文理解：洞穴探险，也就是如今人们所说的地下洞穴探索，是一项比较新的运动。或许是为了独处，或许是盼着有意外发现，人们才会被吸引着深入地下。探洞者为什么这样做，很难给出一个令人满意的解释。洞穴之于他们，就像高山之于登山者，有一种独特的吸引力，唤起了某种只能隐约体会、难以说清的本能。
真正深入地下的洞穴探索，可不是周日下午随便散步的人能胜任的。这类行动需要像军事行动一样精密的计划和充分的预判。探险者往往要花上八天架设绳梯、建立补给点，才能进入一座极深的洞穴。做好这些准备非常必要，因为谁也无法确切预知，下洞后会碰到怎样的困难。已知世界上最深的洞穴，是格勒诺布尔附近的贝尔热洞，深达3,723英尺。地下溪流沿着岩石裂隙不断冲蚀，才形成了这道巨大的深渊。洞口位于多菲内阿尔卑斯山区的一处高原上，宽不过六英尺，几乎难以察觉。若不是法国著名探洞者贝尔热发现了入口，这座洞穴也许永远不会为人所知。自发现以来，它就成了探洞者心中的“珠穆朗玛峰”。虽然已有不少人下去探过，洞内仍有很大一部分尚待探索。
最近，一队探洞者进入了贝尔热洞。他们从高原上狭窄的入口进去，沿陡峭洞壁向下攀，来到一条狭窄的通道，只能贴着边一点点前进，时而涉过浅溪，时而游过深潭。突然，一道瀑布出现在眼前，水流直落到洞底的一座地下湖里。他们跳入湖中，把装备装上充气橡皮艇，顺着水流漂向对岸。为抵御冰冷的湖水，大家都穿上了特制的橡胶防护服。湖的另一端，是被水冲积起来的大堆碎石。这里不断回响着轰隆声，原来是洞顶一股细小水柱直冲下方水潭所致。探洞者挤过一道岩缝，进入一座巨大洞厅，大小如同一座大型音乐厅。他们打开强力弧光灯，看见地上耸起巨大的石笋，有些高达四十多英尺，像树干一样向上延伸，与洞顶垂下的钟乳石相接。四周成堆的石灰岩，闪烁着彩虹般的光泽。洞厅寂静得有些诡异，唯一听得见的，是头顶高高穹窿处不停滴下的水声。

* **the desire for solitude**：独处的愿望；desire for + 名词，desire to do + 行动。

* **a satisfactory explanation**：令人满意的解释；说明解释能否回应问题，而不只是否听来漂亮。

* **the Sunday afternoon rambler**：周日下午随便走走的人；这里用典型人物代指缺乏专业准备的普通散步者，不贬低所有徒步者。

* **precise planning**：周密规划；require / involve precise planning，不把精确只理解成数字。

* **as long as**：长达；只要；本课后接 eight days 表长达八天，别套成条件义。

* **supply bases**：补给基地；establish a supply base；base 是基地，不是抽象基础。

* **Precautions of this sort**：这类预防措施；名词 + of this sort 回指前面已经说明的具体做法。

* **an underground stream**：一条地下溪流；stream 指较小水流；underground 给空间位置。

* **barely noticeable**：几乎看不出来；barely 限定程度，不等于完全不存在。

* **Since its discovery**：自发现它以来；since + 过去起点，主句常用现在完成时。

* **a number of**：许多；若干；表示若干个；加 great 或 large 强调数量多，后接复数谓语。

* **remains to be explored**：尚待探索；remain to be done，保留未完成状态。

* **edge their way**：侧身慢慢前进；体现窄路或危险环境中的小步谨慎移动。

* **To protect themselves from**：为了保护自己免受……；protect + 人 + from + 风险，不用 protect someone of。

* **had been washed up**：此前被水冲上来；本课为水流搬运沉积，不是洗餐具。

* **caused by**：由……引起；by引出导致事件的因素，与结果区分。

* **Squeezing through**：挤过狭窄处；squeeze through + 狭缝，描写身体与空间的关系。

* **switching on**：打开开关；代词作宾语时置中，如 switch it on。

* **suspended from**：悬挂在……下方；be suspended from + 支撑点；本课不是停学或暂停。

* **In the eerie silence**：在诡异的寂静中；用具体声响反衬寂静，eerie 带令人不安的感受。

#### 原文注释 · Cave exploration, or pot-holing, as it has come to be known, is a relatively new sport.

注释：①relatively = comparatively, quite。②desire for solitude = wish to be alone。 ③lures = attracts, tempts。④arouse = wake up, excite。

#### 原文注释 · Exploring really deep caves is not a task for the Sunday afternoon rambler.

注释：①precise = exact, detailed。②confront = be faced with and have to deal with。 ③is barely noticeable = can hardly be seen。

#### 原文注释 · A team of pot-holers recently went down the Gouffre Berger.

注释：①cleft = fissure。②eerie = eery，同音同义。 ③continuously 的反义词(antonym)为intermittently。

#### Summary 摘要

On entering a narrow gap on the plateau, they climbed down and reached a narrow corridor. They edged their way along and came to a waterfall which dropped to an underground lake. They plunged into the lake in special rubber suits and let the current take them to the other side. On squeezing through a cleft in the rocks, they discovered an enormous cavern where they saw massive stalagmites and stalactites. All they could hear was water dripping from above. (80 words)

#### Composition 作文

\[1]One day last summer Rob, a friend of mine, decided to go out for a day on his own. He took a day off work and went to the beach. He walked round the headland(n.海岬) a mile from the town and found a deserted beach. He couldn't believe it there was no one else there. He spent a marvellous relaxing day there swimming, sunbathing and reading, and for the whole day he was the only one on the beach. Then, late in the afternoon, he decided to pack up and go home.

\[2]He took his time drying himself, changing and packing his things into the shoulder bag he had brought with him, and then began to walk towards the headland. As he was walking along the beach, he suddenly realized that the tide was coming in: it was coming in very fast, and he began to get a little worried. He walked faster, but soon the tide had reached the headland and there was no way that he could walk around.

\[3]He looked round and saw a cave in the cliff. As he hoped to climb up inside it, he went in. Unfortunately, he just couldn't see a way out, so he started back. It was too late: the tide was coming in the cave and as he looked down from the point he had reached, the sea that was already covering the floor of the cave and beginning to rise up the chimney in the cave. He turned round and started climbing again—and eventually found a smaller chimney that he managed to climb up to reach the top of the cliff.

## 学完这一课

用 Perhaps it is… that… 提出一种有分寸的动机解释。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第143—146页，2022年2月第3版。*