---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-4/30-exploring-the-sea-floor.md
description: 新概念英语第四册：Exploring the Sea-floor。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 30 · 海底勘探

### 第1段

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

中文理解：一百年前，我们对海洋的了解，还只限于海面的平面轮廓，以及近岸浅水区深浅不一给航行带来的危险。远洋深邃而神秘，稍微认真想过海底是什么样子的人，大概都会以为那里一片平坦。詹姆斯·克拉克·罗斯爵士曾在一八三九年测得超过二千四百英寻的水深；但直到一八六九年，英国海军“豪猪”号交由皇家学会开展数次考察后，人们才在大西洋取得一系列深海测量数据，并通过海底拖捞收集到首批样本。此后不久，著名的“挑战者”号远征，确立了海底研究的学术地位，使之成为值得顶尖物理学家和地质学家投入的领域。随后，铺设海底电缆带动了一轮密集活动，很快证实了“挑战者”号的发现：海洋中许多地方深达两三英里，水下还存在规模可观的地形。
如今，已有足够的水深数据来绘制大西洋海底地形图，我们也开始了解海底地形的千姿百态。海洋覆盖了地球表面的大部分，因此，把海底视为地壳的基本形态，把大陆、岛屿和其他海洋地貌看成叠加在其上的部分，是很合理的。大陆犹如崎岖的台地，比远洋海底高出将近三英里。从海岸线向外延伸几英里到几百英里，是坡度平缓的大陆架；从地质上说，它仍是大陆的一部分。大陆与大洋真正的分界线，在更陡的一段斜坡的底部。
这段大陆坡通常从水深约一百英寻处开始，延伸数百英里后，到达二千五百至三千五百英寻深的真正洋底。它的平均坡度约为一比三十，但其间既有陡峭、甚至可能垂直的崖壁，也有覆盖着沉积物的平缓阶地。在接近坡底的地方，坡势会拖出长长的一段，逐渐趋于平缓；这几乎可以肯定，是大陆物质受侵蚀后，被输送到深水区堆积而成的。

* **was confined to**：局限于；本课说知识范围，不是人身被困。

* **hazards of navigation**：航行危险；hazard指危险来源，navigation在此是航海。

* **a passing thought**：一闪而过的想法；表示认真想过，不只是路过某地。

* **put at the disposal of**：交由……使用；对象可用或可调配，不是丢弃dispose of。

* **deep soundings**：深海测深；undefined

* **worthy of**：值得；of后接名词性内容，不能说worthy to study用于一切。

* **A burst of activity**：一阵密集活动；burst突出短时间集中出现。

* **submarine cables**：海底电缆；undefined

* **considerable magnitude**：相当大的规模；正式说明量级，别把considerable当“值得考虑”。

* **a relief map**：地形图；relief此处是地形起伏，不是宽慰。

* **great variety**：多种多样；variety强调多样性，不只是总数量大。

* **the greater part**：大部分；undefined

* **the basic form**：基本形态；undefined

* **together with**：连同；和……一起；补充附带的人或物；不自动让单数主语变复数。

* **rugged tablelands**：崎岖台地；undefined

* **gentle slope**：缓坡；gentle表示坡度缓，不是性格温柔。

* **dividing line**：分界线；比较双方的界限，between需明确两端。

* **the foot of**：……的脚下；底部；the foot of a hill / cliff，与 the top of 对照。

* **in the course of**：在……过程中；本课接距离表示沿空间延伸，不只指课程。

* **transported out**：被运送出去；undefined

#### 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.

主句 Our knowledge…was confined to…为被动结构，也可侧重其状态理解为“我们的认识局限于……”。and 连接介词 to 后的两个并列补足项：海面的平面形状，以及近岸水深不均造成的航行危险；它们不是 confined 的两个直接宾语。

presented…过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰 hazards（危险），不是 navigation（航行），该定语中把 close to the land 进行了细分，仍作定语修饰 shallow water.

#### 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.

复合句，and 分为两句，前句主系表结构，后句主谓+宾语从句，anyone 后面有一个 who 引导的定语从句，定语从句为主谓宾结构，后面 that 引导的宾语从句作 assume 的宾语，为主系表结构.

bottom confines 需要注意，bottom 在这里作形容词解，底部的，如果理解成名词 “底部”就说不通了；而 confine(s)是名词，表示界限和范围，通常用复数形式，与上一句的 be confined to 中作动词不同，注意不同词性. 这里的意思为海洋底部的样子.

#### 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.

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，这里 but it was…that…是强调句型，强调直到1869 年才测得水深.

when H.M.S Porcupine…作定语从句，直接修饰1869 年，在这里并非时间状语从句，when 在从句中作时间状语. 区别：若 when 引导定语从句，when 前面必然有表示时间的名词（先行词）；若 when 引导时间状语从句，则是用来修饰动词，表示动作或状态发生的时间，when 前面也就没有表示时间的名词了.

#### 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.

简单句，as a subject 作宾补，这里应该是学科，而非简单的研究课题.

worthy 后面为定语，解释说明这个学科的重要性所在.

#### 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.

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，confirm 后面跟了一个 and 连接的并列结构，前一个包含了 that 引导的同位语从句，即 confirmed the challenger's observation…deep，而后一个是 the existence.

这里其实有一点歧义，从句子结构上来说，铺海底电缆活动所证实的不仅包括挑战者号的观测，即海底多深，还证实了海底存在宏大的地形特征，即 confirmed the observation and the existence；而从作者的行文来看，作者可能想表达挑战者号也同样观测到了海底的地形特征，即作者希望表达的是 the observation included the existence.

关于海底电缆热潮的时代背景，罗辑思维有一期视频节目《疯狂的投资》，讲了美国实业家塞勒斯·菲尔德（Cyrus Field）铺设跨洋海底电缆的故事，激动人心，值得一看.

#### 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.

并列句，and 连接的平行结构，前句主系表结构，后句主谓宾结构，表达已对海底的状况有了数据和认知.

#### 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.

复合句，烦请注意，《新概念英语4》的原书中，课文是这样的“with, superimposed upon, it the continents, together with the islands and other features of the oceans.”在这里应该是无意中把 it 后面的逗号移到了前面，课文随后的“课文注释”改正了过来.

其实“with, superimposed upon it, the”中的两个逗号应该均为新概念英语主编亚历山大先生所加，便于读者理解，老版的新概念英语4 中并没有这两个逗号，经查阅 John Richard 主编的 Science Survey, 第2 卷(1961)原文，也是没有这两个逗号的.

本书采用了亚历山大先生所添加逗号的做法，便于理解.

本句不是强调句。it 是形式主语，quite reasonable 是表语，真正的主语是不定式 to regard 所引导的成 分.

第一个 with 所引导的是独立主格结构，该句的主语是大陆和所附带的一系列岛屿之类的地形，第一个 with 引导的独立主格结构的主语与主句的不定式主语不一致，这个主语也就自然独立出来了. 又因为该独立主格的主语较长(the continents, together…oceans)，所以用倒装将其放在了句尾，也就是这么长的主语（大陆和其它地形）叠加在 it 所指代的前半句真正的不定式主语中的 sea floor 上.

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

复合句，主句为主谓宾结构，which 引导的定语从句为主谓结构，修饰高地 tablelands.

#### 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.

复合句，主句有所倒装，理解成 The gentle slope runs from the shore line, out to a distance…即可.

which 引导定语从句为主系表结构，修饰 distance，说明这段距离可能有几英里到几百英里.

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

简单句，主谓结构. 最后的地点状语中其实包含了一个 of 引导的定语修饰 foot，也可不作划分.

#### 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.

主语 This continental slope 共享 starts 和 reaches 两个并列谓语，描述大陆坡从何处开始、延伸至何处。这里的 continental slope 指大陆坡，承接前段提到的 steeper slope；它不同于 gentle slope of the continental shelf（大陆架的缓坡）。这里不是省略了 gentle slope of the continental shelf。前文先描述近岸大陆架，继而以较陡的大陆坡过渡到深海底。

of a few hundred miles 作定语修饰 course，这是地点状语里面的更细的成分，可以不划分.

我在谷歌图书里面找到了一本书中有这样的表述：

\[At the Sabine River mouth], water depths stayed above the 600-foot (100-fathom) mark, (which indicated the start (of the continental slope),) \[as far as 140 miles from shore].

从此句可以看出，到100 英寻深，已经离岸边好远了.

#### 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.

复合句，整句以第二个 and 分成前后两句，句子中两个 and 分别在不同层次起连接作用，第一个 and 是次级层次，连接 cliffs 和 terraces 两个宾语，第二个 and 连接其前面的全句和后面的 there be 句型引导的句子.

第一句又以 but 连接，为主谓（宾）结构，第二句则为 there be 句型，有一个 which 引导的定语从句，为主系表结构.

1 in 30 表示垂直高度与水平距离之比约为 1∶30，即坡度约 0.0333（3.33%）；换算成坡角应为 arctan(1/30)，约 1.91°。0.0333 是无量纲的比值，不是 0.033°；这处也无需用地球曲率或极限思想解释。

\[1] Clyde W. Burleson. Deep Challenge: Our Quest for Energy Beneath the Sea. 1999.

## 学完这一课

区分早期一次发现与后来系统研究的起点。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-4/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121—125页，2022年2月第2版。*