(单词翻译:单击)
课文
Lesson 42 Modern cavemen现代洞穴人
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
With what does the writer compare the Gouffre Berger?
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 Dauphine Alps. As it is only six feet across, it is barely noticeable. The cave might never have been discovered has not the entrance been spotted by the distinguished French pot-holer, Berger. Since its discovery, it has become a sort of potholers' 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 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.
参考译文
【参考译文】
洞穴勘查——或洞穴勘探——是一项比较新的体育活动。寻求独处的愿望或寻求意外发现的机会的欲望吸引人们来到地下深处。要想对洞穴探险者的动机作出满意的解释是不可能的。对洞穴探险者来说，洞穴有一种特殊的魅力，就像高山对登山者有特殊魅力一样。为什么洞空能引发人的那种探险本能，人们对此只能有一种模模糊糊的理解。
探测非常深的洞穴不是那些在星期日下午漫步的人所能胜任的。这种活动需要有军事行动般的周密布署和预见能力。有时需要花费整整8天时间来搭起绳梯，建立供应基地，然后才能到一个很深的洞穴里。作出这样的准备是必要的，因为无法预见到洞穴探险者究竟会遇到什么性质的困难。世界上最深的洞穴是格里诺布尔附近的高弗.伯杰洞，深达3,723英尺。这个深邃的洞穴是由一条地下暗泉冲刷岩石中的缝隙并使之慢慢变大而形成的。此洞的洞口在丹芬阿尔卑斯山的高原上，仅6英尺宽，很难被发现。若不是法国著名洞穴探险家伯杰由于偶然的机会发现了这个洞口的话，这个洞也许不会为人所知。自从被发现以后，这个洞成了洞穴探险者的珠穆朗玛峰，人们多次进入洞内探险，但至今尚有不少东西有待勘探。
最近，一队洞穴探险者下到了高弗.伯杰洞里。他们从高原上的窄缝进去，顺着笔直陡峭的洞壁往下爬。来到一条狭窄的走廊上。他们不得不侧着身子往前走，有时过浅溪，有时游过深潭。突然，他们来到一道瀑布前，那瀑布奔泻而下，注入洞底一处地下湖里。他们跳入湖中，把各种器具装上一只充气的橡皮艇，听任水流将他们带往对岸。湖水冰冷刺骨，他们必须穿上一种特制的橡皮服以保护自己。在湖的尽头，他们见到一大堆一大堆由湖水冲刷上岸的碎石。在这儿，他们可以听见一种连续不断的轰鸣声。后来他们发现这是由山洞顶部的一个小孔里喷出的水柱跌落到水潭中发出的声音。洞穴探险者从岩石缝里挤身过去，来到一个巨大的洞里，其大小相当于一个音乐厅。他们打开强力弧光灯，看见一株株巨大的石笋，有的高达40英尺，像树干似地向上长着，与洞顶悬挂下来的钟乳石相接。周围是一堆堆石灰石，像彩虹一样闪闪发光。洞里有一种可怕的寂静，唯一的可以听见的声响是高高的圆顶上不间断地滴水的嘀嗒声。
词汇讲解
1.caveman n.（远古）洞穴人
2.pot-holing n.洞穴探险，洞穴探险运动
3.solitude n.孤独，寂寞
例句：What had she been doing during that long solitude?
在那漫长的孤独生活中，她一直在干些什么呢?
4.lure v.引诱，诱惑
例句：Farmers bought black-light lamp to lure pests to their death.
为了诱杀害虫，农民们买了黑光灯。
5.pot-holer n.洞穴探险者
6.undertaking n.任务，工作
例句：She is still uncommitted to undertaking the work.
我还没有说定要接受这份工作。
7.foresight n.预见；深谋远虑
例句：A leader in an enterprise has to show great foresight.
作为一个企业的领导，一定要有超前意识。
8.foretell v.预言
例句：The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.
战争胜负难以预卜。
9.Grenoble n.格里诺布尔
10.chasm n.断层，裂口，陷坑
11.flaw n.小裂缝
12.distinguished adj.杰出的，著名的
例句：People lined the streets to welcome the distinguished guests.
群众排立在马路两侧欢迎贵宾。
13.Everest n.珠穆朗玛峰
14.wade v.涉水
例句：The water is just waist-deep, so we can wade across it.
水只有齐腰深，我们可以趟过去。
15.waterfall n.瀑布
16.gear n.一套用具
17.inflatable adj. 可充气的
18.rubble n.碎瓦
19.insistent adj. 连续的，不断的
例句：He was insistent on walking home.
他坚持走回家。
20.boom v.轰响
21.waterspout n.强大的水柱
22.cleft n.裂隙，开
23.cavern n.在洞穴
24.stalagmite n.石笋
25.stalactite n.钟乳石
26.limestone n.石灰石
27.glisten v.闪烁
28.cerie adj.引塌恐惧的，可怕的
29.dome n.穹窿，圆顶
课文讲解
【课文讲解】
1.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.
参考翻译：寻求独处的愿望或寻求意外发现的机会的欲望吸引人们来到地下深处。
讲解：it is that强调句型,It+be+被强调部分+that(强调部分指人做主语时时用who，指人做宾语时用whom)+句子的其他部分。
例如：
Mary met an old beggar in the street yesterday.
It was Mary who/that met an old beggar in the street yesterday.
(强调主语)
It was an old beggar whom/that Mary met in the street yesterday.(强调宾语)
It was yesterday that Mary met an old beggar in the street.(强调时间状语)
It was in the street that Mary met an old beggar yesterday.(强调地点状语)
2. They arouse instincts which can only be dimly understood.
参考翻译：为什么洞空能引发人的那种探险本能，人们对此只能有一种模模糊糊的理解。
讲解：arise arouse rise raise
arise: 产生，出现，发生。强调事物产生的结果，主要用于问题、困难等不好的事情的产生、发生、出现，不及物动词。
arouse: 唤醒，引起，激起，指激起唤起某人的情感，常接anger, curiosity, fear, interest, sympathy, suspicion等体现感情、情绪、心理、态度之类的词。
rise: 升起，上升，上涨，不及物动词。
raise: 举起，提高，及物动词。
3.The cave might never have been discovered has not the entrance been spotted by the distinguished French pot-holer, Berger.
参考翻译：若不是法国著名洞穴探险家伯杰由于偶然的机会发现了这个洞口的话，这个洞也许不会为人所知。
讲解：虚拟语气，倒装
虚拟条件句的从句部分如果含有were, should, 或had, 可将if省略，再把were, should或had 移到从句句首，实行倒装。
Were they here now, they could help us.
=If they were here now, they could help us.
Had you come earlier, you would have met him
=If you had come earlier, you would have met him.
Should it rain, the crops would be saved.
=Were it to rain, the crops would be saved.
注意：
在虚拟语气的从句中，动词'be'的过去时态一律用"were"，不用was， 即在从句中be用were代替。
If I were you, I would go to look for him.
如果我是你，就会去找他。
If he were here, everything would be all right.
如果他在这儿，一切都会好的。
4. 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.
参考翻译：他们打开强力弧光灯，看见一株株巨大的石笋，有的高达40英尺，像树干似地向上长着，与洞顶悬挂下来的钟乳石相接。
讲解：switch on开启，接通
When you switch on the light in the bathroom, the extractor fan switch on.
当你打开浴室里的灯时，换气扇就启动了。
These subjects switch him on, but they seem to switch her off.
这些课程使他感兴趣，却似乎使她觉得乏味。
rise up起来
The whole family inclines to rise up early.
全家人都愿意早起。
5. They had to edge their way along this, sometimes wading acrosss hallow streams, or swimming across deep pools.
参考翻译：他们不得不侧着身子往前走，有时过浅溪，有时游过深潭。
讲解：edge their way侧着身体前进
后面两个wading和swimming是现在分词做伴随状语。
6.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.
参考翻译：洞里有一种可怕的寂静，唯一的可以听见的声响是高高的圆顶上不间断地滴水的嘀嗒声。
讲解：the only sound that could be heard 是定语从句的形式，需要注意的一点是，先行词用Only修饰时，定语从句的引导词只能用that.
经典句子
【经典句子】
1.Cave exploration, or potholing,as it has come to be known, is a relativelynew sport.
洞穴勘查——或洞穴勘探——是一项比较新的体育活动。
2.For him, caves have the samepeculiar fascination which high mountains have for the climber.
对洞穴探险者来说，洞穴有一种特殊的魅力，就像高山对登山者有特殊魅力一样。
3.The cave might never have beendiscovered had not the entrance been spotted by the distinguished Frenchpotholer, Berger.
若不是法国著名洞穴探险家伯杰由于偶然的机会发现了这个洞口的话，这个洞也许不会为人所知。
4.They had to edge their way along this, sometimes wading acrossshallow streams, or swimming across deep pools.
他们不得不侧着身子往前走，有时过浅溪，有时游过深潭。
