# 第三册 Lesson 42 Modern cavemen 现代洞穴人

## 一、课文原文

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 tunnelled 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 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 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.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| pot-holing | /ˈpɒt həʊlɪŋ/ | n. | 洞穴探险 | 源自pot-hole（天然洞穴） |
| solitude | /ˈsɒlɪtjuːd/ | n. | 孤独，独居 | desire for solitude 渴望独处 |
| lure | /ljʊə/ | v. | 引诱，吸引 | lure people down to 引诱人们深入 |
| rambler | /ˈræmblə/ | n. | 漫步者 | Sunday afternoon rambler 周日散步者 |
| foresight | /ˈfɔːsaɪt/ | n. | 远见，预见 | require foresight 需要远见 |
| rig up | /rɪɡ ʌp/ | phr.v. | 临时搭建 | rig up rope ladders 搭建绳梯 |
| chasm | /ˈkæzəm/ | n. | 深渊，裂口 | immense chasm 巨大的深渊 |
| distinguished | /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/ | adj. | 杰出的，著名的 | distinguished pot-holer 杰出的探洞者 |
| edge | /edʒ/ | v. | 侧身移动 | edge one's way 侧身前行 |
| wade | /weɪd/ | v. | 涉水 | wading across shallow streams 涉过浅溪 |
| waterspout | /ˈwɔːtəspaʊt/ | n. | 水柱 | a small waterspout 一股小水柱 |
| stalagmite | /ˈstæləɡmaɪt/ | n. | 石笋 | 从地面向上生长的石灰岩柱 |
| stalactite | /ˈstæləktaɪt/ | n. | 钟乳石 | 从洞顶向下悬挂的石灰岩柱 |
| eerie | /ˈɪəri/ | adj. | 怪异的，令人毛骨悚然的 | eerie silence 诡异的寂静 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. 强调句型

> **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...that...强调主语部分。

### 2. 虚拟语气的倒装

> The cave might never have been discovered **had not** the entrance been spotted by Berger.

= if the entrance had not been spotted... 省略if后倒装。

### 3. as引导的非限制性定语从句

> Cave exploration, or pot-holing, **as it has come to be known**, is a relatively new sport.

as意为"正如"，指代主句内容。

### 4. 独立主格

> ...the size of a huge concert hall

名词短语作cavern的同位语/补充说明。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. come to be known 被人们所知
> Pot-holing, **as it has come to be known**, is a relatively new sport.

### 2. might never have been done 可能永远不会被发现
> The cave **might never have been discovered** had not the entrance been spotted.

### 3. remain to be explored 有待探索
> Much of it still **remains to be explored**.

remain to be + 过去分词，表示"尚待……"。

### 4. 长难句分析
> Squeezing through a cleft in the rocks, the pot-holers arrived at an enormous cavern, the size of a huge concert hall.

Squeezing为现在分词作时间状语；the size of...作cavern的同位语补充说明。

## 五、课文翻译

洞穴探险，或者说人们已逐渐知道的"探洞"，是一项相对新兴的运动。也许是渴望独处或做出意外发现的机会吸引人们深入到地球内部。很难对探洞者的动机给出令人满意的解释。对他来说，洞穴具有和高山对登山者同样的特殊魅力。它们唤起的是人们只能隐约理解的本能。

探索真正深的洞穴不是周日午后散步者的任务。这种行动需要像军事行动那样的精确计划和远见。在深入一个很深的洞穴之前，可能需要多达八天的时间来搭建绳梯和建立补给基地。这种预防措施是必要的，因为不可能预见到探洞者将面临的确切困难的性质。世界上已知最深的洞穴是格勒诺布尔附近的古夫尔·贝尔热洞。它延伸到3,723英尺的深度。这个巨大的深渊是由一条地下溪流在岩石的裂缝中冲凿出一条通道而形成的。洞穴的入口在多菲内阿尔卑斯山的一个高原上。由于它只有六英尺宽，几乎注意不到。如果不是杰出的法国探洞者贝尔热发现了这个入口，这个洞穴可能永远不会被人发现。自从被发现以来，它已经成为探洞者的珠穆朗玛峰。虽然已经进行过多次下探，但大部分仍有待探索。

一队探洞者最近下了古夫尔·贝尔热洞。从高原上的狭窄缝隙进入后，他们沿着洞穴陡峭的壁面攀下，直到来到一条狭窄的走廊。他们不得不侧身前行，有时涉过浅溪，有时游过深潭。突然他们来到一处瀑布前，瀑布泻入洞底的一个地下湖。他们跳入湖中，把装备装上充气橡皮艇后，让水流把他们送到对岸。为了抵御冰冷的水，他们不得不穿上特制的橡胶服。在湖的远端，他们来到被水冲积而成的大堆碎石前。在洞穴的这一部分，他们能听到一种持续不断的轰鸣声，他们发现这是由一股从洞顶射入水池的小水柱造成的。探洞者们挤过岩石间的裂缝，来到了一个巨大的洞室，有一座大型音乐厅那么大。打开强力弧光灯后，他们看到巨大的石笋——有些高达四十多英尺——像树干一样耸立着，与从洞顶悬挂下来的钟乳石相接。四周，一堆堆石灰岩闪烁着彩虹般的各种颜色。在洞穴诡异的寂静中，唯一能听到的声音是从他们头顶高高的穹顶上不断滴下的水声。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **比喻**：洞穴如同探洞者的"珠穆朗玛峰"，强调其挑战性
2. **感官描写**：视觉（弧光灯、石笋石钟乳、彩虹般石灰岩）、听觉（轰鸣声、水滴声）、触觉（冰冷的水）
3. **空间叙事**：从入口→走廊→瀑布→湖泊→碎石→洞室，层次清晰

### 文化背景
- Gouffre Berger位于法国格勒诺布尔附近，1953年首次被探测
- Joseph Berger是法国著名探洞者
- stalagmite（石笋）和stalactite（钟乳石）的记忆口诀：stalactite hangs tight（挂紧），stalagmite might reach the top（可能碰到顶）

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **强调句**：It is...that... 结构
2. **虚拟倒装**：had not + 主语 + 过去分词
3. **词汇辨析**：stalagmite vs. stalactite; chasm vs. fissure
4. **写作练习**：描述一次探险经历，运用空间叙事和感官描写

## 八、本课小结

本课介绍了洞穴探险运动和古夫尔·贝尔热洞的壮丽景观。语法重点是强调句型、虚拟语气倒装和as引导的定语从句。词汇方面掌握pot-holing、chasm、stalagmite、stalactite、eerie等核心词。写作上学习空间叙事和感官描写手法。