Modern Cavemen 現(xiàn)代洞穴人
    Cave exploration, or potholing, 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 men 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 potholer. The deepest known cave in the world is the Gouffre Berger near Grenoble. It extends to a depth of 3723 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 Dauphine 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 potholer, 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 potholers 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 water-spout shooting down into a pool from the roof of the cave. Squeezing through a cleft in the rocks, the potholers 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 lime-stone 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.
    20.They had to edge their way along this, sometimes wading across shallow streams, or swimming across deep pools.
    他們不得不側(cè)著身子往前走，有時(shí)過(guò)淺溪，有時(shí)游過(guò)深潭。
    21.Suddenly they came to a waterfall which dropped into an underground lake at the bottom of the cave.
    突然，他們來(lái)到一道瀑布前，那瀑布奔瀉而下，注入洞底一處地下湖里。
    22.They plunged into the lake, and after loading their gear on an inflatable rubber dinghy, let the current carry them to the other side.
    他們跳入湖中，把各種器具裝上一只充氣的橡皮艇，聽(tīng)任水流將他們帶往對(duì)岸。
    23.To protect themselves from the icy water, they had to wear special rubber suits.
    湖水冰冷刺骨，他們必須穿上一種特制的橡皮服以保護(hù)自己。
    語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):icy water表示“冰水”。
    24.At the far end of the lake, they came to huge piles of rubble which had been washed up by the water.
    在湖的盡頭，他們見(jiàn)到一大堆一大堆由湖水沖刷上岸的碎石。
    25.In this part of the cave, they could hear an insistent booming sound which they found was caused by a small water-spout shooting down into a pool from the roof of the cave.
    在這兒，他們可以聽(tīng)見(jiàn)一種連續(xù)不斷的轟鳴聲。后來(lái)他們發(fā)現(xiàn)這是由山洞頂部的一個(gè)小孔里噴出的水柱跌落到水潭中發(fā)出的聲音。
    26.Squeezing through a cleft in the rocks, the potholers arrived at an enormous cavern, the size of a huge concert hall.
    洞穴探險(xiǎn)者從巖石縫里擠身過(guò)去，來(lái)到一個(gè)巨大的洞里，其大小相當(dāng)于一個(gè)音樂(lè)廳。
    語(yǔ)言點(diǎn):句子結(jié)構(gòu)分析: the size of a huge concert hall是cavern的同位語(yǔ)。