人教版英语选修第三册 unit 4 Using Language THE REWARD FOR PERSEVERANCE

THE REWARD FOR PERSEVERANCE

锲而不舍的回报

We watched as Shackleton and the boat sailed away from Elephant Island.

我们目送沙克尔顿和小船驶离大象岛。

It was easy to imagine the danger ahead of them.

不难想象他们前路暗藏的重重危险。

Would they ever return to find us?

他们还会回来营救我们吗？

What might happen to them?

他们可能遭遇什么不测？

What if they were delayed?

倘若行程受阻该怎么办？

We fell so alone and desperate.

我们陷入深深的孤独与绝望之中。

But it was not for long.

但这样的情绪并没有持续太久。

There was nothing like a good dinner and some music to cheer us up.

没有什么比得上一顿丰盛的晚餐和乐曲，能让我们重新振作。

Life fell into a regular pattern.

生活渐渐形成固定的节奏。

Staying alive took all our time and energy.

活下去耗尽了我们全部的时间与精力。

For example, we needed water, and Elephant Island had none.

举个例子，我们需要淡水，可大象岛上没有水源。

We found that we could melt ice from the ocean and drink the water from it.

我们发现可以融化海上冰块，取用融水饮用。

But how could we make fire?

但我们该如何生火？

There were no trees growing on Antarctica and no oil, so the only fuel we could use was animal fat.

南极洲没有树木，也没有燃油，我们唯一能使用的燃料只有动物脂肪。

This gave off oily, black smoke, but it stayed burning even in strong winds.

燃烧脂肪会冒出油腻的黑烟，但即便狂风呼啸，火苗也不会熄灭。

Food was also a problem, as we did not find any vegetables or fruit on the island.

食物同样是难题，我们在岛上找不到任何蔬果。

One of our group members, Lionel Greenstreet, noted in his diary about how bored he was with the meals: “The food now is pretty well all meat of sea creatures.”

队员莱昂内尔·格林斯特里特在日记里写道，他早已吃腻伙食：“眼下的食物几乎全是海洋生物的肉。”

If it weren’t for sea animals, we would all starve.

倘若没有海洋动物，我们所有人都会饿死。

As a chef, it was my duty to cook, so I tried to vary the meals in whatever way I could.

身为厨师，做饭是我的职责，我想尽办法变换饭菜花样。

But it was difficult.

但这实在太难了。

We had to be careful not to go outside too often, as the changing temperatures could make us ill.

我们必须尽量减少外出，起伏不定的气温很容易让人生病。

It was almost as dangerous to become too hot from wearing too many clothes as to become too cold from wearing too few.

穿衣过多过热，和穿得太少受寒，危险程度几乎不相上下。

The sweat could freeze very quickly.

身上的汗水转瞬就会凝结成冰。

Many of us also became ill from the black smoke of the animal fat we burnt for our fires.

不少同伴还因为生火燃烧动物脂肪产生的黑烟染上病痛。

It damaged our eyes and burnt our lungs.

黑烟灼伤我们的眼睛，侵害我们的肺部。

The twenty-two of us lived like this in the cold for four months.

我们22个人就这样在严寒中熬过了四个月。

Our discipline and team spirit kept us optimistic and helped us deal with our fears in a positive and successful way.

严明的纪律与团队精神让我们保持乐观，帮助我们积极、有效地战胜恐惧。

We also celebrated our birthdays, festivals, and even the times when we caught a sea animal.

我们会庆祝生日、节日，就连捕获海洋猎物时也会庆贺一番。

This was an episode in my life that I would never forget.

这是我一生中永远无法忘怀的一段经历。

When we were finally rescued, we felt such relief and joy that many of us could not hide our tears.

当我们终于获救，心中百感交集，如释重负，许多人忍不住潸然泪下。

We were at last free to go home to warm beds, good food, and the care of our family and friends.

我们终于可以踏上归途，回到家中，拥有温暖床铺、可口饭菜，感受亲友的关怀。

Our optimism and faith in Shackleton had helped us persevere in staying alive.

乐观的心态与对沙克尔顿的信任，支撑我们顽强活了下来。

And he paid us back by his commitment to save us from a slow but painful death.

而他信守承诺，归来营救我们，将我们从缓慢而痛苦的死亡边缘拉了回来。

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