Modern cavemen

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 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.

译文

洞穴探险，或称为探洞，已成为一种相对较新的运动。或许是寻求孤独的欲望，或是发现意外之物的机会，将人们引向地球的深处。对于探洞者的动机，很难给出令人满意的解释。对于他来说，洞穴具有与高山对登山者相同的奇特魅力。它们唤醒了只能模糊理解的本能。

探索真正的深洞并非是星期日下午漫步者所能胜任的。此类活动需要像军事行动一样精确的计划和远见。搭设绳梯并建立补给基地，可能需要长达八天的时间，然后才能下到非常深的洞穴中。这种预防措施是必要的，因为无法预知探洞者将面临的困难的确切性质。世界上已知的最深洞穴是位于格勒诺布尔附近的伯杰深渊。它深达3,723英尺。这个巨大的裂隙是由一条地下溪流所形成，它在岩石的裂缝中开辟出一条通道。洞穴的入口位于多菲内阿尔卑斯山的台地上。由于入口仅宽六英尺，因此几乎不引人注目。要不是杰出的法国探洞者伯杰发现了这个入口，这个洞穴可能永远不会被发现。自从被发现以来，它已成为探洞者的一种“珠穆朗玛峰”。尽管已进行过多次下探，但其中大部分仍未被探索。

一支探洞队最近下到了伯杰深渊。他们从台地上的狭窄裂口进入后，顺着洞穴陡峭的侧壁爬下去，直至到达一条狭窄的走廊。他们不得不沿着这条走廊侧身前进，有时涉水穿过浅溪，有时游过深潭。突然，他们来到一个瀑布前，它垂直落入洞穴底部的地下湖中。他们跃入湖中，将装备装上充气橡皮艇，让水流将他们带到对岸。为了抵御冰冷的水，他们必须穿着特制的橡皮衣。在湖的尽头，他们看到一大堆巨石碎块，这些是水流冲积而成的。在洞穴的这一部分，他们听到一种持续的轰鸣声，原来是小水柱从洞顶喷入池中而发出的。通过岩石的裂缝挤过去，探洞者们来到一个巨大的洞厅，其大小堪比一座大型音乐厅。打开强力弧光灯后，他们看到巨大的石笋——有些高达四十英尺以上——如树干般耸立，向上与从顶棚垂下的石钟乳相接。周围，一堆堆石灰岩闪耀着彩虹般的各种色彩。在洞厅那诡异的寂静中，唯一能听到的声音是水从高高的穹顶上不断滴落发出的。

词汇表

solitude

名词

英:/ˈsɒlɪtjuːd/

美:/ˈsɑːlətuːd/

定义

1. 独处；孤寂 - The state of being alone or isolated from others.

例子: Many people seek solitude in nature to relax and reflect.

例子: The writer found solitude in the mountains, which helped her focus on her work.

2. 偏僻的地方 - A remote or isolated place.

例子: The cave provided a perfect solitude for the explorers.

例子: He built a cabin in the woods for complete solitude.

近义词

isolation: 强调与社会或人群的完全分离，常用于心理或物理层面，而 'solitude' 更中性，可能带有积极的含义。

seclusion: 暗示主动选择隐居，常涉及隐私或保护，而 'solitude' 可能更被动或自然发生。

loneliness: 通常带有负面情感，如悲伤或空虚，与 'solitude' 的平静或积极含义不同。

反义词:

crowds, company, society

用法

常用于描述寻求安静或反思的语境，如自然或个人空间；文化背景中，在西方文学中常与精神成长相关。

形式:

复数: solitudes

深入解析：关键句型 "It is [something] that [clause]"

定义

这个句型是一种强调结构，常用于强调句子的某个部分，特别是主语、宾语或状语，以突出其重要性。基本结构为：It is + [something]（被强调的部分）+ that + [clause]（剩余句子）。例如，在文章中如 "It is impossible to give a satisfactory explanation for a pot-holer's motives."，这里强调了"impossible to give a satisfactory explanation"。权威教材如《新概念英语》或《剑桥英语语法》定义此句型为强调句（emphatic structure），其核心含义是通过"it is"引导，将注意力集中在关键信息上，从而使句子更有力。

用法

此句型主要用于口语和书面语中，强调特定元素以增强表达效果。使用场景包括描述原因、结果或事实时，例如在解释动机或事件时，如文章中的例子。规则是：原句的主语、宾语或其他成分被置于"that"后，而"it is"作为引导词。语法体系中，它属于强调句类型，与简单句或复杂句相关，链接到从句结构（如名词从句）。跨语法点联系：它与关系从句或条件句结合使用，能帮助学生从基本句型过渡到更复杂的表达方式。例如，与被动语态结合时，可以强化事件的客观性，如"It is the stream that has formed the chasm"，这与文章的描述相呼应。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括：误用为条件句（如将"that"误解为"which"，导致句子混乱）；或者忘记强调的必要性，直接用简单句代替，削弱表达力度。常见偏误是省略"that"，如说"It is impossible give a satisfactory explanation"，这会使句子不完整。纠正建议：练习识别原句并转换，例如先写出普通句再添加"it is that"结构。同时，避免在非正式场合过度使用，以免显得啰嗦。另一个问题是语序错误，如将强调部分放错位置，建议通过反复朗读文章中的句子来校正。

练习

一个额外的例子：假设描述洞穴探索的危险，你可以说："It is the lack of oxygen that makes deep cave exploration so challenging." 通过这个例子，学生可以尝试替换[something]，如用"the desire for adventure"，并构建完整句子，例如"It is the teamwork that ensures safety in pot-holing." 这有助于学生在实际语境中应用句型，增强对强调的理解。

额外内容

背景知识：这个句型起源于英语的强调句法，类似于法语或德语中的强调方式，但英语更依赖"it is that"。对比分析：在美式英语中，这种结构常用于新闻报道，而在英式英语中更常见于文学描述。补充信息：掌握此句型后，学生能更好地处理复杂句子，提升写作和口语表达的精确性，例如在描述个人经历时使用，如"It is my curiosity that drives me to explore new places."，从而丰富语言技能。