Lesson 49 Through the Tunnel
He put on his goggles, fitted them tight, tested the vacuum. His hands were shaking. Then he chose the biggest stone he could carry and slipped over the edge of the rock until half of him was in the cool, enclosing water and half in the hot sun. He looked up once at the empty sky, filled his lungs once, twice, and then sank fast to the bottom with the stone. He let it go and began to count. He took the edges of the hole in his hands and drew himself into it, wriggling his shoulders in sideways as he remembered he must, kicking himself along with his feet.
Soon he was clear inside. He was in a small rock-bound hole filled with yellowish-gray water. The water was pushing him up against the roof. The roof was sharp and pained his back. He pulled himself along with his hands — fast, fast — and used his legs as levers. His head knocked against something; a sharp pain dizzied him. Fifty, fifty-one, fifty-two… He was without light, and the water seemed to press upon him with the weight of rock. Seventy-one, seventy-two… There was no strain on his lungs. He felt like an inflated balloon, his lungs were so light and easy, but his head was pulsing.
He was being continually pressed against the sharp roof, which felt slimy as well as sharp. Again he thought of octopuses, and wondered if the tunnel might be filled with weed that could tangle him. He gave himself a panicky, convulsive kick forward, ducked his head, and swam. His feet and hands moved freely, as if in open water. The hole must have widened out. He thought he must be swimming fast, and he was frightened of banging his head if the tunnel narrowed.
A hundred, a hundred and one… The water paled. Victory filled him. His lungs were beginning to hurt. A few more strokes and he would be out. He was counting wildly; he said a hundred and fifteen and then, a long time later, a hundred and fifteen again. The water was a clear jewel-green all around him. Then he saw, above his head, a crack running up through the rock. Sunlight was falling through it, showing the clean dark rock of the tunnel, a single mussel shell, and darkness ahead.
He was at the end of what he could do. He looked up at the crack as if it were filled with air and not water, as if he could put his mouth to it to draw in air. A hundred and fifteen, he heard himself say inside his head — but he had said that long ago. He must go on into the blackness ahead, or he would drown. His head was swelling, his lungs cracking. A hundred and fifteen, a hundred and fifteen pounded through his head, and he feebly clutched at rocks in the dark, pulling himself forward, leaving the brief space of sunlit water behind. He felt he was dying. He was no longer quite conscious. He struggled on in the darkness between lapses into unconsciousness. An immense, swelling pain filled his head, and then the darkness cracked with an explosion of green light. His hands, groping forward, met nothing; and his feet, kicking back, propelled him out into the open sea.
📝 文章大意
（本文节选自多丽丝·莱辛的短篇小说《穿过隧道》。）小男孩杰里戴好潜水镜，抱着一块大石头沉到海底，开始计数，然后钻进礁石下的洞里。洞里又窄又暗，水把他往尖利、滑腻的洞顶上挤，他撞了头，想到章鱼和缠人的海草，心里发慌。洞变宽后他游得快了些，数到一百时水色变亮，他以为胜利在望，但肺开始疼了。他看到头顶岩缝中透下的阳光，可前面仍是一片黑暗。他已到了极限，脑子里反复数着”一百一十五”，抓着岩石往前爬，几乎失去知觉。就在他觉得快要死去时，黑暗中迸出一片绿光，他的双手触不到东西了，双脚一蹬，便冲进了开阔的大海。
📚 核心单词
| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 含义 | 文中用法 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| goggles | /ˈɡɒɡlz/ | n. | 护目镜，潜水镜 | put on his goggles |
| vacuum | /ˈvækjuːm/ | n. | 真空 | tested the vacuum |
| enclosing | /ɪnˈkləʊzɪŋ/ | adj. | 包围的 | the cool, enclosing water |
| wriggle | /ˈrɪɡl/ | v. | 扭动 | wriggling his shoulders in |
| lever | /ˈliːvə(r)/ | n. | 杠杆 | used his legs as levers |
| dizzy | /ˈdɪzi/ | v. | 使头晕 | a sharp pain dizzied him |
| strain | /streɪn/ | n. | 压力，负担 | no strain on his lungs |
| inflated | /ɪnˈfleɪtɪd/ | adj. | 充了气的 | an inflated balloon |
| pulse | /pʌls/ | v. | 搏动 | his head was pulsing |
| slimy | /ˈslaɪmi/ | adj. | 黏滑的 | felt slimy as well as sharp |
| octopus | /ˈɒktəpəs/ | n. | 章鱼 | thought of octopuses |
| tangle | /ˈtæŋɡl/ | v. | 缠住 | weed that could tangle him |
| panicky | /ˈpæniki/ | adj. | 惊慌的 | a panicky, convulsive kick |
| convulsive | /kənˈvʌlsɪv/ | adj. | 痉挛的，抽搐的 | a convulsive kick |
| duck | /dʌk/ | v. | 低下（头） | ducked his head |
| pale | /peɪl/ | v. | 变淡，变亮 | The water paled |
| mussel | /ˈmʌsl/ | n. | 贻贝 | a single mussel shell |
| swell | /swel/ | v. | 肿胀 | His head was swelling |
| feebly | /ˈfiːbli/ | adv. | 虚弱地 | feebly clutched at rocks |
| clutch | /klʌtʃ/ | v. | 抓住 | clutched at rocks |
| lapse | /læps/ | n. | 陷入（某种状态） | lapses into unconsciousness |
| grope | /ɡrəʊp/ | v. | 摸索 | his hands, groping forward |
| propel | /prəˈpel/ | v. | 推动 | propelled him out into the open sea |
📖 难句解析
1. Then he chose the biggest stone he could carry and slipped over the edge of the rock until half of him was in the cool, enclosing water and half in the hot sun.
the biggest stone (that) he could carry是省略关系代词的定语从句slip over= 滑过half of him was in ... and half (was) in ...后半句省略了 of him was，冷水和烈日形成对照- 译: 然后他挑了一块他能抱得动的最大的石头，从岩石边上滑下去，直到他半个身子浸在凉爽的、包围着他的海水里，另一半露在火热的阳光下。
2. He took the edges of the hole in his hands and drew himself into it, wriggling his shoulders in sideways as he remembered he must, kicking himself along with his feet.
draw oneself into= 把自己拉进wriggling ...和kicking ...是两个现在分词短语作伴随状语，描写连续动作as he remembered he must= 正像他记得自己必须做的那样，must 后面省略了 wriggle his shoulders in sidewayskick oneself along= 用脚蹬着往前- 译: 他双手抓住洞口边缘，把身子拉进洞里，记着要侧着身子扭动肩膀钻进去，同时用脚蹬着往前游。
3. He pulled himself along with his hands — fast, fast — and used his legs as levers.
- 破折号之间的
fast, fast是插入语，表现他心里的催促 use sth as= 把……当作……来用- 译: 他用双手拉着自己往前——快，快——把两条腿当作杠杆来用。
4. He was without light, and the water seemed to press upon him with the weight of rock.
be without= 没有press upon= 压在……上；with the weight of rock= 像岩石那样沉重，夸张地写出水压- 译: 他周围没有一丝光亮，海水好像以岩石般的重量压在他身上。
5. He felt like an inflated balloon, his lungs were so light and easy, but his head was pulsing.
feel like= 感觉像his lungs were so light and easy相当于原因状语，解释为什么感觉像气球- 译: 他觉得自己就像一只充了气的气球，肺部轻松自在，可是脑袋却在突突直跳。
6. He was being continually pressed against the sharp roof, which felt slimy as well as sharp.
was being pressed是过去进行时的被动语态，强调当时一直被压着which引导非限制性定语从句修饰 roof；A as well as B= 不仅 B 而且 A- 译: 他被不停地挤压在锋利的洞顶上，洞顶不仅锋利，而且黏滑。
7. Again he thought of octopuses, and wondered if the tunnel might be filled with weed that could tangle him.
wonder if= 想知道是否that could tangle him是定语从句修饰 weed- 译: 他又一次想到了章鱼，想知道隧道里会不会长满了可能缠住他的海草。
8. He thought he must be swimming fast, and he was frightened of banging his head if the tunnel narrowed.
must be doing= 一定正在做，表示对正在发生的事的肯定推测be frightened of doing= 害怕做- 译: 他想自己一定游得很快，他担心万一隧道变窄，自己的脑袋会撞上去。
9. He was counting wildly; he said a hundred and fifteen and then, a long time later, a hundred and fifteen again.
wildly= 发狂地，表现他心慌意乱a long time later是插入语，两次都数到 115，说明他已经神志不清，失去了时间感- 译: 他发疯似的数着数，数到一百一十五，然后，过了好长一段时间，又数到一百一十五。
10. Sunlight was falling through it, showing the clean dark rock of the tunnel, a single mussel shell, and darkness ahead.
it指上一句的 crack（岩缝）showing ...是现在分词短语作结果状语，宾语有三个并列成分- 译: 阳光从缝隙中照进来，照出了隧道中干净的黑色岩石、一只孤零零的贻贝壳和前方的一片黑暗。
11. He looked up at the crack as if it were filled with air and not water, as if he could put his mouth to it to draw in air.
- 两个
as if从句并列，用虚拟语气，表示与事实相反的想象 draw in air= 吸气- 译: 他仰望着那条裂缝，仿佛里面充满的是空气而不是水，仿佛他能把嘴凑上去吸气。
12. A hundred and fifteen, he heard himself say inside his head — but he had said that long ago.
hear oneself say= 听到自己说，say 是省略 to 的不定式had said是过去完成时，表示在”听到”之前早就说过了- 译: 一百一十五，他听到自己在脑子里说——可是他很早以前就已经数到过这个数了。
13. He must go on into the blackness ahead, or he would drown.
must这里表示必须or= 否则- 译: 他必须继续往前游进黑暗，否则就会淹死。
14. His head was swelling, his lungs cracking.
- 后半句省略了 were：
his lungs (were) cracking，两个分句对称，节奏急促 - 译: 他的头在胀大，他的肺就要炸裂了。
15. A hundred and fifteen, a hundred and fifteen pounded through his head, and he feebly clutched at rocks in the dark, pulling himself forward, leaving the brief space of sunlit water behind.
- 前半句的主语是
A hundred and fifteen, a hundred and fifteen这个数字本身，pound = 猛烈撞击 clutch at= 抓住pulling ...和leaving ...是两个现在分词短语作伴随状语leave sth behind= 把……留在身后- 译: “一百一十五，一百一十五”在他脑子里轰响，他在黑暗中无力地抓着岩石，拉着身子往前，把那一小段有阳光照射的水域抛在了身后。
16. He struggled on in the darkness between lapses into unconsciousness.
struggle on= 挣扎着继续lapse into= 陷入（某种状态）；between lapses into unconsciousness= 在一阵阵昏迷的间隙- 译: 他在黑暗中挣扎着往前游，时而失去知觉。
17. An immense, swelling pain filled his head, and then the darkness cracked with an explosion of green light.
the darkness cracked是比喻：黑暗被打破with an explosion of green light= 伴随着绿光的迸发，指他终于看到了出口外的海水- 译: 一阵剧烈的、不断加剧的疼痛充满了他的头部，接着黑暗被一道迸发的绿光打破了。
18. His hands, groping forward, met nothing; and his feet, kicking back, propelled him out into the open sea.
- 两个分句结构对称：主语 + 现在分词短语 + 谓语
groping forward和kicking back都是现在分词作定语或伴随状语met nothing= 什么也没碰到，说明已经出了隧道- 译: 他的双手向前摸索，什么也没摸到；他的双脚向后一蹬，便把他推进了开阔的大海。