【英语时差8,16】海洋中的山脉

 Except for the ruffling¹ of waves, and the pull of the tides, you probably think of the ocean as pretty flat.   

You wouldn't expect it to have a geography, its waters piled up into lasting² hills or sunk into valleys. Sea level ought to be pretty level, right? Wrong. In the Western Pacific around New Guinea, there's a watery³ hill almost two hundred and fifty feet high. This isn't a hill on the ocean floor, it's a hill in the ocean's surface itself. The slope is very gradual because the hill is hundreds of miles across, but it's definitely there. What causes the ocean's waters to behave this way? The answer has to do with small irregularities in the Earth's gravitational field. Like sea level being level, you probably take gravity for granted. Most people assume that it stays the same from place to place. Actually, if our planet's interior were completely uniform, the gravity on its surface would be exactly the same from place to place. But this isn't the case. There are heavy concentrations of matter within the Earth's mantle⁴, much like lumps in a bowl of oatmeal. These huge, underground concentrations can cause slightly more gravity on the surface above them. You might think that more gravity would pull the ocean's water downward, making a hole in the ocean, but this doesn't happen. After all, if it did, what would stop the surrounding water from rushing in to fill that hole? Just like a magnet attracts iron filings, an underground mass concentration attracts extra water--and extra gravity is what holds that extra water in place, making a hill in the ocean!

1 ruffling   

弄皱( ruffle的现在分词 )； 弄乱； 激怒； 扰乱

参考例句：

• A cool breeze brushed his face, ruffling his hair. 一阵凉风迎面拂来，吹乱了他的头发。
• "Indeed, they do not,'said Pitty, ruffling. "说真的，那倒不一定。" 皮蒂皱皱眉头，表示异议。

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

4 mantle   

n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红

参考例句：

• The earth had donned her mantle of brightest green.大地披上了苍翠欲滴的绿色斗篷。
• The mountain was covered with a mantle of snow.山上覆盖着一层雪。