【导读】 《海底两万里》是法国科幻小说家儒勒·凡尔纳的代表作之一，是一部出色的悬念小说，叙述了法国生物学者阿龙纳斯教授在海洋深处旅行的故事。阅读下面选取的有关冒险活动的节选，认真体会他们面对海上危险的态度。
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea (excerpt)
Part One Chapter Five
For some while the voyage of the Abraham Lincoln was marked by no incident.But one circumstance arose that displayed Ned Land's marvelous skills and showed just how much confidence we could place in him.
Off the Falkland Islands on June 30，the frigate came in contact with a fleet of American whalers，and we learned that they hadn't seen the narwhale.But one of them，the captain of the Monroe，knew that Ned Land had shipped aboard the Abraham Lincoln and asked his help in hunting a baleen whale that was in sight.Anxious to see Ned Land at work，Commander Farragut authorized him to make his way aboard the Monroe.And the Canadian had such good luck that with a rightandleft shot，he harpooned not one whale but two，striking the first straight to the heart and catching the other after a few minutes' chase!
Assuredly，if the monster ever had to deal with Ned Land's harpoon，I wouldn't bet on the monster.
The frigate sailed along the east coast of South America with prodigious speed.By July 3 we were at the entrance to the Strait of Magellan.But Commander Farragut was unwilling to attempt this tortuous passageway and maneuvered instead to double Cape Horn.
The crew sided with him unanimously.Indeed，were we likely to encounter the narwhale in such a cramped strait？Many of our sailors swore that the monster couldn't negotiate this passageway simply because “he's too big for it！”
Our course was set for the northwest，and the next day our frigate's propeller finally churned the waters of the Pacific.
“Open your eyes！Open your eyes！” repeated the sailors of the Abraham Lincoln.
And they opened amazingly wide.Eyes and spyglasses (a bit dazzled，it is true，by the vista of $2，000.00) didn't remain at rest for an instant.Day and night we observed the surface of the ocean，and those with nyctalopic eyes，whose ability to see in the dark increased their chances by fifty percent，had an excellent shot at winning the prize.
As for me，I was hardly drawn by the lure of money and yet was far from the least attentive on board.Snatching only a few minutes for meals and a few hours for sleep，come rain or come shine，I no longer left the ship's deck.Sometimes bending over the forecastle railings，sometimes leaning against the stern rail，I eagerly scoured that cottoncolored wake that whitened the ocean as far as the eye could see！And how many times I shared the excitement of general staff and crew when some unpredictable whale lifted its blackish back above the waves.In an instant the frigate's deck would become densely populated.The cowls over the companionways would vomit a torrent of sailors and officers.With panting chests and anxious eyes，we each would observe the cetacean's movements.I stared；I stared until I nearly went blind from a wornout retina，while Conseil，as stoic as ever，kept repeating to me in a calm tone：
“If master's eyes would kindly stop bulging，master will see farther！”
But what a waste of energy！The Abraham Lincoln would change course and race after the animal sighted，only to find an ordinary baleen whale or a common sperm whale that soon disappeared amid a chorus of curses!
However，the weather held good.Our voyage was proceeding under the most favorable conditions.By then it was the bad season in these southernmost regions，because July in this zone corresponds to our January in Europe；but the sea remained smooth and easily visible over a vast perimeter.
Ned Land still kept up the most tenacious skepticism；beyond his spells on watch，he pretended that he never even looked at the surface of the waves，at least while no whales were in sight.And yet the marvelous power of his vision could have performed yeoman service.But this stubborn Canadian spent eight hours out of every twelve reading or sleeping in his cabin.A hundred times I chided him for his unconcern.
“Bah！” he replied.“Nothing's out there，Professor Aronnax，and if there is some animal，what chance would we have of spotting it？Can't you see we're just wandering around at random？People say they've sighted this slippery beast again in the Pacific high seas—I'm truly willing to believe it，but two months have already gone by since then，and judging by your narwhale's personality，it hates growing moldy from hanging out too long in the same waterways！It's blessed with a terrific gift for getting around.Now，professor，you know even better than I that nature doesn't violate good sense，and she wouldn't give some naturally slow animal the ability to move swiftly if it hadn't a need to use that talent.So if the beast does exist，it's already long gone！”
I had no reply to this.Obviously we were just groping blindly.But how else could we go about it？All the same，our chances were automatically pretty limited.Yet everyone still felt confident of success，and not a sailor on board would have bet against the narwhale appearing，and soon.
海底两万里(节选)
第一部分 第五章
林肯号的航行，在这些天当中，并没有碰到什么意外。但发生了一件事，这件事使得尼德·兰显现出了他惊人的技巧，同时也说明了我们对他的那种信任是应该的。
6月30日，在福克兰群岛附近海域，林肯号向美国的捕鲸船打听那条独角鲸的消息，这些捕鲸船都说没碰见。但其中一只名叫孟禄号的捕鲸船船长，知道尼德·兰在我们船上。要请他帮忙，追捕一条已经被发现了的鲸鱼。法拉古舰长很想看看尼德·兰的本领，就准许他到孟禄号船上去。我们的加拿大朋友运气真好，不仅是打了一条鲸鱼，而且是打了两条，他投出双叉，一叉直刺入一条鲸鱼的心脏，追赶了几分钟以后，另一条也被捕获了。
毫无疑问，如果我们追赶的那个怪物，真的跟尼德·兰的鱼叉相碰，我决不敢打赌，保证这个怪物无事。
战舰以惊人的速度，沿着美洲东南方的海岸行驶，7月3日，我们到达麦哲伦海峡口上。但法拉古舰长不愿意通过这曲折的海峡，要从合恩角绕过去。
全体船员一致赞成他的主张。的确，我们哪能在这狭窄的海峡里碰到那条独角鲸呢？大多数水手都肯定怪物不能通过海峡，因为它身体很大，海峡容不下它！
现在船向西北开，明天，战舰的机轮就要在太平洋的水波中搅动了。
“睁大眼睛！睁大眼睛！”林肯号上的水手们一再地说。
他们都把眼睛睁得大大的。真的，眼睛和望远镜好像被两千美元奖金的远景所眩惑，一刻也不愿休息。白天黑夜，人人都留心洋面，患昼盲症的人因在黑暗中能看得清。比别人要多百分之五十的机会获得这笔奖金。
我个人是不受金钱引诱的，但我在船上也同样注意观察海面。除了用餐的几分钟，睡眠的几小时，不管日晒也好，雨淋也好，我总不离开甲板。有时伏在船头围板上，有时扶着船尾的栏杆，我目不转睛，死盯着一望无际、白练般的浪涛！有好几次，一条任性的鲸鱼把灰黑的脊背露在波涛上的时候，我跟船上全体职工人员一样马上就激动起来。战舰的甲板上马上就挤满了人，水手和军官像水流一般地从布棚下涌出来了。人人都心头跳动，眼光闪烁，注视着鲸鱼的行动。我非常注意地看着，看得眼睛发黑，简直要变成瞎子了。但康塞尔总是若无其事的，用安静的语气一再对我说：
“如果先生愿意少费些目力，眼睛不要睁得太大，先生也许能看得更清楚一些！”
但是，空欢喜了一场！林肯号转了方向，向发现的动物冲去，原来是一条平常的长须鲸，或一条普通的抹香鲸，不多时就在大家的咒骂声中不见了！
可是天气很好。船在良好的情况中航行，这正是南半球天气恶劣的季节，而这一带的七月却和我们欧洲的一月差不多。不过海是平静的，人们一眼可以看得很远。
尼德·兰总是抱着不肯轻信的态度；除了轮到他在甲板上看守以外，他甚至故意不看洋面——至少在没有发现鲸鱼的时候是这样。他的神奇的眼力有很大的用处，可是在十二小时中有八小时，这位固执的加拿大人只是在舱房中看书或睡觉，我多少次责备他的冷淡和不关心。
“算了吧！”他回答，“阿龙纳斯教授，什么都没有，就算海中真有什么怪物，我们可能有机会看见它吗？我们不是漫无计划地瞎逛吗？据说在太平洋的北部海中，又有人看见了这个无法找到的怪物，这我并不否认；但是，自从那次碰见后，两个月已经过去了，要是根据您的这条独角鲸的怪脾气来看，它决不愿意长久停在这一带海上！它移动极快，不可捉摸。并且，教授，您比我更了解，自然造物，决不自相矛盾，它决不使天性迟缓的动物，有快速走动的能力，因为这种能力对它并无必要。所以，这种动物如果存在的话，它早就跑远了！”
听了他这话，我没法回答。很明显，我们确实是盲目地行动着。可是，又有什么办法呢？我们的机会很有限，不过，对于事情的成功，还没有人加以怀疑，船上没有一名水手敢打赌，说没有独角鲸，说它不会出现。
[知识积累]
1．frigate n． 快速帆船；战舰
2．harpoon v. 用鱼镖刺
3．assuredly adv. 确实地，确信地
4．unanimously adv. 全体一致地
5．nyctalopic adj. 患昼盲症的
6．stoic adj. 坚忍的
7．tenacious adj. 不放松的；坚决的
8．skepticism n. 怀疑态度；怀疑论
[文化链接]
解读凡尔纳的小说
凡尔纳的小说得以广为流传，还因为他具有社会正义感和崇高的人道主义精神。他笔下的人物都是品质高尚、献身科学的人，是英勇顽强、不畏艰险的人。像尼摩船长等反抗压迫的战士的形象，正是他反对殖民主义，反对奴隶制和压迫者的进步思想的体现。
本文来源：https://www.2haoxitong.net/k/doc/06df4fa2b207e87101f69e3143323968001cf4b7.html
文档为doc格式