Chapter 3

TRANTOR?..At  the beginning  of the  thirteenth millennium,  this tendencyreached its  climax¹. As the center of  the Imperial Government for unbrokenhundreds of generations and  located, as it was, toward the central regionsof the  Galaxy² among  the most densely³ populated  and industrially advancedworlds of the system,  it could scarcely help being the densest⁴ and richestclot of humanity the Race had ever seen.
Its urbanization,  progressing steadily⁵, had finally  reached the ultimate.
All the  land surface of Trantor, 75,000,000 square  miles in extent, was asingle city.  The population,  at its height,  was well in  excess of fortybillions.  This  enormous population  was  devoted⁶ almost  entirely⁷ to  theadministrative necessities of Empire,  and found themselves all too few forthe  complications  of  the   task.  (It  is  to  be  remembered  that  theimpossibility  of proper  administration of  the Galactic Empire  under theuninspired leadership  of the  later Emperors was a  considerable factor inthe  Fall.) Daily,  fleets of ships  in the  tens of thousands  brought theproduce of  twenty agricultural worlds to  the dinner tables of Trantor....
Its  dependence  upon  the  outer worlds  for  food  and,  indeed, for  allnecessities of  life, made  Trantor increasingly vulnerable  to conquest bysiege.  In the  last millennium  of the  Empire, the  monotonously⁸ numerousrevolts made  Emperor after Emperor conscious  of this, and Imperial policybecame  little  more  than the  protection  of  Trantor's delicate  jugularvein....
ENCYCLOPEDIA¹¹ GALACTICAGaal was not certain whether the sun shone, or, for that matter, whether itwas day  or night.  He was ashamed  to ask. All  the planet  seemed to livebeneath metal.  The meal  of which he  had just partaken  had been labelledluncheon, but there were many planets which lived a standard timescale thattook no  account of the perhaps inconvenient  alternation of day and night.
The  rate of  planetary  turnings differed,  and he  did  not know  that ofTrantor.
At first, he had  eagerly followed the signs to the "Sun Room" and found itbut a chamber¹² for  basking¹³ in artificial radiation. He lingered a moment ortwo, then returned to the Luxor's main lobby.
He said to the room clerk, "Where can I buy a ticket for a planetary tour?""Right here.""When will it start?""You  just missed  it. Another  one tomorrow.  Buy a  ticket now  and we'llreserve a place for you.""Oh." Tomorrow  would be  too late. He  would have to be  at the Universitytomorrow. He said, "There  wouldn't be an observation tower ?or something?
I mean, in the open air.""Sure! Sell you a ticket for that, if you want. Better let me check if it'sraining  or not." He  closed a contact  at his  elbow and read  the flowingletters  that   raced  across  a  frosted   screen.  Gaal  read  with  him.
The room clerk said,  "Good weather. Come to think of it, I do believe it'sthe dry  season now." He added, conversationally,  "I don't bother with theoutside myself.  The last time I  was in the open  was three years ago. Yousee it  once, you know and  that's all there is  to it. Here's your ticket.
Special elevator  in the rear. It's  marked 'To the Tower.'  Just take it."The  elevator was  of the  new sort  that ran  by gravitic  repulsion. Gaalentered and others flowed in behind him. The operator closed a contact. Fora moment,  Gaal felt  suspended in space  as gravity switched  to zero, andthen  he had  weight  again in  small measure  as the  elevator acceleratedupward.  Deceleration followed  and his  feet left  the floor.  He squawkedagainst his will.
The operator called out,  "Tuck your feet under the railing. Can't you readthe sign?"The others  had done  so. They were smiling  at him as he  madly and vainlytried to clamber back down the wall. Their shoes pressed upward against thechromium of  the railings that stretched across  the floor in parallels settwo feet  apart. He had noticed those railings  on entering and had ignoredthem.
Then a hand reached out and pulled him down.
He gasped¹⁴ his thanks as the elevator came to a halt.
He stepped out upon  an open terrace bathed in a white brilliance¹⁵ that hurlhis eyes.  The man, whose helping  hand he had just  now been the recipientof, was immediately behind him.
The man said, kindly¹⁶, "Plenty of seats."Gaal closed  his mouth; he had  been gaping¹⁷; and said,  "It certainly seemsso." He started for them automatically, then stopped.
He said, "If you  don't mind, I'll just stop a moment at the railing. I ?Iwant to look a bit."The  man  waved  him  on, good-naturedly,  and  Gaal  leaned  out over  theshoulder-high   railing   and  bathed   himself   in   all  the   panorama¹⁸.
He  could  not  see  the  ground.  It  was  lost  in  the  ever  increasingcomplexities  of man-made structures.  He could  see no horizon  other thanthat of  metal against sky, stretching out  to almost uniform grayness, andhe  knew it  was  so over  all the  land-surface of  the planet.  There wasscarcely any  motion to  be seen ? a few pleasure-craft  lazed against thesky-but all  the busy  traffic of billions  of men were going  on, he knew,beneath the metal skin of the world.
There was no  green to be seen; no green, no soil,  no life other than man.
Somewhere on the world,  he realized vaguely¹⁹, was the Emperor's palace, setamid one hundred square  miles of natural soil, green with trees, rainbowedwith flowers.  It was a small island amid an ocean  of steel, but it wasn'tvisible from  where he stood. It  might be ten thousand  miles away. He didnot know.
Before very long, he must have his tour!
He sighed noisily, and  realized finally that he was on Trantor at last; onthe planet  which was  the center of all  the Galaxy and the  kernel²⁰ of thehuman race. He saw none of its weaknesses. He saw no ships of food landing.
He was not aware  of a jugular⁹ vein¹⁰ delicately connecting the forty billionof  Trantor with  the  rest of  the Galaxy.  He was  conscious only  of themightiest  deed  of  man;  the  complete and  almost  contemptuously  finalconquest of a world.
He came away a little blank-eyed. His friend of the elevator was indicatinga seat next to himself and Gaal took it.
The   man  smiled.   "My   name  is   Jerril.  First   time   on  Trantor?""Yes, Mr. Jerril.""Thought so.  Jerril's my  first name. Trantor  gets you if  you've got thepoetic temperament²¹. Trantorians never come up here, though. They don't likeit. Gives them nerves.""Nerves! ?My name's Gaal, by the way. Why should it give them nerves? It'sglorious.""Subjective²² matter  of opinion, Gaal. If you're born  in a cubicle²³ and growup in  a corridor, and work in a cell, and  vacation in a crowded sun-room,then coming up into  the open with nothing but sky over you might just giveyou a  nervous breakdown²⁴. They make the children come  up here once a year,after they're five. I don't know if it does any good. They don't get enoughof  it,  really,  and  the first  few  times  they  scream themselves  intohysteria. They  ought to start as soon as they're  weaned and have the triponce a week."He went  on, "Of course, it doesn't really matter.  What if they never comeout at  all? They're happy down there and they run  the Empire. How high updo you think we are?"He   said,  "Half   a   mile?"  and   wondered  if   that   sounded  naive²⁵.
It must have, for Jerril chuckled²⁶ a little. He said, "No. Just five hundredfeet.""What? But the elevator took about ?
"I  know. But  most of  the time it  was just  getting up to  ground level.
Trantor is tunneled over  a mile down. It's like an iceberg²⁷. Nine-tenths ofit is out of sight. It even works itself out a few miles into the sub-oceansoil at the shorelines.  In fact, we're down so low that we can make use ofthe temperature difference between ground level and a couple of miles underto  supply   us  with  all  the  energy  we   need.  Did  you  know  that?""No, I thought you used atomic generators²⁸.""Did once. But this is cheaper.""I imagine so.""What  do  you think  of  it  all?" For  a  moment, the  man's good  natureevaporated into shrewdness. He looked almost sly.
Gaal fumbled²⁹. "Glorious," he said, again.
"Here on vacation? Traveling? Sight-seeing?""No exactly. At least,  I've always wanted to visit Trantor but I came hereprimarily for a job.""Oh?"Gaal felt  obliged to  explain further, "With  Dr. Seldon's project  at theUniversity of Trantor.""Raven³⁰ Seldon?""Why, no.  The one  I mean is  Hari Seldon. -The  psychohistorian Seldon. Idon't know of any Raven Seldon.""Hari's  the one I  mean. They call  him Raven.  Slang, you know.  He keepspredicting disaster.""He does?" Gaal was genuinely astonished.
"Surely, you must know." Jerril was not smiling. "You're coming to work forhim, aren't you?""Well, yes, I'm a mathematician³¹. Why does he predict disaster? What kind ofdisaster?""What kind would you think?""I'm afraid I wouldn't have the least idea. I've read the papers Dr. Seldonand   his  group   have   published.  They're   on  mathematical   theory.""Yes, the ones they publish."Gaal felt  annoyed. He said, "I think I'll go to  my room now. Very pleasedto have met you."Jerril waved his arm indifferently in farewell.
Gaal found  a man  waiting for him  in his room.  For a moment,  he was toostartled to put into  words the inevitable³², "What are you doing here?" thatcame to his lips.
The man rose. He was old and almost bald and he walked with a limp, but hiseyes were very bright and blue.
He  said, "I  am  Hari Seldon,"  an instant  before Gaal's  befuddled³³ brainplaced the  face alongside the memory  of the many times  he had seen it inpictures.

1 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

2 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

3 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

4 densest   

密集的( dense的最高级 )； 密度大的； 愚笨的； （信息量大得）难理解的

参考例句：

• Past Botoi some of the densest jungle forests on Anopopei grew virtually into the water. 过了坊远湾，岛上的莽莽丛林便几乎直长到水中。
• Earth is the densest of all of these remaining planets. 地球是所剩下行星中最致密的星球。

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

7 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

8 monotonously   

adv.单调地，无变化地

参考例句：

• The lecturer phrased monotonously. 这位讲师用词单调。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The maid, still in tears, sniffed monotonously. 侍女还在哭，发出单调的抽泣声。 来自辞典例句

9 jugular   

n.颈静脉

参考例句：

• He always goes for the jugular.他总是直奔要害而去。
• Bilateral internal jugular vein stenting is also a rare procedure.两侧内颈静脉支架置放术也是少见的技术。

10 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

11 encyclopedia   

n.百科全书

参考例句：

• The encyclopedia fell to the floor with a thud.那本百科全书砰的一声掉到地上。
• Geoff is a walking encyclopedia.He knows about everything.杰夫是个活百科全书，他什么都懂。

12 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

13 basking   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的现在分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• We sat basking in the warm sunshine. 我们坐着享受温暖的阳光。
• A colony of seals lay basking in the sun. 一群海豹躺着晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

15 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。

16 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

17 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 panorama   

n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置]

参考例句：

• A vast panorama of the valley lay before us.山谷的广阔全景展现在我们面前。
• A flourishing and prosperous panorama spread out before our eyes.一派欣欣向荣的景象展现在我们的眼前。

19 vaguely   

adv.含糊地，暖昧地

参考例句：

• He had talked vaguely of going to work abroad.他含糊其词地说了到国外工作的事。
• He looked vaguely before him with unseeing eyes.他迷迷糊糊的望着前面，对一切都视而不见。

20 kernel   

n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心

参考例句：

• The kernel of his problem is lack of money.他的问题的核心是缺钱。
• The nutshell includes the kernel.果壳裹住果仁。

21 temperament   

n.气质，性格，性情

参考例句：

• The analysis of what kind of temperament you possess is vital.分析一下你有什么样的气质是十分重要的。
• Success often depends on temperament.成功常常取决于一个人的性格。

22 subjective   

a.主观(上)的，个人的

参考例句：

• The way they interpreted their past was highly subjective. 他们解释其过去的方式太主观。
• A literary critic should not be too subjective in his approach. 文学评论家的看法不应太主观。

23 cubicle   

n.大房间中隔出的小室

参考例句：

• She studies in a cubicle in the school library.她在学校图书馆的小自习室里学习。
• A technical sergeant hunches in a cubicle.一位技术军士在一间小屋里弯腰坐着。

24 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

25 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

26 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

27 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

28 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 fumbled   

（笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下

参考例句：

• She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief. 她在她口袋里胡乱摸找手帕。
• He fumbled about in his pockets for the ticket. 他（瞎）摸着衣兜找票。

30 raven   

n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的

参考例句：

• We know the raven will never leave the man's room.我们知道了乌鸦再也不会离开那个男人的房间。
• Her charming face was framed with raven hair.她迷人的脸上垂落着乌亮的黑发。

31 mathematician   

n.数学家

参考例句：

• The man with his back to the camera is a mathematician.背对着照相机的人是位数学家。
• The mathematician analyzed his figures again.这位数学家再次分析研究了他的这些数字。

32 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

33 befuddled   

adj.迷糊的，糊涂的v.使烂醉( befuddle的过去式和过去分词 )；使迷惑不解

参考例句：

• He was befuddled by drink. 他喝得迷迷糊糊的。
• John is very amusing when he is completely befuddled. 当约翰喝得完全糊涂了的时候，他非常有趣儿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》