XVII. SCIENTIFIC THEORIES.

 The Mediterranean¹ Sea, a body of water between Europe and Africa, nearly 2,000 miles in length, surrounded with most of the noted² cities of antiquity³, has remained during these thousands of years in an unchanged condition from tides, inundations, or any other disturbing causes. Into this sea through the Strait of Gibraltar has been flowing all this time from the Atlantic Ocean, a river 15 miles wide with an average depth of one and one-fourth miles. This river is reported to have so strong a current that a sailing vessel⁴ has difficulty of coming out against it without the help of a favorable east wind. This is a sufficient flow of water to fill the basin of the sea almost yearly, besides the help of all the rivers of Southern Europe and Northern Africa. The reason of no change is given for its location, where evaporation⁵ carries off all this influx⁶ of water; while some think an undercurrent[87] must exist back into the Atlantic. The first reason seems too ridiculous for a child to give. The water of the Atlantic is so salt as to produce over a pound of salt to a common bucket full. If evaporation is the reason of its equable condition, there could be no other result than a mountain of salt big as the Himalayas long before this time.

 

The claim of a countercurrent is almost as absurd. That the sea discharges its waters in an undercurrent which passes through the neighborhood of the Caspian and Aral Seas, is more likely than that the waters run backward against a powerful current from the Atlantic and against the centrifugal force that governs the movements of relatively⁷ every other water course on the Earth.

 

So much for that subject for any criticisms that may be offered. Intervening lakes between the Caspian and Aral Seas, seasonably fill with salt water, from the evaporation of which immense bodies of salt are gathered. Where does this supply of salt water come from to leave hundreds of thousands of tons of salt each year?

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 antiquity   

n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹

参考例句：

• The museum contains the remains of Chinese antiquity.博物馆藏有中国古代的遗物。
• There are many legends about the heroes of antiquity.有许多关于古代英雄的传说。

4 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

5 evaporation   

n.蒸发，消失

参考例句：

• Be careful not to lose too much liquid by evaporation.小心不要因蒸发失去太多水分。
• Our bodies can sweat,thereby losing heat by evaporation.我们的身体能出汗，由此可以蒸发散热。

6 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。