Chapter 67

The underside of the raft became host to a multitude of sealife, like the net but smaller in form. It started with a softgreen algae¹ that clung to the life jackets. Stiffer algae of adarker kind joined it. They did well and became thick. Animallife appeared. The first that I saw were tiny, translucent² shrimp,hardly half an inch long. They were followed by fish no biggerthat looked like they were permanently³ under X-ray; theirinternal organs showed through their transparent⁴ skins. Afterthat I noticed the black worms with the white spines⁵, the greengelatinous slugs with the primitive⁶ limbs, the inch-long,motley-coloured fish with the potbellies, and lastly the crabs⁷, halfto three-quarters of an inch across and brown in colour. Itried everything but the worms, including the algae. Only thecrabs didn't have an unpalatably bitter or salty taste. Everytime they appeared, I popped them one after another into mymouth like candy until there were none left. I couldn't controlmyself. It was always a long wait between fresh crops of crabs.
The hull⁸ of the lifeboat invited life too, in the form of smallgooseneck barnacles. I sucked their fluid. Their flesh made forgood fishing bait.
I became attached to these oceanic hitchhikers, though theyweighed the raft down a little. They provided distraction⁹, likeRichard Parker. I spent many hours doing nothing but lying onmy side, a life jacket pushed out of place a few inches, like acurtain from a window, so that I might have a clear view.
What I saw was an upside-down town, small, quiet andpeaceable, whose citizens went about with the sweet civility ofangels. The sight was a welcome relief for my frayed¹⁰ nerves.

1 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

2 translucent   

adj.半透明的；透明的

参考例句：

• The building is roofed entirely with translucent corrugated plastic.这座建筑完全用半透明瓦楞塑料封顶。
• A small difference between them will render the composite translucent.微小的差别,也会使复合材料变成半透明。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

5 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

7 crabs   

n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As we walked along the seashore we saw lots of tiny crabs. 我们在海岸上散步时看到很多小蟹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

9 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

10 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》