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Chapter Eight.
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The Cause of Ice-Bergs—Fox-Chase—A Bear.
One day, long after the walrus1-hunt just described, Joe Davis stood on the deck of the Hope, leaning over the side and looking out to sea—at least in the direction of the sea, for, although mid-day, it was so dark that he could not see very far in any direction. Joe was conversing2 with Mr Dicey on the appearance of things around him.
“Do you know, Mr Dicey,” said he, “wot it is as causes them there ice-bergs?”
Mr Dicey looked very grave and wise for a few seconds without answering. Then he said, in rather a solemn tone, “Well, Davis, to tell you the real truth, I don’t know!”
Now, as this question is one of considerable interest, I shall endeavour to answer it for the benefit of the reader.
The whole of the interior of Greenland is covered with ice and snow. This snowy covering does not resemble that soft snow which falls on our own hills. It is hard, and never melts entirely3 away. The snow there is in some places a thousand feet thick! It covers all the hill-tops and fills up all the valleys, so that the country may be said to be a buried land. Since the world began, perhaps, snow has been falling on it every winter; but the summers there have been so short that they could not melt away the snow of one winter before that of another came and covered it up and pressed it down. Thus, for ages, the snow of one year has been added to that which was left of the preceding, and the pressure has been so great that the mass has been squeezed nearly as hard as pure ice.
The ice that has been formed in this way is called glacier4; and the glaciers5 of Greenland cover, as I have said, the whole country, so that it can never be cultivated or inhabited by man unless the climate change. There are glaciers of this kind in many other parts of the world. We have them in Switzerland and in Norway, but not on nearly so large a scale as in Greenland.
Now, although this glacier-ice is clear and hard, it is not quite so solid as pure ice, and when it is pushed down into the valleys by the increasing masses above it, actually flows. But this flowing motion cannot be seen. It is like the motion of the hour hand of a watch, which cannot be perceived however closely it may be looked at. You might go to one of the valleys of Greenland and gaze at a glacier for days together, but you would see no motion whatever. All would appear solid, frozen up, and still. But notice a block of stone lying on the surface of the glacier, and go back many months after and you will find the stone lying a little further down the valley than when you first saw it. Thus glaciers are formed and thus they slowly move. But what has all this to do with ice-bergs? We shall see.
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1
walrus
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n.海象 | |
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2
conversing
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v.交谈,谈话( converse的现在分词 ) | |
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3
entirely
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ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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4
glacier
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n.冰川,冰河 | |
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5
glaciers
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冰河,冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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extremities
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n.端点( extremity的名词复数 );尽头;手和足;极窘迫的境地 | |
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animated
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adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的 | |
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forsook
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forsake的过去式 | |
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dreary
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adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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scurvy
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adj.下流的,卑鄙的,无礼的;n.坏血病 | |
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aurora
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n.极光 | |
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gambolled
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v.蹦跳,跳跃,嬉戏( gambol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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bunk
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n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位;废话 | |
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baker
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n.面包师 | |
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teller
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n.银行出纳员;(选举)计票员 | |
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blues
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n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐 | |
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butts
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笑柄( butt的名词复数 ); (武器或工具的)粗大的一端; 屁股; 烟蒂 | |
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scrambling
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v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞 | |
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lame
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adj.跛的,(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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gallant
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adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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mittened
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v.(使)变得潮湿,变得湿润( moisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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theatricals
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n.(业余性的)戏剧演出,舞台表演艺术;职业演员;戏剧的( theatrical的名词复数 );剧场的;炫耀的;戏剧性的 | |
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heartily
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adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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invalid
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n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 | |
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sledge
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n.雪橇,大锤;v.用雪橇搬运,坐雪橇往 | |
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starry
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adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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gallop
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v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔;飞速发展 | |
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hearty
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adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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prospect
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n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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hind
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adj.后面的,后部的 | |
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hummock
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n.小丘 | |
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catching
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adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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blessing
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n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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vent
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n.通风口,排放口;开衩;vt.表达,发泄 | |
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lashed
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adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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hummocks
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n.小丘,岗( hummock的名词复数 ) | |
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上一章:
Chapter Seven.
下一章:
Chapter Nine.
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