I remember the occasion very distinctly when Cavor told me of his idea of the sphere. He had had intimations of it before, but at the time it seemed to come to him in a rush. We were returning to the bungalow¹ for tea, and on the way he fell humming. Suddenly he shouted, "That's it! That finishes it! A sort of roller blind!"

"Finishes what?" I asked.

"Space--anywhere! The moon."

"What do you mean?"

"Mean? Why--it must be a sphere! That's what I mean!"

I saw I was out of it, and for a time I let him talk in his own fashion. I hadn't the ghost of an idea then of his drift. But after he had taken tea he made it clear to me.

"It's like this," he said. "Last time I ran this stuff that cuts things off from gravitation into a flat tank with an overlap² that held it down. And directly it had cooled and the manufacture was completed all that uproar³ happened, nothing above it weighed anything, the air went squirting up, the house squirted up, and if the stuff itself hadn't squirted up too, I don't know what would have happened! But suppose the substance is loose, and quite free to go up?"

"It will go up at once!"

"Exactly. With no more disturbance⁴ than firing a big gun."

"But what good will that do?"

"I'm going up with it!"

I put down my teacup and stared at him.

"Imagine a sphere," he explained, "large enough to hold two people and their luggage. It will be made of steel lined with thick glass; it will contain a proper store of solidified⁵ air, concentrated food, water distilling⁶ apparatus⁷, and so forth⁸. And enamelled, as it were, on the outer steel--"

"Cavorite?"

"Yes."

点击收听单词发音  

1 bungalow
n.平房，周围有阳台的木造小平房
参考例句：
A bungalow does not have an upstairs.平房没有上层。 The old couple sold that large house and moved into a small bungalow.老两口卖掉了那幢大房子，搬进了小平房。

2 overlap
v.重叠，与…交叠；n.重叠
参考例句：
The overlap between the jacket and the trousers is not good.夹克和裤子重叠的部分不好看。 Tiles overlap each other.屋瓦相互叠盖。

3 uproar
n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸
参考例句：
She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。 His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

4 disturbance
n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调
参考例句：
He is suffering an emotional disturbance.他的情绪受到了困扰。 You can work in here without any disturbance.在这儿你可不受任何干扰地工作。

5 solidified
（使）成为固体，（使）变硬，（使）变得坚固( solidify的过去式和过去分词 )； 使团结一致； 充实，巩固； 具体化
参考例句：
Her attitudes solidified through privilege and habit. 由于特权和习惯使然，她的看法变得越来越难以改变。 When threatened, he fires spheres of solidified air from his launcher! 当危险来临，他就会发射它的弹药！

6 distilling
n.蒸馏（作用）v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )( distilled的过去分词 )；从…提取精华
参考例句：
Water can be made pure by distilling it. 水经蒸馏可变得纯净。 来自《简明英汉词典》 More ammonium sulphate solution is being recovered in the process of distilling oil shale. 在提炼油页岩的过程中回收的硫酸铵液比过去多了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 apparatus
n.装置，器械；器具，设备
参考例句：
The school's audio apparatus includes films and records.学校的视听设备包括放映机和录音机。 They had a very refined apparatus.他们有一套非常精良的设备。

8 forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。 He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

9 bout
n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛
参考例句：
I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。 That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。

10 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

11 impervious
adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的
参考例句：
He was completely impervious to criticism.他对批评毫不在乎。 This material is impervious to gases and liquids.气体和液体都透不过这种物质。

12 abruptly
adv.突然地，出其不意地
参考例句：
He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。 I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

13 platinum
n.白金
参考例句：
I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。 Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。

14 exterior
adj.外部的，外在的；表面的
参考例句：
The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。 We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

15 tack
n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝
参考例句：
He is hammering a tack into the wall to hang a picture.他正往墙上钉一枚平头钉用来挂画。 We are going to tack the map on the wall.我们打算把这张地图钉在墙上。

16 prospecting
n.探矿
参考例句：
The prospecting team ploughed their way through the snow. 探险队排雪前进。 The prospecting team has traversed the length and breadth of the land. 勘探队踏遍了祖国的山山水水。

17 deluxe
adj.华美的，豪华的，高级的
参考例句：
This system puts the top hotels in a special deluxe category.这种分类法把最高级的旅馆列为特殊豪华级。 I liked the deluxe edition,but I could afford only a second best.我喜欢精装版，但我只买得起一本稍差一点的。

18 rubicund
adj.(脸色)红润的
参考例句：
She watched the colour drain from Colin's rubicund face.她看见科林原本红润的脸渐渐失去了血色。 His rubicund face expressed consternation and fatigue.他那红通的脸显得又惊惶又疲乏。

19 opposition
n.反对，敌对
参考例句：
The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。 The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

20 tinted
adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
a pair of glasses with tinted lenses 一副有色镜片眼镜 a rose-tinted vision of the world 对世界的理想化看法

21 fatigue
n.疲劳，劳累
参考例句：
The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。 I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

22 fussy
adj.为琐事担忧的，过分装饰的，爱挑剔的
参考例句：
He is fussy about the way his food's cooked.他过分计较食物的烹调。 The little girl dislikes her fussy parents.小女孩讨厌她那过分操心的父母。

23 sweeping
adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的
参考例句：
The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。 Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

24 sling
vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓
参考例句：
The boy discharged a stone from a sling.这个男孩用弹弓射石头。 By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。

25 spherical
adj.球形的；球面的
参考例句：
The Earth is a nearly spherical planet.地球是一个近似球体的行星。 Many engineers shy away from spherical projection methods.许多工程师对球面投影法有畏难情绪。

26 metallic
adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的
参考例句：
A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。 He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

27 accomplished
adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的
参考例句：
Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。 Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。

28 cylinders
n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 )；圆柱；汽缸；（尤指用作容器的）圆筒状物
参考例句：
They are working on all cylinders to get the job finished. 他们正在竭尽全力争取把这工作干完。 来自《简明英汉词典》 That jeep has four cylinders. 那辆吉普车有4个汽缸。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 sodium
n.（化）钠
参考例句：
Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。 Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

30 condensers
n.冷凝器( condenser的名词复数 )；（尤指汽车发动机内的）电容器
参考例句：
This is an area where dynamics and condensers are used about equally. 这是一个动圈麦和电容麦差不多都同被使用到的区域。 来自互联网 All condensers work by removing heat from the gas or vapour. 所有的冷凝器都是把气体或蒸汽的热量带走而运转的。 来自互联网

31 strenuous
adj.奋发的，使劲的；紧张的；热烈的，狂热的
参考例句：
He made strenuous efforts to improve his reading. 他奋发努力提高阅读能力。 You may run yourself down in this strenuous week.你可能会在这紧张的一周透支掉自己。

32 shrugged
vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。 She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 obstinately
ad.固执地，顽固地
参考例句：
He obstinately asserted that he had done the right thing. 他硬说他做得对。 Unemployment figures are remaining obstinately high. 失业数字仍然顽固地居高不下。

34 insomnia
n.失眠，失眠症
参考例句：
Worries and tenseness can lead to insomnia.忧虑和紧张会导致失眠。 He is suffering from insomnia.他患失眠症。

35 collapse
vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷
参考例句：
The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。 The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

36 slumber
n.睡眠，沉睡状态
参考例句：
All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。 Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

37 infinity
n.无限，无穷，大量
参考例句：
It is impossible to count up to infinity.不可能数到无穷大。 Theoretically,a line can extend into infinity.从理论上来说直线可以无限地延伸。

38 beleaguered
adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰
参考例句：
The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。 We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

39 awakened
v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到
参考例句：
She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。 The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

40 sullen
adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的
参考例句：
He looked up at the sullen sky.他抬头看了一眼阴沉的天空。 Susan was sullen in the morning because she hadn't slept well.苏珊今天早上郁闷不乐，因为昨晚没睡好。

41 persistence
n.坚持，持续，存留
参考例句：
The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。 He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

42 fretted
焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的
参考例句：
The wind whistled through the twigs and fretted the occasional, dirty-looking crocuses. 寒风穿过枯枝，有时把发脏的藏红花吹刮跑了。 来自英汉文学 The lady's fame for hitting the mark fretted him. 这位太太看问题深刻的名声在折磨着他。

43 apropos
adv.恰好地；adj.恰当的；关于
参考例句：
I thought he spoke very apropos.我认为他说得很中肯。 He arrived very apropos.他来得很及时。

44 landlady
n.女房东，女地主
参考例句：
I heard my landlady creeping stealthily up to my door.我听到我的女房东偷偷地来到我的门前。 The landlady came over to serve me.女店主过来接待我。

45 lodging
n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍
参考例句：
The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。 Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

46 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

47 westward
n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西
参考例句：
We live on the westward slope of the hill.我们住在这座山的西山坡。 Explore westward or wherever.向西或到什么别的地方去勘探。

48 purely
adv.纯粹地，完全地
参考例句：
I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。 This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

49 trudge
v.步履艰难地走；n.跋涉，费力艰难的步行
参考例句：
It was a hard trudge up the hill.这趟上山是一次艰难的跋涉。 The trudge through the forest will be tiresome.长途跋涉穿越森林会令人疲惫不堪。