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从地球到月球|From the Earth to the Moon

第七章　炮弹赞歌|Chapter VII The Hymn of the Cannon-Ball

属类： 双语小说 【分类】魔幻小说 -[作者: 儒勒-凡尔纳] 阅读：[2397]
美国南北战争结束后，巴尔的摩城大炮俱乐部（这是大炮发明家的俱乐部）主席巴比康提议向月球发射一颗炮弹，建立地球与月球之间的联系。法国冒险家米歇尔·阿当获悉这一消息后，建议造一颗空心炮弹，他准备乘这颗炮弹到月球去探险。
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剑桥天文台在它那封有重大意义的回信中，从天文学的角度阐述清楚了问题，今后需要从力学方面去解决它。

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The Observatory of Cambridge in its memorable letter had treated the question from a purely astronomical point of view. The mechanical part still remained.

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巴比凯恩主席抓紧时间，在大炮俱乐部内任命了一个执行委员会。该委员会的职责是要把大炮、炮弹和火药这三大问题解决好。委员会由下面四位在这三个方面知识渊博的会员组成：巴比凯恩（他在意见分歧的情况下有最终决定权）、摩根将军、埃尔菲斯通少校和J.T.马斯顿——他被委任为委员会的秘书兼发言人。十月八日，执行委员会在共和国街三号巴比凯恩主席家里开会。巴比凯恩首先发言。

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President Barbicane had, without loss of time, nominated a working committee of the Gun Club. The duty of this committee was to resolve the three grand questions of the cannon, the projectile, and the powder.It was composed of four members of great technical knowledge, Barbicane（with a casting vote in case of equality），General Morgan, Major Elphinstone, and J.T.Maston, to whom were confided the functions of secretary.On the 8th of October the committee met at the house of President Barbicane，3 Republican Street.The meeting was opened by the president himself.

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“先生们，”他说道，“我们现在必须解决关于弹道学的最重要的问题中的一个。也许，这第一次会议用来讨论大炮的问题更符合逻辑。不过，经过审慎的考虑，我觉得炮弹的问题要比大炮的问题更加重要，而且大炮的体积将取决于炮弹的大小。”

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“Gentlemen，”said he，“we have to resolve one of the most important problems in the whole of the noble science of gunnery. It might appear, perhaps, the most logical course to devote our first meeting to the discussion of the engine to be employed.Nevertheless, after mature consideration, it has appeared to me that the question of the projectile must take precedence of that of the cannon, and that the dimensions of the latter must necessarily depend on those of the former.”

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“我来说几句。”J.T.马斯顿大声说道。马斯顿的要求得到了满足。“先生们，”他激动得声音发颤地说道，“我们的主席把炮弹问题摆在其他各种问题之前是颇有见地的！我们即将发射到月球上去的这颗炮弹是我们的信使，是我们的使节，请允许我以一种纯伦理的观点来看待它。先生们，我认为炮弹是人类力量最辉煌的体现。如果说上帝创造了恒星和行星，那么我们人类却创造了炮弹。电的速度、光的速度、恒星的速度、彗星的速度、行星的速度、风的速度以及声音的速度等，都是属于上帝的。然而，比火车的速度和最快的马的速度快一百倍的炮弹的速度却是属于我们人类的！如果我们以每秒七英里的速度把它发射出去，那会是个什么景况呀！难道不是吗，先生们——难道炮弹在月球上不会像一位地球使节似的受到热情的接待吗？”

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“Suffer me to say a word，”here broke in J. T.Maston.Permission having been granted，“Gentlemen，”said he with an inspired accent，“our president is right in placing the question of the projectile above all others.The ball we are about to discharge at the moon is our ambassador to her, and I wish to consider it from a moral point of view.The cannon-ball, gentlemen, to my mind, is the most magnificent manifestation of human power.If Providence has created the stars and the planets, man has called the cannon-ball into existence.Let Providence claim the swiftness of electricity and of light, of the stars, the comets, and the planets, of wind and sound—we claim to have invented the swiftness of the cannon-ball, a hundred times superior to that of the swiftest horses or railway train.How glorious will be the moment when, infinitely exceeding all hitherto attained velocities, we shall launch our new projectile with the rapidity of seven miles a second！Shall it not, gentlemen—shall it not be received up there with the honors due to a terrestrial ambassador?”

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他控制住了情绪，坐了下来，将注意力集中在面前的一大碟三明治上。

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Overcome with emotion the orator sat down and applied himself to a huge plate of sandwiches before him.

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“好了，”巴比凯恩说道，“我们对此已经唱颂了不少赞歌了，现在，我们还是直接进入关键问题吧。”

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“And now，”said Barbicane，“let us quit the domain of poetry and come direct to the question.”

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“我们准备好讨论具体问题了。”委员会的成员们回答道，每个人的嘴里都塞满了三明治。

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“By all means，”replied the members, each with his mouth full of sandwich.

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“你们都知道要解决的问题是什么，”巴比凯恩又说道，“那就是让炮弹的速度达到每秒一万二千码。让我们先研究一下到目前为止，炮弹所能达到的速度是多少。摩根将军可以向我们介绍一下这方面的情况。”

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“The problem before us，”continued the president，“is how to communicate to a projectile a velocity of 12，000 yards per second. Let us at present examine the velocities hitherto attained.General Morgan will be able to enlighten us on this point.”

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“这并不难，”将军回答道，“因为战争期间，我是试验委员会的成员。我告诉你们吧，射程为两千五百托瓦兹的一百磅的达尔格伦大炮可让炮弹的初速度达到每秒五百码。罗德曼的哥伦比亚大炮试射了一颗重半吨的炮弹，射程为六英里，速度为每秒八百码——这是英国的阿姆斯特朗大炮和帕利泽大炮从来没有达到过的速度。”

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“And the more easily，”replied the general，“that during the war I was a member of the committee of experiments. I may say, then, that the 100-pounder Dahlgrens, which carried a distance of 2，500 toises, impressed upon their projectile an initial velocity of 500 yards a second.The Rodman Columbiad threw a shot weighing half a ton a distance of six miles, with a velocity of 800 yards per second—a result which Armstrong and Palisser have never obtained in England.”

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“这么说，”巴比凯恩又问道，“这个八百码的速度是迄今为止炮弹发射所能达到的最大速度了？”

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“This，”replied Barbicane，“is, I believe, the maximum velocity ever attained?”

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“是的。”将军回答。

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“It is so，”replied the general.

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“啊！”J.T.马斯顿叹息道，“如果我的那门迫击炮没有爆炸的话——”

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“Ah！”groaned J. T.Maston，“if my mortar had not burst—”

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“是呀，”巴比凯恩平静地回答道，“可它毕竟爆炸了。咱们就以这八百码的速度作为基点吧。必须将这一速度提高二十倍。因此，我们先将达到这一速度的问题留待下一次的会议来讨论吧。现在我请大家把注意力集中在炮弹应该多大才合适的问题上。你们很清楚，我们在这儿要考虑的不再是重达半吨的炮弹了！”

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“Yes，”quietly replied Barbicane，“but it did burst. We must take, then, for our starting point, this velocity of 800 yards.We must increase it twenty-fold.Now, reserving for another discussion the means of producing this velocity, I will call your attention to the dimensions which it will be proper to assign to the shot.You understand that we have nothing to do here with projectiles weighing at most but half a ton.”

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“为什么不是？”少校问道。

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“Why not?”demanded the major.

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“因为我们的这颗炮弹，”J.T.马斯顿迅速回答道，“应该很大，大到足够吸引月球居民的注意，如果月球上真的有人的话。”

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“Because the shot，”quickly replied J. T.Maston，“must be big enough to attract the attention of the inhabitants of the moon, if there are any?”

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“对，”巴比凯恩回答道，“而且还有一个更加重要的原因。”

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“Yes，”replied Barbicane，“and for another reason more important still.”

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“您是什么意思？”少校问道。

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“What mean you?”asked the major.

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“我的意思是说，不但要把炮弹发射出去，而且还要注视着它，必须追踪它的飞行全过程，直到它抵达目的地为止。”

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“I mean that it is not enough to discharge a projectile, and then take no further notice of it；we must follow it throughout its course, up to the moment when it shall reach its goal.”

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“天哪！”将军和少校吃惊地喊道。

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“What?”shouted the general and the major in great surprise.

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“非如此不可，”巴比凯恩镇定自若地说道，“非如此不可，否则我们的试验将不会有任何结果。”

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“Undoubtedly，”replied Barbicane composedly，“or our experiment would produce no result.”

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“这么说，”少校反驳道，“您想让这颗炮弹体积巨大？”

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“But then，”replied the major，“you will have to give this projectile enormous dimensions.”

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“不。请仔细听我说。你们知道，光学仪器已经达到很精密的程度了；有些天文望远镜已经能够达到六千倍了，能够将月球的距离缩短到将近四十英里。而在这一距离下，六十英尺见方的物体完全清晰可辨。人们之所以没有更进一步地增强天文望远镜的穿透力，是因为那样会损害望远镜的光亮度；而月亮只是一面反射镜，不能反射出足够强的光来，使我们能够感知较小的物体。”

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“No！Be so good as to listen. You know that optical instruments have acquired great perfection；with certain instruments we have succeeded in obtaining enlargements of 6，000 times and reducing the moon to within forty miles’distance.Now, at this distance, any objects sixty feet square would be perfectly visible.If, then, the penetrative power of telescopes has not been further increased, it is because that power detracts from their light；and the moon, which is but a reflecting mirror, does not give back sufficient light to enable us to perceive objects of lesser magnitude.”

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“那么，您打算怎么办呢？”将军问道，“您想让您的炮弹直径达到六十英尺？”

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“Well, then, what do you propose to do?”asked the general.“Would you give your projectile a diameter of sixty feet?”

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“不。”

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“Not so.”

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“那您是想让月光更亮一些？”

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“Do you intend, then, to increase the luminous power of the moon?”

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“的确如此。如果我能够减少月光穿过的大气层的厚度，不就能让月光变得更亮了吗？要想做到这些，我必须在某座较高的山上设立一架天文望远镜。这就是我们要做的。”

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“Exactly so. If I can succeed in diminishing the density of the atmosphere through which the moon’s light has to travel I shall have rendered her light more intense.To effect that object it will be enough to establish a telescope on some elevated mountain.That is what we will do.”

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“我明白了，”少校说道，“您的方法让事情变得简单了！那么您希望把放大倍率增加到多少呢？”

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“I give it up，”answered the major.“You have such a way of simplifying things. And what enlargement do you expect to obtain in this way?”

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“增加到四万八千倍，这样就可以将月球和地球的距离缩小到只有五英里了，而且物体直径只需要九英尺就清晰可见了。”

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“One of 48，000 times, which should bring the moon within an apparent distance of five miles；and, in order to be visible, objects need not have a diameter of more than nine feet.”

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“妙极了！”J.T.马斯顿嚷道，“我们的炮弹直径就只要九英尺就行了？”

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“So, then，”cried J. T.Maston，“our projectile need not be more than nine feet in diameter.”

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“不过，我冒昧地说一句，”埃尔菲斯通少校打断道，“这么个重量还是——”

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“Let me observe, however，”interrupted Major Elphinstone，“this will involve a weight such as—”

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“哦！我亲爱的少校，”巴比凯恩回答道，“在讨论它的重量之前，请允许我告诉您，我们的前辈在这一方面是做出过出色成绩的。我并不是想说弹道学没有进步，只是我们应该知道，自中世纪时起，人们就获得了一些惊人的成绩，而且我敢说，比我们所取得的成绩还要惊人。比如，一四五三年，穆罕默德二世围攻君士坦丁堡时，士兵们发射出的石弹重达一千九百磅，个头儿应该挺大的。在骑士时代，在马耳他，圣艾尔玛堡的一尊大炮发射的一些炮弹重达两千五百磅。这之后，我们又见到了什么呢？见到了阿姆斯特朗大炮发射出五百磅的炮弹，见到了罗德曼的哥伦比亚大炮发射出半吨重的炮弹！因此，似乎炮弹的射程加大了，但是它的重量却减轻了。不过，如果我们把注意力集中在这个方面的话，随着科学的进步，我们就能够把穆罕默德二世和马耳他骑士们的炮弹的重量增大十倍。”

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“My dear major，”replied Barbicane，“before discussing its weight permit me to enumerate some of the marvels which our ancestors have achieved in this respect. I don’t mean to pretend that the science of gunnery has not advanced, but it is as well to bear in mind that during the middle ages they obtained results more surprising, I will venture to say, than ours.For instance, during the siege of Constantinople by Mahomet II, in 1453，stone shot of 1，900 pounds weight were employed.At Malta, in the time of the knights, there was a gun of the fortress of St.Elmo which threw a projectile weighing 2，500 pounds.And, now, what is the extent of what we have seen ourselves?Armstrong guns discharging shot of 500 pounds, and the Rodman guns projectiles of half a ton！It seems, then, that if projectiles have gained in range, they have lost far more in weight.Now, if we turn our efforts in that direction, we ought to arrive, with the progress on science, at ten times the weight of the shot of Mahomet II and the Knights of Malta.”

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“这一点是很明显的，”少校回答道，“但是，您打算用什么金属材料来制造这种炮弹呢？”

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“Clearly，”replied the major；“but what metal do you calculate upon employing?”

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“就用铸铁吧。”摩根将军说。

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“Simply cast iron，”said General Mogran.

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“但是！”少校说，“既然炮弹的重量与它的体积成正比，那么一颗直径为九英尺的铸铁弹的重量就大得吓人了！”

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“But，”interrupted the major，“since the weight of a shot is proportionate to its volume, an iron ball of nine feet in diameter would be of tremendous weight.”

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“如果它是实心的，那当然如此；但如果是空心的，那就不一样了。”

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“Yes, if it were solid, not if it were hollow.”

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“空心的！那还是炮弹吗？”

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“Hollow?then it would be a shell?”

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“是的，是空心炮弹，”巴比凯恩回答道，“它必须是一颗空心炮弹，一颗一百零八英寸的实心炮弹可能重达二十多万磅，显然太重了。不过，为了让炮弹保持一定的稳定性，我建议它的重量为五千磅。”

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“Yes, a shell，”replied Barbicane；“decidedly it must be. A solid shot of 108 inches would weigh more than 200，000 pounds, a weight evidently far too great.Still, as we must reserve a certain stability for our projectile, I propose to give it a weight of 5，000 pounds.”

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“那它的弹壳应该多厚？”少校问道。

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“What, then, will be the thickness of the sides?”asked the major.

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“如果我们按照规定的比例做的话，”摩根回答道，“一颗一百零八英寸直径的炮弹的弹壳至少得两英尺厚。”

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“If we follow the usual proportion，”replied Mogran，“a diameter of 108 inches would require sides of two feet thickness, or less.”

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“那可太厚了，”巴比凯恩说，“请注意：这里所说的炮弹并不是穿甲弹，只要让它足以抵御火药气体的压力就可以了。因此，现在的问题就是，要做一颗重量仅两万磅的铸铁炮弹，弹壁应该多厚？我们聪明的秘书将当场告诉我们。”

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“That would be too much，”replied Barbicane；“for you will observe that the question is not that of a shot intended to pierce an iron plate；it will suffice to give it sides strong enough to resist the pressure of the gas. The problem, therefore, is this—What thickness ought a cast-iron shell to have in order not to weight more than 20，000 pounds?Our clever secretary will soon enlighten us upon this point.”

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“这再简单不过了。”令人尊敬的委员会秘书回答道。他边说边飞快地在纸上写了几道几何公式，大家看到在他的笔下出现了几个π和x的二次幂。他甚至好像没怎么计算就求出了某个立方根，然后说道：“弹壁顶多两英寸厚。”

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“Nothing easier，”replied the worthy secretary of the committee. And, rapidly tracing a few algebraical formulae upon paper, among which π2 and x 2 frequently appeared, he presently said：“The sides will require a thickness of less than two inches.”

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“这么点儿厚度行吗？”少校满脸疑惑地问道。

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“Will that be enough?”asked the major doubtfully.

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“显然不行！”巴比凯恩主席回答道。

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“Clearly not！”replied the president.

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“那该怎么办呢？”埃尔菲斯通不知如何是好地问道。

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“What is to be done, then?”said Elphinstone, with a puzzled air.

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“不要用铸铁，改用另外一种金属。”

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“Employ another metal instead of iron.”

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“用铜怎么样？”摩根说。

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“Copper?”said Morgan.

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“不行，铜仍然太重，我有更好的建议。”

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“No！that would be too heavy. I have better than that to offer.”

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“什么金属？”少校问道。

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“What then?”asked the major.

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“铝。”巴比凯恩回答道。

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“Aluminum！”replied Barbicane.

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“铝！”主席的那三位同事异口同声地喊道。

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“Aluminum?”cried his three colleagues in chorus.

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“正是，我的朋友们。这种宝贵的金属白如银，又如金子般具有恒定性，如铁一般具有韧性，如铜一般具有可熔性，又如玻璃一般轻巧，而且还很容易加工；它在大自然中分布很广，因为铝矾土是大多数岩石的主要成分；它的重量只是铁的四分之一。它似乎是专门为我们提供的制造炮弹的特殊材料。”

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“Unquestionably, my friends. This valuable metal possesses the whiteness of silver, the indestructibility of gold, the tenacity of iron, the fusibility of copper, the lightness of glass.It is easily wrought, is very widely distributed, forming the base of most of the rocks, is three times lighter than iron, and seems to have been created for the express purpose of furnishing us with the material for our projectile.”

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“不过，亲爱的主席，”少校问道，“铝的成本是不是非常之高呀？”

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“But, my dear president，”said the major，“is not the cost price of aluminum extremely high?”

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“从前是的，在发现它的初期，确实昂贵；但是现在，一磅铝只要九美元。”

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“It was so at its first discovery, but it has fallen now to nine dollars a pound.”

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“可是，九美元一磅也还是价格不菲呀！”不轻易屈服的少校反驳道。

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“But still, nine dollars a pound！”replied the major, who was not willing readily to give in；“even that is an enormous price.”

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“那倒是，亲爱的少校，但这个价格并不是不可以接受的。”

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“Undoubtedly, my dear major；but not beyond our reach.”

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“那么我们的炮弹的重量会是多少呢？”摩根问道。

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“What will the projectile weigh then?”asked Mogran.

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“我算了一下，结果是，”巴比凯恩回答道，“一颗直径为一百零八英寸的炮弹，如果是铸铁制的，重量会是六万七千四百四十磅；而用铝浇铸的话，重量就会减小到一万九千二百五十磅。”

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“Here is the result of my calculations，”replied Barbicane.“A shot of 108 inches in diameter, and twelve inches in thickness, would weigh, in cast-iron，67，440 pounds；cast in aluminum, its weight will be reduced to 19，250 pounds.”

58
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“妙极了！妙极了！”少校喊道，“不过，您要知道，一磅铝价格为九美元的话，那我们的炮弹就得花费——”

58
-

“Capital！”cried the major；“but do you know that, at nine dollars a pound, this projectile will cost—”

59
-

“十七万三千两百五十美元，这我知道得很清楚。但是，朋友们，你们不必担心，我敢保证我们的试验并不缺钱。喏，你们大家对使用铝怎么看呀？”

59
-

“One hundred and seventy-three thousand and two hundred and fifty dollars（$173，250）. I know it quite well.But fear not, my friends；the money will not be wanting for our enterprise.I will answer for it.Now what say you to aluminum, gentlemen?”

60
-

“同意！”委员会的那三位委员异口同声地回答。委员会的第一次会议到此便结束了，炮弹的问题已经完全解决了。

60
-

“Adopted！”replied the three members of the committee. So ended the first meeting.The question of the projectile was definitely settled.

序号 英文/音标 中文解释 更多操作

Observatory

[əb’zɜːvətri]

n.天文台;气象台;了望台

memorable

[’memərəbl]

adj.值得纪念的;难忘的

cannon

[’kænən]

n.大炮;机关炮

projectile

[prə’dʒektaɪl]

a. (适合)抛射的，发射的;

confide

[kən’faɪd]

v.吐露;委托;信赖

precedence

[’presɪdəns]

n.优先;居先

dimension

[daɪ’menʃn]

①尺寸(长、宽、厚)；(空间的)度(数);

manifestation

[ˌmænɪfe’steɪʃn]

n.表现;示威运动;显灵

Providence

[’prɒvɪdəns]

n.天意;天命

comet

[’kɒmɪt]

n.彗星

swift

[swɪft]

adj.快的;迅速的;敏捷的

railway

[’reɪlweɪ]

n.【C】铁路

infinite

[’ɪnfɪnət]

adj.无穷的;无限的

hitherto

[ˌhɪðə’tuː]

adv.到目前为止;迄今

velocity

[və’lɒsəti]

n.速度;迅速;速率

terrestrial

[tə’restriəl]

adj.陆地的;陆生的;地球的

orator

[’ɒrətə(r)]

n.演说者;演讲者;雄辩家

toise

[tɔɪz]

n.【测】突阿斯

groan

[ɡrəʊn]

v.呻吟;抱怨;发嘎吱声;受重压

mortar

[’mɔːtə(r)]

n.迫击炮

undoubted

[ʌn’daʊtɪd]

adj.无疑的

detract

[dɪ’trækt]

vi.减损

lesser

[’lesə(r)]

adj.较少的;较小的;次要的

diameter

[daɪ’æmɪtə(r)]

n.直径

luminous

[’luːmɪnəs]

adj.发光的;发亮的;清楚的;明白易懂的

elevate

[’elɪveɪt]

vt.举起;提拔;素养提升;鼓舞

simplify

[’sɪmplɪfaɪ]

vt.简化;使简单

marvel

[’mɑːvl]

n.奇异的事物;令人吃惊的人

knight

[naɪt]

n.骑士;爵士;武士

casting

[’kɑːstɪŋ]

n.铸造

tremendous

[trə’mendəs]

adj.巨大的;惊人的

thickness

[’θɪknəs]

n.厚度;浓度;层

pierce

[pɪəs]

v.刺穿;穿透;洞悉

chorus

[’kɔːrəs]

n.合唱队;歌舞队;齐声说道;副歌部分

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