Introduce the story: Today we'll talk about caving (or pot-holing).
Step 1: Intensive reading.
Try to answer the question below while you’re reading:
Question: With what does the writer compare the Gouffre Berger?
Vocabulary:
caveman n. （远古）洞穴人
wade v. 涉水，蹚水
pot-holing n. 洞穴探险，洞穴探险运动
waterfall n. 瀑布
gear n. 一套用具
solitude n. 孤独，寂寞
inflatable adj. 可充气的
lure v. 引诱，诱惑
rubble n. 碎瓦，瓦块
pot-holer n. 洞穴探险者
insistent adj. 连续的，不断的
rambler n. 漫步者，散步者
boom v. 轰响
undertaking n. 任务，工作
waterspout n. 强大的水柱
foresight n. 预见；深谋远虑
cleft n. 裂隙，开口
foretell (foretold, foretold) v. 预言
cavern n. 大洞穴
stalagmite n. 石笋
Grenoble n. 格里诺布尔
stalactite n. 钟乳石
chasm n. 断层，裂口，陷坑
limestone n. 石灰石
flaw n. 小裂缝
glisten v. 闪烁
distinguished adj. 杰出的，著名的
eerie adj. 引起恐惧的，可怕的
Everest n. 珠穆朗玛峰
dome n. 穹窿，圆顶
Passage:
Cave exploration, or pot-holing, as it has come to be known, is a relatively new sport.
Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery
that lures people down to the depths of the earth. It is impossible to give a satisfactory
explanation for a pot-holer's motives. For him, caves have the same peculiar
fascination which high mountains have for the climber. They arouse instincts which
can only be dimly understood.
洞穴勘查——或洞穴勘探——是一项比较新的体育活动。寻求独居独处的愿望或
寻求意外发现机会的欲望吸引着人们来到地下深处。要想对洞穴探险者的动机作
出满意的解释是不可能的。对洞穴探险者来说，洞穴有一种特殊的魅力，就像高
山对于登山者有特殊的魅力一样。为什么洞穴能引发人的那种探险本能，人们对
此只能有一种模模糊糊的理解。
Exploring really deep caves is not a task for the Sunday afternoon rambler. Such
undertakings require the precise planning and foresight of military operations. It can
take as long as eight days to rig up rope ladders and to establish supply bases before a
descent can be made into a very deep cave. Precautions of this sort are necessary, for
it is impossible to foretell the exact nature of the difficulties which will confront the
pot-holer. The deepest known cave in the world is the Gouffre Berger near Grenoble.
It extends to a depth of 3,723 feet. This immense chasm has been formed by an
underground stream which has tunnelled a course through a flaw in the rocks. The
entrance to the cave is on a plateau in the Dauphiné Alps. As it is only six feet across,
it is barely noticeable. The cave might never have been discovered had not the
entrance been spotted by the distinguished French pot-holer, Berger. Since its
discovery, it has become a sort of potholers' Everest. Though a number of descents
have been made, much of it still remains to be explored.
探测非常深的洞穴不是那些在星期日下午漫步的人所能胜任的。这种活动需要有
军事行动般的周密布署和预见能力。有时需要花费整整 8 天时间来搭起绳梯，建
立供应基地，然后才能下到一个很深的洞穴里。作出这样的准备是必要的，因为
无法预见到洞穴探险者究竟会遇到什么性质的困难。世界上最深的洞穴是格里诺
布尔附近的高弗 ·伯杰洞，深达 3723 英尺。这个深邃的洞穴是由一条地下暗泉冲
刷岩石中的缝隙并使之慢慢变大而形成的。此洞的洞口在丹芬阿尔卑斯山的高原
上，仅 6 英尺宽，很难被人发现。若不是法国著名洞穴探险家伯杰由于偶然的机
会发现了这个洞口的话，这个洞也许永远不会为人所知。自从被发现以后，这个
洞成了洞穴探险者的珠穆朗玛峰，人们多次进入洞内探险，但至今尚有不少东西
有待勘探。
Notes:
1 as it has come to be known, 正如已逐渐为人所了解的那样，此处作插入语。
2 it is the desire … or the chance… that…这是强调句式，被强调的部分是句子的主
语 the desire… or the chance…
3 rig up, 装配，搭起。
4 Grenoble, 格里诺布尔，是法国东南部伊泽尔河上的一座大城镇，尤以它的大
学而著称。
5 The cave might never have been discovered had not the entrance been spotted by…
如果不是……偶然发现这个洞口的话，这个洞也许永远不会为人所知。这是表示
与过去事实不相符的虚拟语气结构，句中的非真实条件句 had not the entrance
been spotted by… 由于省略了 if, 因此要用倒装句式。
A team of pot-holers recently went down the Gouffre Berger. After entering the
narrow gap on the plateau, they climbed down the steep sides of the cave until they
came to a narrow corridor. They had to edge their way along this, sometimes wading
across shallow streams, or swimming across deep pools. Suddenly they came to a
waterfall which dropped into an underground lake at the bottom of the cave. They
plunged into the lake, and after loading their gear on an inflatable rubber dinghy, let
the current carry them to the other side. To protect themselves from the icy water,
they had to wear special rubber suits. At the far end of the lake, they came to huge
piles of rubble which had been washed up by the water. In this part of the cave, they
could hear an insistent booming sound which they found was caused by a small
waterspout shooting down into a pool from the roof of the cave. Squeezing through a
cleft in the rocks, the pot-holers arrived at an enormous cavern, the size of a huge
concert hall. After switching on powerful arc lights, they saw great stalagmites —
some of them over forty feet high — rising up like tree-trunks to meet the stalactites
suspended from the roof. Round about, piles of limestone glistened in all the colours
of the rainbow. In the eerie silence of the cavern, the only sound that could be heard
was made by water which dripped continuously from the high dome above them.
最近，一队洞穴探险者下到了高弗 ·伯杰洞里。他们从高原上的窄缝进去，顺着
笔直陡峭的洞壁往下爬，来到了一条狭窄的走廊上。他们不得不侧着身子往前走，
有时蹚过浅溪，有时游过深潭。突然，他们来到一道瀑布前，那瀑布奔泻而下，
注入洞底一处地下湖里。他们跳入湖中，把各种器具装上一只充气橡皮艇，听任
水流将他们带往对岸。湖水冰冷刺骨，他们必须穿上一种特制的橡皮服以保护自
己。在湖的尽头，他们见到一大堆一大堆由湖水冲刷上岸的碎石。在这儿，他们
可以听见一种连续不断的轰鸣声。后来他们发现这是由山洞顶部的一个小孔里喷
出的水柱跌落到水潭中时发出的声音。洞穴探险者从岩石缝里挤身过去，来到一
个巨大的洞里，其大小相当于一个音乐厅。他们打开强力弧光灯，看见一株株巨
大的石笋，有的高达 40 英尺，像树干似地向上长着，与洞顶悬挂下来的钟乳石
相接。周围是一堆堆石灰石，像彩虹一样闪闪发光。洞里有一种可怕的寂静，唯
一可以听见的声响是高高的圆顶上不间断地滴水的嘀嗒声。
Notes:
6 edge one's way, 此处作“侧身徐徐向前移动”讲。
7 which they found was caused…of the cave.
which was caused…of the cave是定语从句，修饰 sound; they found 此处作插入语。
shooting down … of the cave 是现在分词短语作定语，修饰 waterspout。
42.2【阅读理解】Modern cavemen
Step 2: Comprehension questions.
1 Is pot-holing an old sport or a relatively new sport? (A relatively new sport.)
2 Is it possible to give a satisfactory explanation for a pot-holer's motives? (No, it isn't.)
3 What kind of fascination do caves and mountains have for pot-holers and climbers?
(A peculiar fascination.)
4 What does the exploration of really deep caves require? (Precise planning and the
foresight of military operations.)
5 How long can it take to prepare for a descent into a very deep cave? (Eight days.)
6 What is the Gouffre Berger? (It is the deepest known cave in the world.)
7 Where is the entrance to the cave? (On plateau in the Dauphine Alps.)
8 Who discovered the cave? (The distinguished French pot-holer, Berger.)
9 Has all of the cave been explored? (No, it hasn't. [Much of it still remains to be
explored.])
10 The pot-holers climbed down the steep sides of the cave. What did they come to?
(A narrow corridor.)
11 And where did that lead them? (To a waterfall.)
12 What did it fall into? (An underground lake at the bottom of the cave.)
13 Where did they load their gear? (On an inflatable rubber dinghy.)
14 How did they protect themselves from the icy water? (They wore special rubber
suits.)
15 What was the booming sound caused by? (A small waterspout shooting down from
the roof of the cave.)
16 The pot-holers arrived at an enormous cavern, how big was it? (The size of/as big
as a huge concert hall.)
17 How high were some of the stalagmites? (Over forty feet high.)
18 What did they rise up to meet? (Stalactites suspended from the roof.)
19 What was the only sound that could be heard? (Dripping water [from the high
dome])
42.3【拓展写作】Modern cavemen
Step 3: Composition
Write a composition in about 300 words on the following topic:
• Describe a man’s efforts to escape from a cave by the seashore in order to avoid
the incoming tide.
Key to composition
A possible answer
Title: Caught in a cave
Introduction: Went out for a day on beach —walked round headland —found deserted
beach — marvellous day swimming, sunbathing, reading —late afternoon began to
pack up
Development:
Took time —began to walk to headland —suddenly realized — tide coming in
fast—walked faster —tide reached headland rocks
Saw cave in cliff—hoped to climb —went in — couldn't see way out — started
back — tide coming in cave —found a ‘chimney’ — climbed up —managed to reach
the top of cliff
Conclusion: Never so frightened in life — never do it again
Composition
One day last summer Rob, a friend of mine, decided to go out for a day on his own.
He took a day off work and went to the beach. He walked round the headland a mile
from the town and found a deserted beach. He couldn't believe it: there was no one
else there. He spent a marvellous relaxing day there swimming, sunbathing and
reading, and for the whole day he was the only one on the beach. Then, late in the
afternoon, he decided to pack up and go home.
He took his time drying himself, changing and packing his things into the
shoulder bag he had brought with him, and then began to walk towards the headland.
As he was walking along the beach, he suddenly realized that the tide was coming in:
it was coming in very fast, and he began to get a little worried. He walked faster, but
soon the tide had reached the headland and there was no way that he could walk
around.
He looked round and saw a cave in the cliff. As he hoped to climb up inside it, he
went in. Unfortunately, he just couldn't see a way out, so he started back. It was too
late: the tide was coming in the cave and as he looked down from the point he had
reached, the sea was already covering the floor of the cave and beginning to rise
up the chimney in the cave. He turned round and started climbing again — and
eventually found a smaller chimney that he managed to climb up to reach the top of
the cliff.
He had never been so frightened in his life. He promised himself that he would
never do it again.
课外练习：
1 In undertaking the descent of a really deep cave, a pot-holer .
(a) must be motivated by the desire to make an unexpected discovery
(b) is prepared to spend a whole weekend away from his home
(c) needs military co-operation in making preparations for the descent
(d) may have to spend as much as a week planning his descent
2 The cave discovered by the French pot-holer, Berger .
(a) represents the ultimate challenge to any pot-holer who is truly dedicated
(b) was recently explored for the first time since its discovery
(c) has to be approached by following a stream which leads underground
(d) consists of a large cavern, the size of huge concert hall
3 On reaching the enormous cavern, the pot-holers .
(a) had to squeeze into a cleft in the rocks at the side.
(b) lit it up by using the arc lights they had carried down with them
(c) saw a rainbow shedding its light on the limestone around them
(d) could still hear the waterspout falling into the pool behind them
4 -or the chance that they an unexpected discovery that …
(a) would make
(b) can make
(c) may make
(d) might have made
5 It can take as long as eight days getting rope ladders rigged up and
before ...
(a) to establish bases supplied
(b) supplying bases established
(c) establishing supply bases
(d) bases established and supplied
6 After the narrow gap，they climbed down the steep sides of the cave.
(a) they were entering
(b) entering
(c) entered
(d) they will enter
7 -let the current to the other side.
(a) them be carried with
(b) their being carried by
(c) themselves carry
(d) themselves be carried by
8 No other sound could be heard made by water ...
(a) except it was
(b) than that
(c) that was
(d) but this was
9 It can take eight days to rig up...
(a) around
(b) more than
(c) up to
(d) at least
10 - has tunnelled a course through a in the rocks.
(a) fault
(b) gap
(c) cleft
(d) fissure
11 They had to along this ...
(a) sidle nervously
(b) file sideways
(c) walk sharply
(d) move cautiously
12 To protect themselves from the water, they wore special rubber suits.
(a) frozen
(b) freezing
(c) chilly
(d) iced
答案：1d 2a 3b 4c 5c 6b 7d 8b 9c 10a 11d 12b