2 Exploring the islands

Chapter Two EXPLORING THE ISLANDS Cheng gazed down into the huge mouth of Mount Yasur. The molten rock in the volcano's crater glowed a fierce orange red. It looked like the skin of a bright, glowing animal that moved and breathed. Every now and then a little spout of glowing lava shot into the air. Clouds of ash rolled above the burning heart of the volcano.

第二章探索岛屿程凝视着山下的亚苏尔火山的巨口。 火山口里的熔岩发出耀眼的橘红色。 它看起来像一个明亮、发光、会动、会呼吸的动物的皮肤。 不时有一小股炽热的熔岩喷向空中。 火山灰云在燃烧的火山中心上空翻滚。

"Wow," gasped Cheng. He turned to Leah, who was sitting beside him. "This is amazing!" The helicopter was pretty cool too. It had a curved windshield, and lots of levers and controls that made Cheng's head spin. Cheng was glad the Beagle had given them headsets so they could hear each other clearly, because the helicopter was noisy.

“哇，”程喘着气说。他转向坐在他旁边的利亚。 “这太神奇了！”直升机也很酷。 它有一个弯曲的挡风玻璃，还有很多让程头晕目眩的杠杆和控制装置。 程很高兴小猎犬号给了他们耳机，这样他们就能清楚地听到彼此的声音，因为直升机很吵。

Behind the pilot's seat the helicopter's floor was gleaming metal. Stowed away were high-visibility clothing, cables and ropes, and something that looked like a bed. "A stretcher," said Leah. "This is a rescue helicopter! The winch is outside, look." And she pointed out of the window to the winch attached above the outer door.

在飞行员座位后面，直升机的地板是闪闪发光的金属。 藏起来的是显眼的衣服、缆绳和绳子，还有一些看起来像床的东西。 “担架，”利亚说。“这是救援直升机！”绞车在外面，你看。” 她指着窗外外门上方的绞车。

The Beagle made a loud BEEP. Lights began to glow on the control panel, showing them how to steer the helicopter. "I think I get it!" Cheng took the controls. "The joystick makes it go forward and backward, this lever makes it go up and down, and these pedals make it spin. Hold on!" He pushed a pedal with his foot. The Beagle obediently spun around, its blades beating through the air. Cheng used the joystick to level, and the helicopter flew steadily away from the crater.

小猎犬发出一声响亮的哔哔声。 控制面板上的灯开始发光，告诉他们如何驾驶直升机。 “我想我明白了！”程先生控制了一切。 “操纵杆让它前进和后退，这个杠杆让它上升和下降，这些踏板让它旋转。 坚持住!”他用脚踩踏板。 比格尔号顺从地转了个圈，桨叶在空中拍打着。 程用操纵杆调平，直升机平稳地飞离了弹坑。

"Let's fly around," he suggested to Leah. "We need to find out what our mission is." Cheng gazed out of the windshield at the islands of Vanuatu. They looked like a string of green jewels stretched across the water. The beaches were splashes of white on the edges of the island. The darker green patches were swamps and lowland forests. The bright green of the rainforest stood lush and tall in the interior.

“我们飞起来吧，”他向利亚建议。 “我们需要找出我们的使命是什么。” 程凝视着挡风玻璃外的瓦努阿图群岛。 它们看起来就像一串绿色的宝石横跨在水面上。 岛屿边缘的沙滩是白色的水花。 那些深绿色的小块是沼泽和低地森林。 翠绿的热带雨林在室内显得郁郁葱葱。

"The islands form a Y-shape," Leah said, squinting down. "Why are they scattered around like that?" "Volcanoes," explained Cheng. "Over millions of years, volcanoes on the seafloor erupted over and over again. Each eruption built up a new layer of rock. Gradually the volcanoes grew bigger and bigger, until they rose above the ocean to make islands. Isn't that amazing?"

“这些岛屿呈y形，”利亚说，眯着眼睛往下看。 “为什么它们会像那样分散在各处？”“火山，”程解释说。 “数百万年来，海底火山一次又一次地喷发。 每次喷发都会形成一层新的岩石。 渐渐地，火山变得越来越大，直到它们升出海洋形成岛屿。 这不是很神奇吗？”