These were the keys which unlocked the treasures of the antediluvian world for me.
对我而言，这些知识犹如开启上古世界宝藏的一把把钥匙。
With
trembling
fingers
I
listened
to
Miss
Sullivan's
descriptions
of
the
terrible
beasts,
with
uncouth,
unpronounceable
names,
伴随着颤抖的手指，我“听”苏立文小姐讲述猛兽的故事。这些凶残、叫不出名字的野兽，
which
once
went
tramping
through
the
primeval
forests,
tearing
down
the
branches
of
gigantic
trees
for
food,
曾经穿梭在广袤的原始森林里，它们折断巨树的枝桠用来果腹。
and
died
in
the
dismal
swamps
of
an
unknown
age.
最终，在一个古老的未知年代，这些猛兽消亡在昏暗的沼泽之中。
For
a
long
time
these
strange
creatures
haunted
my
dreams,
当时，这些古怪的生物常常萦绕在我的梦境里。
and
this
gloomy
period
formed
a
somber
background
to
the
joyous
Now,
filled
with
sunshine
and
roses
and
echoing
with
the
gentle
beat
of
my
pony's
hoof.
如今，我的世界充满了阳光和盛开的玫瑰，小马驹的蹄子发出轻柔的节拍声，同快乐的生活相比，这段阴郁的记忆变成了留在心底的前尘往事。
Another
time
a
beautiful
shell
was
given
me,
还有一次，有人给了我一个美丽的螺壳，
and
with
a
child's
surprise
and
delight
I
learned
how
a
tiny
mollusk
had
built
the
lustrous
coil
for
his
dwelling
place,
伴随着一个小孩子的惊喜和好奇，我了解到了一个微小的软体动物是如何在它们的栖息地建造环形洞穴的。
and
how
on
still
nights,
when
there
is
no
breeze
stirring
the
waves,
the
Nautilus
sails
on
the
blue
waters
of
the
Indian
Ocean
in
his
"
ship
of
pearl."
我还知道了它们在晚上活动的情形，夜间，不会有风卷起波浪，在“珍珠船”的搭载下，鹦鹉螺会航行在印度洋的蓝色海面上。
After
I
had
learned
a
great
many
interesting
things
about
the
life
and
habits
of
the
children
of
the
sea
我学习了很多关于海洋生物习性的知识，这些知识趣味无穷。
how
in
the
midst
of
dashing
waves
the
little
polyps
build
the
beautiful
coral
isles
of
the
Pacific,
比如，在涌动的波浪之中，微小的珊瑚虫是如何在太平洋上建造美丽的珊瑚岛的；
and
the
foraminifera
have
made
the
chalk-
hills
of
many
a
land—
my
teacher
read
me
"
The
Chambered
Nautilus,"
有孔虫类又是如何形成陆地上的石灰岩山体的。我的老师为我读《背着房间的鹦鹉螺》，
and
showed
me
that
the
shell-
building
process
of
the
mollusks
is
symbolical
of
the
development
of
the
mind.
并且告诉我，可以把软体动物外壳的形成过程，视做一种心智发展的象征。
Just
as
the
wonder-
working
mantle
of
the
Nautilus
changes
the
material
it
absorbs
from
the
water
and
makes
it
a
part
of
itself,
就是说，鹦鹉螺身上的罩子是神奇工作的结果，它把从海水中吸收的物质转化成了它身体的一部分。
so
the
bits
of
knowledge
one
gathers
undergo
a
similar
change
and
become
pearls
of
thought.
同样，人类汲取知识也要经过类似的转化过程，直至知识变成“思想的珍珠”。
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