1．Ordinary meteoric water is water that has soaked into the ground from the surface， from precipitation (rain and snow) and from lakes and streams．
　　 短语：soak into：渗入
　　 主干：Ordinary meteoric water is water that has soaked into the ground…
　　 释义：普通气象水是那些通过地表，从降水和河流渗入到地下的水分。
　　 2．There it remains， sometimes for long periods， before emerging at the surface again．At first thought it seems incredible that there can be enough space in the “solid” ground underfoot to hold all this water．
　　 短语：at first thought：起初看来
　　 分句：there it remains before emerging at the surface again：指在重新涌出地表之前，气象水会存留（remains）在地下
　　 it seems incredible that…：…看上去是不可思议的
　　 释义：在重新涌出地表之前，有时候有相当长一段时间，地下水都会存于地下。然而起初看来，坚硬的地面下居然能有足够空间容纳这麽多水是不可思议的。
　　 3．The commonest spaces are those among the particles—sand grains and tiny pebbles—of loose， unconsolidated sand and gravel．
　　 分句：particles of loose， unconsolidated sand and gravel：疏松沙石的颗粒（如沙粒和小鹅卵石：sand grains and tiny pebbles）
　　 释义：最普通的一种空隙存在于疏松而不坚实的沙石中的颗粒----沙粒和小鹅卵石----之间。
　　 4．They are found wherever fast rivers carrying loads of coarse sediment once flowed．
　　 短语：coarse sediment once flowed：曾经漂流的粗糙沉淀物
　　 loads of：一载载的，一堆堆的
　　 释义：只要哪里有湍急的河流载着粗糙的曾经漂流的沉淀物，哪里就能发现这种物质层。
　　 5．The water was always laden with pebbles， gravel， and sand， known as glacial outwash， that was deposited as the flow slowed down．
　　 短语：be laden with：负载着…
　　 pebbles， gravel， and sand， known as glacial outwash：指冰水沉积物包括鹅卵石、碎石和沙子
　　 分句：that was deposited as the flow slowed down：随着水流渐缓而沉积下来
　　 释义：融化的水总是载着被称为冰水沉积物的鹅卵石、碎石和沙子，它们随着水流渐缓而沉积下来。
　　 6．The same thing happens to this day， though on a smaller scale， wherever a sediment-laden river or stream emerges from a mountain valley onto relatively flat land， dropping its load as the current slows: the water usually spreads out fanwise， depositing the sediment in the form of a smooth， fan-shaped slope．
　　 短语：a sediment-laden river or stream：载满沉积物的河流或小溪
　　 emerge from…onto：从…发源，流至…
　　 spreads out：向四周展开
　　 in the form of：以…的形式
　　 a smooth， fan-shaped slope：光滑的扇形斜面
　　 释义：如今也发生着同样的事情，虽然规模较小。有满载沉淀物的河流或小溪从山谷出发向下蔓延到相对平坦的地面，当水流渐缓时便将沉淀物留下：河水通常呈扇形展开，将沉淀物以光滑的扇形斜面形式沉积下来。
　　 7．Sediments are also dropped where a river slows on entering a lake or the sea， the deposited sediments are on a lake floor or the seafloor at first， but will be located inland at some future date， when the sea level falls or the land rises；such beds are sometimes thousands of meters thick．
　　 分句：where a river slows on entering a lake or the sea：指河流在入湖或海（on entering a lake or sea）时流速减缓
　　 主干：sediments are also dropped where…，the deposited sediments are on…，but will be located…，when…;such beds are thousands of meters thick
　　 释义：当河流接近湖泊或海洋时沉淀物也会被沉积下，沉积物起初会存在于湖床或海床，但随着未来当海平面下降或陆地上升时，沉积物便会移动到内陆去；这些沉积物层（such beds）有时有数千米厚。
　　 8．In lowland country almost any spot on the ground may overlie what was once the bed of a river that has since become buried by soil;
　　 分句：any spot on the ground：地面上任何一点
　　 what was once the bed of a river：河流曾经的河床地带，作may overlie的宾语
　　 a river that has since become buried by soil：已经被土壤所掩埋的河流
　　 释义：在低地国家，几乎地面上任何一点都有可能叠加在被土壤掩埋的河流的河床上。
　　 9．This is because the gaps among the original grains are often not totally plugged with cementing chemicals；also， parts of the original grains may become dissolved by percolating groundwater， either while consolidation is taking place or at any time afterwards．
　　 短语：be plugged with：被…塞住
　　 cementing chemicals：胶黏性化学物质
　　 become dissolved by：被…所溶解
　　 释义：这是因为原始沙石间的缝隙通常并未被胶黏的化学物质完全填塞；同时，部分原始沙石有可能被渗透下来的地下水溶解，溶解过程无论是在沙石坚化发生之时还是以后的某一时期都会进行。
　　 10．Most crystalline rocks are much more solid；a common exception is basalt， a form of solidified volcanic lava， which is sometimes full of tiny bubbles that make it very porous．
　　 短语：solidified volcanic lava：硬化后的火山岩浆
　　 释义：大多数结晶岩石更加坚硬；一个典型例外是玄武岩，一种硬化了的火山岩浆形式，它有时充满了小气泡，这使它非常多孔。
　　 11．But note that porosity is not the same as permeability， which measures the ease with which water can flow through a material；this depends on the sizes of the individual cavities and the crevices linking them．
　　 分句：“the ease with which water can flow through a material”：指水通过某一物质的容易程度
　　 cavities and the crevices linking them：连接沙石的空隙和裂缝
　　 释义：但需注意多孔性不同于可渗透性。可渗透性丈量的是水流通过某一物质的容易程度，它取决于连接沙石的单个空隙和裂缝的大小。
　　 12．The total volume of water in the saturated sample must therefore be thought of as consisting of water that can， and water that cannot， drain away．
　　 短语：be thought of as：被认为是…
　　 释义：因此，浸水样本所含的所有水份必须被分为两部分：可排除的与不可排除的。
　　 13．If the pores are large， the water in them will exist as drops too heavy for surface tension to hold， and it will drain away；but if the pores are small enough， the water in them will exist as thin films， too light to overcome the force of surface tension holding them in place；then the water will be firmly held．
　　 分句：drops (that are) too heavy for surface tension to hold：由于过重而导致岩石表面张力无法收控住的水滴
　　 surface tension holding them in place：将（水滴）收控住的表面张力
　　 …thin films， too light to overcome the force of surface tension：薄膜过轻，无法挣脱张力的控制
　　 主干：If the pores are large，the water will exsit as … and will drain away;but if the pores are small enough，the water will exsit as…，then will be held
　　 释义：如果孔大，其中的水会变为水滴，水滴太沉，表面张力握不住，水便会排出；但如果孔足够小，其中的水会变成薄膜，薄膜很轻，无法挣脱表面张力的控制，这样水便会被紧紧收住。