来自《耶鲁大学开放课程：新生有机化学第4集第4集》

"I had, when a youth, read and smiled at

"我儿时读到过也嘲笑过
Pliny's account of a practice among the seamen of his time,

普林尼当海员时发现的一个诀窍
to still the waves in a storm

他用将油倒入海里的方法
by pouring oil into the sea;

来缓解由风暴引起的波浪
as well as the use made of oil by the divers."

就像潜水者用油的道理一样"
Pearl divers would fill their mouth with oil

采珠人会在嘴里含满油
and when they went down,

当他们在水下时
if a breeze came up and ruffled the surface,

如果微风吹皱了水面
which made it hard to see

阻碍了光线的透过
because the light wouldn't come through clearly,

就会模糊潜水者的视线
then they'd let oil out of their mouths

因此他们就会吐出一点油
that would float to the surface, stop the ripples,

油会漂浮到水面从而消除涟漪