我写本书的最初灵感，不管其价值如何，来自我在念小学四、五年级时有过的一本科普读物。
The book was a standard-issue 1950s schoolbook,battered, unloved, grimly hefty-but near the front ithad an illustration that just captivated me:
那是20世纪50年代学校发的一本教科书--乍一看去，皱皱巴巴，招人生厌，又笨又重--但书的前几页有一幅插图，一下子把我迷住了：
a cutaway diagram showing the Earth's interior as it would look if you cut into the planet witha large knife
一幅剖面图，显示地球的内部，样子就像你拿起一把大刀，切到行星里面，
and carefully withdrew a wedge representing about a quarter of its bulk.
然后小心翼翼地取出一块楔形物，代表这庞然大物的大约四分之一。
It's hard to believe that there was ever a time when I had not seen such an illustration before,
难相信，我以前怎么从没有见过这类插图，
but evidently I had not for I clearly remember being transfixed.
我记得完全给迷住了。
I suspect, in honesty, my initial interest was based on a private image of streams ofunsuspecting eastbound motorists in the American plains states
很我的确认为，起初，我的兴趣只是基于一种个人的想像，美国平原上
plunging over the edge of a sudden 4,000-mile-high cliff running between Central America andthe North Pole,
各州川流不息的车流毫无提防地向东驶去，突然越过边缘，
but gradually my attention did turn in a more scholarly manner to the scientific import of thedrawing and the realization that the Earth consisted of discrete layers,
坠入中美洲和北极之间一个6000多公里高的悬崖，但我的注意力渐渐地转向这幅插图的科学含义，意识到地球由明确的层次组成，
ending in the center with a glowing sphere of iron and nickel, which was as hot as the surfaceof the Sun, according to the caption,
中心是一个铁和镍的发热球体。根据上面的说明，这个球体与太阳表面一样灼热。
and I remember thinking with real wonder: "How do they know that?"
我记得当时我无限惊讶地想："他们是怎么知道的?
I didn't doubt the correctness of the information for an instant-I still tend to trust thepronouncements of scientists in the way I trust those of surgeons,
我对这个信息坚信不疑--我至今仍然容易像相信医生、
plumbers, and other possessors of arcane and privileged information
防泄漏人员和别的神秘信息的拥有者那样相信科学家的说法--
-but I couldn't for the life of me conceive how any human mind could work out what spacesthousands of miles below us,
但是，我无论如何也无法想像，人的脑子怎么能确定在离我们几千公里下面的地方是个什么样子，是由什么构成的，
that no eye had ever seen and no X ray could penetrate, could look like and be made of. To methat was just a miracle.
而那可是肉眼根本看不见、X射线也穿不透的呀。在我看来，那简直是个奇迹。,
That has been my position with science ever since.",
自那以后，这一直是我对待科学的态度。"
