Jiaolong, China’s manned submersible, conducted its fourth dive Sunday around the Zhenbei Seamount in the South China Sea.

　　中国深潜器蛟龙号于周日在中国南海的珍贝海山完成第四次深潜。

　　Jiaolong stayed underwater for eight hours in its fourth dive in the second stage of China’s 38th ocean scientific expedition, which will last until May 13, authorities said Monday.

　　官方在周一透露，在中国海洋科学考察第二阶段中，蛟龙号第四次深浅在水下时间长达八小时，而这次考察将一直持续到五月十三号。

　　The maximum depth of the dive was 1,101 meters beneath the sea surface, where it retrieved a number of basalt samples.

　　这次深浅的最深处是海平面以下1101米，蛟龙号在那里取回了一些玄武岩的样本。

　　In the meantime, it collected a 0.7-kilogram sample of foraminifer grit at the depth of 630 meters, and brought back samples of sediments and seawater near the seabed as well as high-definition photos and video footages.

　　与此同时，它在630米深处收集了0.7千克的有孔虫沙样本，并带回了海底附近的沉积物和海水样本以及高清晰度照片和视频片段。

　　"We have also caught sight of corals, sea lilies, anemones, and large fishes like sharks above 420 meters," said Yang Gang, a senior engineer on board the submersible.

　　潜水器上的高级工程师杨刚说：“我们还看到了珊瑚，海莉，海葵和超过420米的大型鱼类，比如鲨鱼。”

　　Yang said that the new discoveries could shed new light on the study of the South China Sea’s formation and evolution, biodiversity, and the cause of the seamount chain in the area.

　　杨刚说到，这些新的发现可以进一步阐述中国南海的形成与演变、生物的多样性和海山链形成的原因。

　　Instead of using trawling as a sampling method, Jiaolong is able to conduct refined sampling mission and obtain ample samples, said Shi Xuefa, a researcher with the State Oceanic Administration.

　　国家海洋局的研究员石学法说到，除了捕捞式的采集方法，蛟龙号可以精细抽样任务并获得丰富的样本。

　　Jiaolong has completed four dives in the South China Sea within five days. The submersible has went through full maintenance on Monday, including its propelling and electrical systems.

　　蛟龙号五天内在中国南海完成了四次深浅。这艘深潜器在周一做了全面维护，包括推进系统和电力系统。

　　"The 38th ocean scientific expedition will be the furthest and longest voyage for Jiaolong in terms of distance and time, "said Wu Changbin, general commander of the second stage of the expedition. "Jiaolong will also complete the largest number of tasks since its operation."

　　“第38次海洋科学考察在距离与时间方面是蛟龙号目前为止最远最深的航行，”考察第二阶段总司令吴昌斌说“蛟龙号也将完成从投入使用以来最多的任务” 。

　　The 38th oceanic scientific expedition started on Feb. 6. Jiaolong completed a dive in the northwestern Indian Ocean earlier this year in the mission’s first stage. It will also conduct surveys in the Yap Trench and the Mariana Trench in the third stage.

　　在第三阶段，它也将在雅普海沟和马里亚纳海沟进行调查。

　　Named after a mythical dragon, Jiaolong reached its deepest depth of 7,062 meters in the Mariana Trench in June 2012.

　　蛟龙号以神话传说的龙来命名，该深潜器于2012年6月在马里亚纳海沟创下了其目前最深记录：7062米。

（编辑：何莹莹）