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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
Chapter Ten
THE HANDS of all the four thousand electric clocks in all the Blooms-bury Centre's four thousand rooms marked twenty-seven minutes past two. "This hive of industry," as the Director was fond of calling it, was in the full buzz of work. Every one was busy, everything in ordered motion. Under the microscopes, their long tails furiously lashing1, spermatozoa were burrowing2 head first into eggs; and, fertilized3, the eggs were expanding, dividing, or if bokanovskified, budding and breaking up into whole populations of separate embryos4. From the Social Predestination Room the escalators went rumbling5 down into the basement, and there, in the crimson6 darkness, stewingly warm on their cushion of peritoneum and gorged7 with blood-surrogate and hormones8, the foetuses grew and grew or, poisoned, languished9 into a stunted10 Epsilonhood. With a faint hum and rattle11 the moving racks crawled imperceptibly through the weeks and the recapitulated12 aeons to where, in the Decanting13 Room, the newly-unbottled babes uttered their first yell of horror and amazement14.
The dynamos purred in the sub-basement, the lifts rushed up and down. On all the eleven floors of Nurseries it was feeding time. From eighteen hundred bottles eighteen hundred carefully labelled infants were simultaneously15 sucking down their pint16 of pasteurized external secretion17.
Above them, in ten successive layers of dormitory, the little boys and girls who were still young enough to need an afternoon sleep were as busy as every one else, though they did not know it, listening unconsciously to hypnopaedic lessons in hygiene18 and sociability19, in class-consciousness and the toddler's love-life. Above these again were the playrooms where, the weather having turned to rain, nine hundred older children were amusing themselves with bricks and clay modelling, hunt-the-zipper, and erotic play.
Buzz, buzz! the hive was humming, busily, joyfully20. Blithe21 was the singing of the young girls over their test-tubes, the Predestinators whistled as they worked, and in the Decanting Room what glorious jokes were cracked above the empty bottles! But the Director's face, as he entered the Fertilizing22 Room with Henry Foster, was grave, wooden with severity.
"A public example," he was saying. "In this room, because it contains more high-caste workers than any other in the Centre. I have told him to meet me here at half-past two."
"He does his work very well," put in Henry, with hypocritical generosity23.
"I know. But that's all the more reason for severity. His intellectual eminence24 carries with it corresponding moral responsibilities. The greater a man's talents, the greater his power to lead astray. It is better that one should suffer than that many should be corrupted25. Consider the matter dispassionately, Mr. Foster, and you will see that no offence is so heinous26 as unorthodoxy of behaviour. Murder kills only the individual-and, after all, what is an individual?" With a sweeping27 gesture he indicated the rows of microscopes, the test-tubes, the incubators. "We can make a new one with the greatest ease-as many as we like. Unorthodoxy threatens more than the life of a mere28 individual; it strikes at Society itself. Yes, at Society itself," he repeated. "Ah, but here he comes."
Bernard had entered the room and was advancing between the rows of fertilizers towards them. A veneer29 of jaunty30 self-confidence thinly concealed31 his nervousness. The voice in which he said, "Good-morning, Director," was absurdly too loud; that in which, correcting his mistake,
"Yes, Mr. Marx," said the Director portentously33. "I did ask you to come to me here. You returned from your holiday last night, I understand."
"Yes," Bernard answered.
"Yes-s," repeated the Director, lingering, a serpent, on the "s." Then, suddenly raising his voice, "Ladies and gentlemen," he trumpeted34, "ladies and gentlemen."
The singing of the girls over their test-tubes, the preoccupied35 whistling of the Microscopists, suddenly ceased. There was a profound silence; every one looked round.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the Director repeated once more, "excuse me for thus interrupting your labours. A painful duty constrains36 me. The security and stability of Society are in danger. Yes, in danger, ladies and gentlemen. This man," he pointed37 accusingly at Bernard, "this man who stands before you here, this Alpha-Plus to whom so much has been given, and from whom, in consequence, so much must be expected, this colleague of yours-or should I anticipate and say this ex-colleague?-has grossly betrayed the trust imposed in him. By his heretical views on sport and soma, by the scandalous unorthodoxy of his sex-life, by his refusal to obey the teachings of Our Ford38 and behave out of office hours, 'even as a little infant,'" (here the Director made the sign of the T), "he has proved himself an enemy of Society, a subverter39, ladies and gentlemen, of all Order and Stability, a conspirator40 against Civilization itself. For this reason I propose to dismiss him, to dismiss him with ignominy from the post he has held in this Centre; I propose forthwith to apply for his transference to a Subcen-tre of the lowest order and, that his punishment may serve the best interest of Society, as far as possible removed from any important Centre of population. In Iceland he will have small opportunity to lead others astray by his unfordly example." The Director paused; then, folding his arms, he turned impressively to Bernard. "Marx," he said, "can you show any reason why I should not now execute the judgment41 passed upon you?"
"Yes, I can," Bernard answered in a very loud voice.
Somewhat taken aback, but still majestically42, "Then show it," said the Director.
"Certainly. But it's in the passage. One moment." Bernard hurried to the door and threw it open. "Come in," he commanded, and the reason came in and showed itself.
There was a gasp43, a murmur44 of astonishment45 and horror; a young girl screamed; standing46 on a chair to get a better view some one upset two test-tubes full of spermatozoa. Bloated, sagging47, and among those firm youthful bodies, those undistorted faces, a strange and terrifying monster of middle-agedness, Linda advanced into the room, coquet-tishly smiling her broken and discoloured smile, and rolling as she walked, with what was meant to be a voluptuous48 undulation, her enormous haunches. Bernard walked beside her.
"There he is," he said, pointing at the Director.
"Did you think I didn't recognize him?" Linda asked indignantly; then, turning to the Director, "Of course I knew you; Tomakin, I should have known you anywhere, among a thousand. But perhaps you've forgotten me. Don't you remember? Don't you remember, Tomakin? Your Linda." She stood looking at him, her head on one side, still smiling, but with a smile that became progressively, in face of the Director's expression of petrified49 disgust, less and less self-confident, that wavered and finally went out. "Don't you remember, Tomakin?" she repeated in a voice that trembled. Her eyes were anxious, agonized50. The blotched and sagging face twisted grotesquely51 into the grimace52 of extreme grief. "Tomakin!" She held out her arms. Some one began to titter.
"Tomakin!" She ran forward, her blanket trailing behind her, threw her arms round his neck, hid her face on his chest.
A howl of laughter went up irrepressibly.
"... this monstrous practical joke," the Director shouted.
Red in the face, he tried to disengage himself from her embrace. Desperately54 she clung. "But I'm Linda, I'm Linda.'" The laughter drowned
her voice. "You made me have a baby," she screamed above the uproar55. There was a sudden and appalling56 hush57; eyes floated uncomfortably, not knowing where to look. The Director went suddenly pale, stopped struggling and stood, his hands on her wrists, staring down at her, horrified58. "Yes, a baby-and I was its mother." She flung the obscenity like a challenge into the outraged59 silence; then, suddenly breaking away from him, ashamed, ashamed, covered her face with her hands, sobbing60. "It wasn't my fault, Tomakin. Because I always did my drill, didn't I? Didn't I? Always ... I don't know how ... If you knew how awful, Tomakin ... But he was a comfort to me, all the same." Turning towards the door, "John!" she called. "John!"
He came in at once, paused for a moment just inside the door, looked round, then soft on his moccasined feet strode quickly across the room, fell on his knees in front of the Director, and said in a clear voice: "My father!"
The word (for "father" was not so much obscene as-with its connotation of something at one remove from the loathsomeness61 and moral obliquity62 of child-bearing-merely gross, a scatological rather than a pornographic impropriety); the comically smutty word relieved what had become a quite intolerable tension. Laughter broke out, enormous, almost hysterical63, peal64 after peal, as though it would never stop. My father-and it was the Director! My father! Oh Ford, oh Ford! That was really too good. The whooping65 and the roaring renewed themselves, faces seemed on the point of disintegration66, tears were streaming. Six more test-tubes of spermatozoa were upset. My father!
Pale, wild-eyed, the Director glared about him in an agony of bewildered humiliation67.
My father! The laughter, which had shown signs of dying away, broke out again more loudly than ever. He put his hands over his ears and rushed out of the room.
点击收听单词发音
1 lashing | |
n.鞭打;痛斥;大量;许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 );煽动;紧系;怒斥 | |
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2 burrowing | |
v.挖掘(洞穴),挖洞( burrow的现在分词 );翻寻 | |
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3 Fertilized | |
v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4 embryos | |
n.晶胚;胚,胚胎( embryo的名词复数 ) | |
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5 rumbling | |
n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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6 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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7 gorged | |
v.(用食物把自己)塞饱,填饱( gorge的过去式和过去分词 );作呕 | |
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8 hormones | |
n. 荷尔蒙,激素 名词hormone的复数形式 | |
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9 languished | |
长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 ); 受折磨; 变得(越来越)衰弱; 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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10 stunted | |
adj.矮小的;发育迟缓的 | |
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11 rattle | |
v.飞奔,碰响;激怒;n.碰撞声;拨浪鼓 | |
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12 recapitulated | |
v.总结,扼要重述( recapitulate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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13 decanting | |
n.滗析(手续)v.将(酒等)自瓶中倒入另一容器( decant的现在分词 ) | |
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14 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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15 simultaneously | |
adv.同时发生地,同时进行地 | |
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16 pint | |
n.品脱 | |
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17 secretion | |
n.分泌 | |
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18 hygiene | |
n.健康法,卫生学 (a.hygienic) | |
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19 sociability | |
n.好交际,社交性,善于交际 | |
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20 joyfully | |
adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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21 blithe | |
adj.快乐的,无忧无虑的 | |
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22 fertilizing | |
v.施肥( fertilize的现在分词 ) | |
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23 generosity | |
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为 | |
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24 eminence | |
n.卓越,显赫;高地,高处;名家 | |
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25 corrupted | |
(使)败坏( corrupt的过去式和过去分词 ); (使)腐化; 引起(计算机文件等的)错误; 破坏 | |
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26 heinous | |
adj.可憎的,十恶不赦的 | |
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27 sweeping | |
adj.范围广大的,一扫无遗的 | |
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28 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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29 veneer | |
n.(墙上的)饰面,虚饰 | |
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30 jaunty | |
adj.愉快的,满足的;adv.心满意足地,洋洋得意地;n.心满意足;洋洋得意 | |
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31 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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32 squeak | |
n.吱吱声,逃脱;v.(发出)吱吱叫,侥幸通过;(俚)告密 | |
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33 portentously | |
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34 trumpeted | |
大声说出或宣告(trumpet的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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35 preoccupied | |
adj.全神贯注的,入神的;被抢先占有的;心事重重的v.占据(某人)思想,使对…全神贯注,使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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36 constrains | |
强迫( constrain的第三人称单数 ); 强使; 限制; 约束 | |
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37 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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38 Ford | |
n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过 | |
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39 subverter | |
n.颠覆者,破坏者 | |
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40 conspirator | |
n.阴谋者,谋叛者 | |
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41 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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42 majestically | |
雄伟地; 庄重地; 威严地; 崇高地 | |
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43 gasp | |
n.喘息,气喘;v.喘息;气吁吁他说 | |
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44 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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45 astonishment | |
n.惊奇,惊异 | |
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46 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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47 sagging | |
下垂[沉,陷],松垂,垂度 | |
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48 voluptuous | |
adj.肉欲的,骄奢淫逸的 | |
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49 petrified | |
adj.惊呆的;目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆,使惊呆;变僵硬;使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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50 agonized | |
v.使(极度)痛苦,折磨( agonize的过去式和过去分词 );苦斗;苦苦思索;感到极度痛苦 | |
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51 grotesquely | |
adv. 奇异地,荒诞地 | |
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52 grimace | |
v.做鬼脸,面部歪扭 | |
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53 monstrous | |
adj.巨大的;恐怖的;可耻的,丢脸的 | |
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54 desperately | |
adv.极度渴望地,绝望地,孤注一掷地 | |
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55 uproar | |
n.骚动,喧嚣,鼎沸 | |
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56 appalling | |
adj.骇人听闻的,令人震惊的,可怕的 | |
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57 hush | |
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静 | |
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58 horrified | |
a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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59 outraged | |
a.震惊的,义愤填膺的 | |
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60 sobbing | |
<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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61 loathsomeness | |
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62 obliquity | |
n.倾斜度 | |
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63 hysterical | |
adj.情绪异常激动的,歇斯底里般的 | |
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64 peal | |
n.钟声;v.鸣响 | |
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65 whooping | |
发嗬嗬声的,发咳声的 | |
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66 disintegration | |
n.分散,解体 | |
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67 humiliation | |
n.羞辱 | |
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