英语听书《白鲸记》第135期

 Until the whale fishery rounded Cape¹ Horn, no commerce but colonial, scarcely any intercourse² but colonial,  直到鲸鱼业绕过合恩角,没有通商，只是殖民地的地区,几乎没有同世界的交往,只是殖民地的地区 

was carried on between Europe and the long line of the opulent Spanish provinces on the Pacific coast.  欧洲和在太平洋海岸西班牙长期冷漠关系。

It was the whaleman who first broke through the jealous policy of the Spanish crown, touching³ those colonies;  正是捕鲸船打破了旧西班牙殖民主义在这些地区的铁幕，

and, if space permitted, it might be distinctly shown how from those whalemen at last eventuated the liberation of Peru, Chili⁴, and Bolivia from the yoke⁵ of Old Spain,  在捕鲸业发达以前，在欧洲与非洲的合恩角的关系中，殖民关系占绝对的主导地位，与南美的秘鲁、智利和玻利维亚也是如此。 

and the establishment of the eternal democracy in those parts.  为这些地区民主政体的建立奠定了基础。 

That great America on the other side of the sphere, Australia, was given to the enlightened world by the whaleman.  地球另一端的澳大利亚，也是由捕鲸者带入文明世界的。

After its first blunder-born discovery by a Dutchman, all other ships long shunned⁶ those shores as pestiferously barbarous;  在一个荷兰人因为偶然而首先发现了澳洲以后，很长一段时间来往的船只都认为那是一片传播着瘟疫的大陆，所以都避而远之。 

but the whale-ship touched there. The whale-ship is the true mother of that now mighty⁷ colony.  可是捕鲸船却勇敢地靠了岸。捕鲸者才是澳洲大地真正的母亲！ 

1 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

2 intercourse   

n.性交；交流，交往，交际

参考例句：

• The magazine becomes a cultural medium of intercourse between the two peoples.该杂志成为两民族间文化交流的媒介。
• There was close intercourse between them.他们过往很密。

3 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

4 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

5 yoke   

n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶

参考例句：

• An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
• The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。

6 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。