英语听书《白鲸记》第163期

 The classification of the constituents¹ of a chaos², nothing less is here essayed.  这其中包括着各式各类的人，从有权有势的人到一般的小人物，

Listen to what the best and latest authorities have laid down.  从捕鲸界的老手到只出过几次海的新手，从陆地上的人到真正出海的人…… 

No branch of Zoology³ is so much involved as that which is entitled Cetology, says Captain Scoresby, A.D. 1820.  涉及这个学科的人不计其数，仅是成名成家并且发表了自己著述的人名就可以罗列出一大串来。 

It is not my intention, were it in my power, to enter into the inquiry⁴ as to the true method of dividing the cetacea into groups and families....  之所以会产生这样的情况，实在是因为在所有动物学的分支中，鲸类学可以称做是最复杂，牵扯最广，涉及面最大的一个学科。 

Utter confusion exists among the historians of this animal, says Surgeon Beale, A.D. 1839.  可是这近三十位大家中，真正见到过活鲸的人物，

Unfitness to pursue our research in the unfathomable waters. 却只有五六分之一，其余的则是在陆地上靠解剖或其他方法得来的结论。 

Impenetrable veil covering our knowledge of the cetacea. A field strewn with thorns. All these incomplete indications but serve to torture us naturalists⁵.  不过他的发言权也仅仅局限于格陵兰鲸和露脊鲸，关于抹香鲸他就没有什么了解了。 

1 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

3 zoology   

n.动物学，生态

参考例句：

• I would like to brush up my zoology.我想重新温习一下动物学。
• The library didn't stock zoology textbooks.这家图书馆没有动物学教科书。

4 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

5 naturalists   

n.博物学家( naturalist的名词复数 )；（文学艺术的）自然主义者

参考例句：

• Naturalists differ much in determining what characters are of generic value. 自然学者对于不同性状决定生物的属的含义上，各有各的见解。 来自辞典例句
• This fact has led naturalists to believe that the Isthmus was formerly open. 使许多自然学者相信这个地蛱在以前原是开通的。 来自辞典例句