英语听书《白鲸记》第598期

 　　Ahab gave orders that not an oar¹ should be used, and no man must speak but in whispers. 亚哈下令不许用桨，除了耳语，谁都不许高声说话。

　　So seated like Ontario Indians on the gunwales of the boats, we swiftly but silently paddled along; 我们都象安大略的印第安人一般坐在艇舷上，迅捷而悄悄地荡过去；

　　the calm not admitting of the noiseless sails being set. 静得连悄悄的扯帆声都听不到。

　　Presently, as we thus glided² in chase, the monster perpendicularly³ flitted his tail forty feet into the air, 我们就这样悄悄赶去，不一会，那条大鲸把它的尾巴垂直地耸向空中，高达四十英尺，

　　and then sank out of sight like a tower swallowed up. 接着又象个被淹没了的大塔一般沉下去，看不见了。

　　"There go flukes!" was the cry,  “走啦！”传来了这一声叫喊，

　　an announcement immediately followed by Stubb's producing his match and igniting his pipe, 紧跟着这声通知，斯塔布就在摸他的火柴，燃点着他的烟斗，

　　for now a respite⁴ was granted. 因为现在可以休息一下了。

　　After the full interval⁵ of his sounding had elapsed, the whale rose again,  那条鲸深钻在海里好久后，又冒了出来，

　　and being now in advance of the smoker's boat, and much nearer to it than to any of the others,   而且，这时已经来到这个吸烟者的小艇前头，比其它任何一只小艇都要靠近，

　　Stubb counted upon the honor of the capture. 于是，斯塔布认为这是义不容辞，应该把它捕获的时机了。

　　It was obvious, now, that the whale had at length become aware of his pursuers. 很明显地，现在，那条鲸终于发觉它的追捕者了。

　　All silence of cautiousness was therefore no longer of use.  因此，再也用不着小心谨慎，偷偷摸摸了。

　　Paddles were dropped, and oars⁶ came loudly into play.  大家都不荡桨，桨子哗啦啦地划起来。

　　And still puffing⁷ at his pipe, Stubb cheered on his crew to the assault. 斯塔布一边还在吸烟斗，一边在给他几个要去进击的水手打气。

　　Yes, a mighty⁸ change had come over the fish. 不错，这条鲸跟先前大不相同了。

　　All alive to his jeopardy⁹, he was going "head out";  它完全发现它的危境，正准备"露头"；

　　that part obliquely¹⁰ projecting from the mad yeast¹¹ which he brewed¹². 它的头在它所吐出来的混浊的水沫中侧斜地向前突起。

　　Footnote: It will be seen in some other place of what a very light substance the entire interior of the sperm¹³ whale's enormous head consists.  原注：在其它场合，我们将可以看到抹香鲸那只大头的整个内部都是一种非常轻的东西。

1 oar   

n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行

参考例句：

• The sailors oar slowly across the river.水手们慢慢地划过河去。
• The blade of the oar was bitten off by a shark.浆叶被一条鲨鱼咬掉了。

2 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 perpendicularly   

adv. 垂直地, 笔直地, 纵向地

参考例句：

• Fray's forehead was wrinkled both perpendicularly and crosswise. 弗雷的前额上纹路纵横。
• Automatic resquaring feature insures nozzle is perpendicularly to the part being cut. 自动垂直功能，可以确保刀头回到与工件完全垂直的位置去切割。

4 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

5 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

6 oars   

n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
• The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

10 obliquely   

adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大

参考例句：

• From the gateway two paths led obliquely across the court. 从门口那儿，有两条小路斜越过院子。 来自辞典例句
• He was receding obliquely with a curious hurrying gait. 他歪着身子，古怪而急促地迈着步子，往后退去。 来自辞典例句

11 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

12 brewed   

调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 )； 酝酿； 沏（茶）； 煮（咖啡）

参考例句：

• The beer is brewed in the Czech Republic. 这种啤酒是在捷克共和国酿造的。
• The boy brewed a cup of coffee for his mother. 这男孩给他妈妈冲了一杯咖啡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。