英语听书《白鲸记》第773期

 　　The same secludedness and isolation¹ to which the schoolmaster whale betakes himself in his advancing years, is true of all aged² Sperm³ Whales. 这个校长在晚年的这种隐退。孤独的生活，倒确是一切上了年纪的抹香鲸的生活。

　　Almost universally, a lone⁴ whale— as a solitary⁵ Leviathan is called—proves an ancient one. 差不多人人都知道，一条孤鲸——这是人们对一只孤寂的大海兽的叫法——总是上了年纪的老鲸。

　　Like venerable moss-bearded Daniel Boone, he will have no one near him but Nature herself; 它象那个颇有来历、满脸胡须的丹尼尔·布恩一样，除了大自然而外，谁都不能接近它；

　　and her he takes to wife in the wilderness⁶ of waters, and the best of wives she is, though she keeps so many moody⁷ secrets. 它就在茫茫的大海中，以大自然为妻，而大自然是最贤良的妻室，虽然她拥有许多喜怒无常的秘密。

　　The schools composing none but young and vigorous males, previously⁸ mentioned, offer a strong contrast to the harem schools. 上文所提到的。那种光是一些年富力强、气概昂昂的雄鲸所组成的鲸队，却是跟那种闺秀鲸队截然不同的。

　　For while those female whales are characteristically timid, the young males, or forty-barrel-bulls, as they call them, 因为雌鲸是以胆小害臊为特点，而这些青年雄鲸，或者一般所谓四十大桶的雄鲸，

　　are by far the most pugnacious⁹ of all Leviathans, and proverbially the most dangerous to encounter; 其英勇好斗却是一切鲸类之冠；而且也是尽人皆知，一碰上它是最危险的；

　　excepting those wondrous¹⁰ grey-headed, grizzled whales, sometimes met, and these will fight you like grim fiends exasperated¹¹ by a penal¹² gout. 不过，有时碰上那种满头斑白得出奇的老鲸，这种老鲸也会象那被该死的痛风症惹得怒不可遏的恶魔一般跟你决斗一番的。

　　The Forty-barrel-bull schools are larger than the harem schools. 四十大桶雄鲸的鲸队也远较那些闺秀鲸队气势浩大。

　　Like a mob of young collegians, they are full of fight, fun, and wickedness, tumbling round the world at such a reckless, rollicking rate, 它们象一群年青的大学生那样，爱好打架，兴致勃勃，顽皮淘气，满不在乎而嘻嘻哈哈地东冲西撞，

　　that no prudent¹³ underwriter would insure them any more than he would a riotous¹⁴ lad at Yale or Harvard. 因此，谨慎的保险掮客都宁可去找那些耶鲁或者哈佛的放荡吵闹的小伙子，而不高兴去找它们兜保险生意。

　　They soon relinquish¹⁵ this turbulence¹⁶ though, and when about three-fourths grown, break up, and separately go about in quest of settlements, that is, harems. 不过，它们不久也要放弃这种吵吵闹闹的生活，而且，等到它们成长到四分之三时，大家也就散伙，各奔前程，去找各人的落脚地，也就是说，去找闺秀们去了。

1 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 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。

4 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

5 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

6 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

7 moody   

adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的

参考例句：

• He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
• I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。

8 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

9 pugnacious   

adj.好斗的

参考例句：

• He is a pugnacious fighter.他是个好斗的战士。
• When he was a child,he was pugnacious and fought with everyone.他小时候很好斗，跟每个人都打过架。

10 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

11 exasperated   

adj.恼怒的

参考例句：

• We were exasperated at his ill behaviour. 我们对他的恶劣行为感到非常恼怒。
• Constant interruption of his work exasperated him. 对他工作不断的干扰使他恼怒。

12 penal   

adj.刑罚的；刑法上的

参考例句：

• I hope you're familiar with penal code.我希望你们熟悉本州法律规则。
• He underwent nineteen years of penal servitude for theft.他因犯了大窃案受过十九年的苦刑。

13 prudent   

adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的

参考例句：

• A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
• You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。

14 riotous   

adj.骚乱的；狂欢的

参考例句：

• Summer is in riotous profusion.盛夏的大地热闹纷繁。
• We spent a riotous night at Christmas.我们度过了一个狂欢之夜。

15 relinquish   

v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手

参考例句：

• He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放弃公司的掌控权。
• They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他们绝对不会自动放弃独立。

16 turbulence   

n.喧嚣，狂暴，骚乱，湍流

参考例句：

• The turbulence caused the plane to turn over.空气的激流导致飞机翻转。
• The world advances amidst turbulence.世界在动荡中前进。