英语听书《白鲸记》第970期

 But this only the more affected¹ some of them, 这就更其影响若干船员的心情，

because most mariners² cherish a very superstitious³ feeling about seals, arising not only from their peculiar⁴ tones when in distress⁵, 因为水手大多对海豹怀有一种十分迷信的想法，这种想法的由来，不仅是因为海豹在苦难时所发出来的那种特别的声调，

but also from the human look of their round heads and semi-intelligent faces, seen peeringly uprising from the water alongside. 且也因为它有人的相貌，圆圆的头颅，和一张半聪明的脸，在船侧的海里隐然出现的缘故。

In the sea, under certain circumstances, seals have more than once been mistaken for men. 在海上，有的时候，海豹总不止一次地被错认为人。

But the bodings of the crew were destined⁶ to receive a most plausible⁷ confirmation⁸ in the fate of one of their number that morning. 不过，水手们所感到的预兆，注定要在那天早晨，在他们中间一个人的命运上，得到最有力的证实。

At sun-rise this man went from his hammock to his mast-head at the fore⁹; 太阳出来的时候，这个人从他的吊铺起来，爬上船头的桅顶；

and whether it was that he was not yet half waked from his sleep (for sailors sometimes go aloft in a transition state), 究竟是他还没有睡醒（因为水手们有时总是将醒未醒就爬上去），

whether it was thus with the man, there is now no telling; 还是这个人生来就是如此，可说不上来；

but, be that as it may, he had not been long at his perch¹⁰, when a cry was heard — a cry and a rushing — and looking up, they saw a falling phantom¹¹ in the air; 总之，他在那上面停不多久，就教人听到一阵叫声——一阵叫喊声和噼哩啪啦声——大家往上一望，看到空中有个跌下来的幽影；

and looking down, a little tossed heap of white bubbles in the blue of the sea. 再往下面一看，大海里已冒起一小堆翻来翻去的白色泡沫了。

The life-buoy — a long slender cask — was dropped from the stern, where it always hung obedient to a cunning spring; 那只救生圈——一只细长的木桶——打船梢放了下去，救生圈一直被用根灵活的缆索乖乖地挂在船梢。

but no hand rose to seize it, and the sun having long beat upon this cask it had shrunken, 可是，救生圈放下去后，却没有人冒出来抓住它，而那只桶因为长期让太阳晒得干缩了，

so that it slowly filled, and the parched¹² wood also filled at its every pore; 所以，它慢慢地满足了水，干枯的木板就完全涨透了。

and the studded iron-bound cask followed the sailor to the bottom, as if to yield him his pillow, though in sooth but a hard one. 可是，那只镶着铁箍的木桶，却跟那个水手沉到海底去了，仿佛给他送下了一只枕头，虽然实际上是只硬梆梆的枕头。

 

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 mariners   

海员，水手（mariner的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Mariners were also able to fix their latitude by using an instrument called astrolabe. 海员们还可使用星盘这种仪器确定纬度。
• The ancient mariners traversed the sea. 古代的海员漂洋过海。

3 superstitious   

adj.迷信的

参考例句：

• They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。
• These superstitious practices should be abolished as soon as possible.这些迷信做法应尽早取消。

4 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

5 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

6 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

7 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

8 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

9 fore   

adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部

参考例句：

• Your seat is in the fore part of the aircraft.你的座位在飞机的前部。
• I have the gift of fore knowledge.我能够未卜先知。

10 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

11 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

12 parched   

adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干

参考例句：

• Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。
• The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。