英语听书《白鲸记》第32期

  Strong intuitions of the man assure the mariners¹ he can be no innocent.In their gamesome but still serious way, 

 one whispers to the other Jack,he's robbed a widow;or,Joe,do you mark him;he's a bigamist;or, 

 Harry lad,I guess he's the adulterer that broke jail in old Gomorrah,or belike,one of the missing murderers from Sodom. 

 Another runs to read the bill that's stuck against the spile upon the wharf² to which the ship is moored,offering five hundred gold coins for the apprehension³ of a parricide, 

 and containing a description of his person.He reads,and looks from Jonah to the bill;while all his sympathetic shipmates now crowd round Jonah, 

 prepared to lay their hands upon him.Frighted Jonah trembles,and summoning all his boldness to his face,only looks so much the more a coward. 

 He will not confess himself suspected;but that itself is strong suspicion.So he makes the best of it;and when the sailors find him not to be the man that is advertised, 

 they let him pass,and he descends⁴ into the cabin. 

 ' Who's there?' cries the Captain at his busy desk,hurriedly making out his papers for the Customs ' Who's there?' 

 Oh!how that harmless question mangles⁵ Jonah!For the instant he almost turns to flee again.But he rallies. 

 ' I seek a passage in this ship to Tarshish;how soon sail ye,sir?' Thus far the busy Captain had not looked up to Jonah, 

 though the man now stands before him;but no sooner does he hear that hollow voice,than he darts⁶ a scrutinizing⁷ glance. 

 ' We sail with the next coming tide,' at last he slowly answered,still intently eyeing him.' No sooner,sir?' ' Soon enough for any honest man that goes a passenger.' 

 Ha!Jonah,that's another stab.But he swiftly calls away the Captain from that scent⁸.' I 'll sail with ye,' he says,' the passage money how much is that?I 'll pay now.' 

 For it is particularly written,shipmates,as if it were a thing not to be overlooked in this history, 

 ' that he paid the fare thereof ' ere the craft did sail.And taken with the context,this is full of meaning. 

 Now's Jonah Captain,shipmates,was one whose discernment detects crime in any,but whose cupidity⁹ exposes it only in the penniless. 

 In this world,shipmates,sin that pays its way can travel freely,and without a passport;whereas Virtue,if a pauper,is stopped at all frontiers. 

 So's Jonah Captain prepares to test the length of Jonah's purse,ere he judge him openly.He charges him thrice the usual sum;and it's assented¹⁰ to. 

 Then the Captain knows that Jonah is a fugitive;but at the same time resolves to help a flight that paves its rear with gold. 

 Yet when Jonah fairly takes out his purse,prudent suspicions still molest¹¹ the Captain.He rings every coin to find a counterfeit¹². 

1 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。

2 wharf   

n.码头，停泊处

参考例句：

• We fetch up at the wharf exactly on time.我们准时到达码头。
• We reached the wharf gasping for breath.我们气喘吁吁地抵达了码头。

3 apprehension   

n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑

参考例句：

• There were still areas of doubt and her apprehension grew.有些地方仍然存疑，于是她越来越担心。
• She is a girl of weak apprehension.她是一个理解力很差的女孩。

4 descends   

v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite. 这个节日起源于宗教仪式。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The path descends steeply to the village. 小路陡直而下直到村子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 mangles   

n.轧布机，轧板机，碾压机（mangle的复数形式）vt.乱砍（mangle的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• This mangles their bones and sends these defenseless creatures into convulsions, but rarely causes immediate death. 这些会弄断动物的骨头或神经，导致他们抽搐，但并不会导致他们立即死亡。 来自互联网

6 darts   

n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• His darts trophy takes pride of place on the mantelpiece. 他将掷镖奖杯放在壁炉顶上最显著的地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I never saw so many darts in a bodice! 我从没见过紧身胸衣上纳了这么多的缝褶！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 scrutinizing   

v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His grandfather's stern eyes were scrutinizing him, and Chueh-hui felt his face reddening. 祖父的严厉的眼光射在他的脸上。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• The machine hushed, extraction and injection nozzles poised, scrutinizing its targets. 机器“嘘”地一声静了下来，输入输出管道各就各位，检查着它的目标。 来自互联网

8 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

9 cupidity   

n.贪心，贪财

参考例句：

• Her cupidity is well known.她的贪婪尽人皆知。
• His eyes gave him away,shining with cupidity.他的眼里闪着贪婪的光芒，使他暴露无遗。

10 assented   

同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The judge assented to allow the prisoner to speak. 法官同意允许犯人申辩。
• "No," assented Tom, "they don't kill the women -- they're too noble. “对，”汤姆表示赞同地说，“他们不杀女人——真伟大！

11 molest   

vt.骚扰，干扰，调戏

参考例句：

• If the man continues to molest her,I promise to keep no measures with the delinquent.如果那人继续对她进行骚扰，我将对他这个违法者毫不宽容。
• If I were gone,all these would molest you.如果没有我，这一切都会来骚扰你。

12 counterfeit   

vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的

参考例句：

• It is a crime to counterfeit money.伪造货币是犯罪行为。
• The painting looked old but was a recent counterfeit.这幅画看上去年代久远，实际是最近的一幅赝品。