英语听书《白鲸记》第771期

 　　As ashore¹, the ladies often cause the most terrible duels² among their rival admirers; just so with the whales, who sometimes come to deadly battle, and all for love. They fence with their long lower jaws³, sometimes locking them together, and so striving for the supremacy⁴ like elks⁵ that warringly interweave their antlers. Not a few are captured having the deep scars of these encounters,— furrowed⁶ heads, broken teeth, scolloped fins⁷; and in some instances, wrenched⁸ and dislocated mouths.

　　正如陆上那些太太小姐往往就是她们的情敌闹起最可怕的决斗的祸因一般；大鲸也是如此，它们有时也不免惨斗一番，为来为去，为的就是爱情纠纷。它们都巧妙地用长下巴来招架，往往两只下巴扭揪在一起，大家拼命想占上风，如同两只死对头的大麋鹿角一般纠扯在一起。捕到这样冲突过的大鲸，身上总发现有许多深疤——脑袋长犁沟，牙齿打掉了，鳍象扇子；有的时候，连嘴巴也扭伤打歪了。

　　But supposing the invader⁹ of domestic bliss¹⁰ to betake himself away at the first rush of the harem's lord, then is it very diverting to watch that lord. Gently he insinuates¹¹ his vast bulk among them again and revels¹² there awhile, still in tantalizing¹³ vicinity to young Lothario, like pious¹⁴ Solomon devoutly¹⁵ worshipping among his thousand concubines. Granting other whales to be in sight, the fisherman will seldom give chase to one of these Grand Turks; for these Grand Turks are too lavish¹⁶ of their strength, and hence their unctuousness¹⁷ is small. As for the sons and the daughters they beget¹⁸, why, those sons and daughters must take care of themselves; at least, with only the maternal¹⁹ help. For like certain other omnivorous²⁰ roving lovers that might be named, my Lord Whale has no taste for the nursery, however much for the bower²¹; and so, being a great traveller, he leaves his anonymous²² babies all over the world; every baby an exotic.

　　不过，假定这个家庭幸福的侵犯者受到这群妻妾的王爷的初次冲击而抵挡不住，连忙溜之大吉的时候，那么瞧瞧这个王爷的姿态，真是叫人开胃。它又温情脉脉地摇摆起它那硕大的躯干，去奉承它的妻妾，在它们那里流连片刻，还故意对那个就在附近的青年浪子挑逗一番，就象虔敬的所罗门在他无数的妃妾间虔诚地膜拜一样。如果左近找得到其它鲸的话，捕鲸人是不很愿意追击这样一个尊贵的土耳其人的，因为这些显贵的土耳其人精力消耗太甚，油水很少。至于它们所生下来的儿女，那不消说，都得由这些儿女自己照顾自己，充其量也不过让做母亲的去料理而已。因为这种王爷鲸，可以说是跟那种一见女人就想要的薄情郎一样，尽管妻妾众多，却没有培育子女的雅兴；于是，因为它是一个大游客，它在世界各处就撒下了许多不知名字的小孩；每个小孩都是外来种。

1 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。

2 duels   

n.两男子的决斗( duel的名词复数 )；竞争，斗争

参考例句：

• That's where I usually fight my duels. 我经常在那儿进行决斗。” 来自英语晨读30分（初三）
• Hyde Park also became a favourite place for duels. 海德公园也成了决斗的好地方。 来自辞典例句

3 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

4 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

5 elks   

n.麋鹿( elk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• So I arranged for a gathering at the local Elks Club on January 25. 1月25日我安排在当地慈善互助会见面。 来自互联网

6 furrowed   

v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Overhead hung a summer sky furrowed with the rash of rockets. 头顶上的夏日夜空纵横着急疾而过的焰火。 来自辞典例句
• The car furrowed the loose sand as it crossed the desert. 车子横过沙漠，在松软的沙土上犁出了一道车辙。 来自辞典例句

7 fins   

[医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌

参考例句：

• The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关，与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
• Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句

8 wrenched   

v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛

参考例句：

• The bag was wrenched from her grasp. 那只包从她紧握的手里被夺了出来。
• He wrenched the book from her hands. 他从她的手中把书拧抢了过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 invader   

n.侵略者，侵犯者，入侵者

参考例句：

• They suffered a lot under the invader's heel.在侵略者的铁蹄下，他们受尽了奴役。
• A country must have the will to repel any invader.一个国家得有决心击退任何入侵者。

10 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

11 insinuates   

n.暗示( insinuate的名词复数 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入v.暗示( insinuate的第三人称单数 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入

参考例句：

• Slang insinuates itself into the language. 俚语慢慢地渗入语言中。 来自辞典例句
• But the division of labor slowly insinuates itself into this process of production. 但是，分工慢慢地侵入了这种生产过程。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

12 revels   

n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉

参考例句：

• Christmas revels with feasting and dancing were common in England. 圣诞节的狂欢歌舞在英国是很常见的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dickens openly revels in the book's rich physical detail and high-hearted conflict. 狄更斯对该书中丰富多彩的具体细节描写和勇敢的争斗公开表示欣赏。 来自辞典例句

13 tantalizing   

adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This was my first tantalizing glimpse of the islands. 这是我第一眼看见的这些岛屿的动人美景。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We have only vague and tantalizing glimpses of his power. 我们只能隐隐约约地领略他的威力，的确有一种可望不可及的感觉。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

14 pious   

adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的

参考例句：

• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。
• Her mother was a pious Christian.她母亲是一个虔诚的基督教徒。

15 devoutly   

adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地

参考例句：

• She was a devoutly Catholic. 她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This was not a boast, but a hope, at once bold and devoutly humble. 这不是夸夸其谈，而是一个即大胆而又诚心、谦虚的希望。 来自辞典例句

16 lavish   

adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍

参考例句：

• He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
• The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。

17 unctuousness   

油性

参考例句：

• What welcome relief from the usual unctuousness of his kind! 平常这类广告虚情假意，现在多么受人欢迎，令人轻松！ 来自互联网

18 beget   

v.引起；产生

参考例句：

• Dragons beget dragons,phoenixes beget phoenixes.龙生龙，凤生凤。
• Economic tensions beget political ones.经济紧张导致政治紧张。

19 maternal   

adj.母亲的，母亲般的，母系的，母方的

参考例句：

• He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
• The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。

20 omnivorous   

adj.杂食的

参考例句：

• Brown bears are omnivorous,eating anything that they can get their paws on.棕熊是杂食性动物，抓到什么吃什么。
• Man is an omnivorous animal.人是肉类与蔬菜均食用的动物。

21 bower   

n.凉亭，树荫下凉快之处；闺房；v.荫蔽

参考例句：

• They sat under the leafy bower at the end of the garden and watched the sun set.他们坐在花园尽头由叶子搭成的凉棚下观看落日。
• Mrs. Quilp was pining in her bower.奎尔普太太正在她的闺房里度着愁苦的岁月。

22 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。