英语听书《白鲸记》第25期

  But New Bedford beats all Water Street and Wapping.In these last mentioned haunts you see only sailors; 

 but in New Bedford,actual cannibals stand chatting at street corners;savages outright;many of whom yet carry on their bones unholy flesh.It makes a stranger stare. 

 But,besides the Feegeeans,Tongatobooarrs,Erromanggoans,Pannangians,and Brighggians,and,besides the wild specimens¹ of the whaling craft which unheeded reel about the streets, 

 you will see other sights still more curious,certainly more comical.There weekly arrive in this town scores of green Vermonters and New Hampshire men, 

 all athirst for gain and glory in the fishery.They are mostly young,of stalwart frames;fellows who have felled forests,and now seek to drop the axe² and snatch the whale lance. 

 Many are as green as the Green Mountains whence they came.In some things you would think them but a few hours old.Look there!that chap strutting³ round the corner. 

 He wears a beaver⁴ hat and swallow tailed coat,girdled with a sailor belt and sheath knife.Here comes another with a sou ' - wester and a bombazine cloak. 

 No town bred dandy will compare with a country bred one I mean a downright bumpkin dandy a fellow that, 

 in the dog days,will mow⁵ his two acres in buckskin gloves for fear of tanning his hands. 

 Now when a country dandy like this takes it into his head to make a distinguished⁶ reputation, 

 and joins the great whale fishery,you should see the comical things he does upon reaching the seaport⁷. 

 In bespeaking⁸ his sea outfit,he orders bell buttons to his waistcoats;straps⁹ to his canvas trowsers. 

 Ah,poor Hay Seed!how bitterly will burst those straps in the first howling gale,when thou art driven,straps,buttons,and all,down the throat of the tempest. 

 But think not that this famous town has only harpooneers,cannibals,and bumpkins to show her visitors. 

 Not at all.Still New Bedford is a queer place.Had it not been for us whalemen,that tract¹⁰ of land would this day perhaps have been in as howling condition as the coast of Labrador. 

 As it is,parts of her back country are enough to frighten one,they look so bony.The town itself is perhaps the dearest place to live in,in all New England. 

 It is a land of oil,true enough:but not like Canaan;a land,also,of corn and wine.The streets do not run with milk;nor in the spring time do they pave them with fresh eggs. 

 Yet,in spite of this,nowhere in all America will you find more patrician¹¹ like houses;parks and gardens more opulent,than in New Bedford.Whence came they?how planted upon this once scraggy scoria of a country? 

 Go and gaze upon the iron emblematical¹² harpoons¹³ round yonder lofty mansion,and your question will be answered. 

 Yes;all these brave houses and flowery gardens came from the Atlantic,Pacific,and Indian oceans. 

 One and all,they were harpooned¹⁴ and dragged up hither from the bottom of the sea.Can Herr Alexander perform a feat¹⁵ like that? 

1 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

3 strutting   

加固，支撑物

参考例句：

• He, too, was exceedingly arrogant, strutting about the castle. 他也是非常自大，在城堡里大摇大摆地走。
• The pompous lecturer is strutting and forth across the stage. 这个演讲者在台上趾高气扬地来回走着。

4 beaver   

n.海狸，河狸

参考例句：

• The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。
• A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。

5 mow   

v.割（草、麦等），扫射，皱眉；n.草堆，谷物堆

参考例句：

• He hired a man to mow the lawn.他雇人割草。
• We shall have to mow down the tall grass in the big field.我们得把大田里的高草割掉。

6 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。

7 seaport   

n.海港，港口，港市

参考例句：

• Ostend is the most important seaport in Belgium.奥斯坦德是比利时最重要的海港。
• A seaport where ships can take on supplies of coal.轮船能够补充煤炭的海港。

8 bespeaking   

v.预定( bespeak的现在分词 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求

参考例句：

• Every voice in nature was unanimous in bespeaking change. 自然界的各种迹象都在表明要变天了。 来自辞典例句
• Research results showed that this new scheme is very valid for bespeaking and demodulating M-ary communication. 理论研究结果表明：此方案对高速扩频通信系统的解扩解调是行之有效的。 来自互联网

9 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

10 tract   

n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林)

参考例句：

• He owns a large tract of forest.他拥有一大片森林。
• He wrote a tract on this subject.他曾对此写了一篇短文。

11 patrician   

adj.贵族的，显贵的；n.贵族；有教养的人；罗马帝国的地方官

参考例句：

• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。
• Its patrician dignity was a picturesque sham.它的贵族的尊严只是一套华丽的伪装。

12 emblematical   

adj.标志的，象征的，典型的

参考例句：

• It might be made emblematical of something. 那可能是某一事物的标志。 来自辞典例句

13 harpoons   

n.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的名词复数 )v.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Greenpeace hopes to position its boats between the harpoons and the whales. 绿色和平希望他们的船能开到港口与鲸鱼群之间的地方。 来自互联网
• NIV Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? 7[和合]你能用倒钩枪扎满它的皮，能用鱼叉叉满它的头吗？ 来自互联网

14 harpooned   

v.鱼镖，鱼叉( harpoon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He said he once harpooned a 2, 000-pound shark off the coast of New York. 他称，他曾经在纽约海面上，用鱼叉捕获过一条重达2.000磅的鲨鱼。 来自互联网

15 feat   

n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的

参考例句：

• Man's first landing on the moon was a feat of great daring.人类首次登月是一个勇敢的壮举。
• He received a medal for his heroic feat.他因其英雄业绩而获得一枚勋章。