英语听书《白鲸记》第369期

 Thus speak of the whale, the great Cuvier, and John Hunter, and Lesson, those lights of zoology¹ and anatomy².  那些动物学家和解剖学的权威,如伟大的居维埃,约翰。亨特和莱松,对于大鲸就是这样说法。

Nevertheless, though of real knowledge there be little, yet of books there are a plenty; and so in some small degree, with cetology, or the science of whales.  不过,虽则真正的知识不多,然而有关的书本却不少;因此,鲸类学或者是鲸科学也差不多是这样。

Many are the men, small and great, old and new, landsmen and seamen³, who have at large or in little, written of the whale. Run over a few: 虽然有很多人,小人物大人物,老人物新人物,陆上人和水手,他们都或多或少的,写到有关大鲸的事情。

The Authors of the Bible; Aristotle; Pliny; Aldrovandi; Sir Thomas Browne; Gesner; Ray; Linnaeus; Rondeletius; Willoughby;  这里不妨概略地提出一些来...《圣经》的那些作者;亚里斯多德;普利尼;艾特罗万第;托马斯布朗男爵;格斯纳;雷约翰。雷;林尼厄斯;隆德列修斯;威洛比;

Green; Artedi; Sibbald; Brisson; Marten; Lacepede; Bonneterre; Desmarest; Baron⁴ Cuvier; Frederick Cuvier; John Hunter; Owen; Scoresby; Beale; Bennett; J. Ross Browne;  格林;阿蒂第;西鲍尔德;布里松(玛苏林。杰克。布里松;马登;拉塞佩德拉塞佩德;博纳太埃尔;德马雷斯;居维埃男爵;弗列达里克。

the Author of Miriam Coffin⁵; Olmstead; and the Rev⁶. T. Cheever. But to what ultimate generalizing purpose all these have written, the above cited extracts will show. 居维埃;约翰。亨特;欧文;斯哥斯比;比尔;贝内特;罗斯。布朗;《米里亚姆。科芬》的作者;奥耳姆斯特德和契弗牧师。但是,上述诸人的著作究竟具有什么根本的概括意义,那从上面所引的若干摘录就可以表明。

Of the names in this list of whale authors only those following Owen ever saw living whales; and but one of them was a real professional harpooneer and whaleman.  在上列这些大鲸作者的名单中,只有欧文以下诸人曾经看到过活鲸;而且,其中也只有一个人是真正的职业标枪手和捕鲸人。

I mean Captain Scoresby. On the separate subject of the Greenland or right-whale, he is the best existing authority.  我指的是斯哥斯比船长。在论格陵兰大鲸,又称露脊鲸的各别的科目中,他是现存的最优秀的权威。

But Scoresby knew nothing and says nothing of the great sperm⁷ whale,compared with which the Greenland whale is almost unworthy mentioning.  但是,对于那种抹香鲸(与之相比,格陵兰鲸几乎是不值一提的),斯哥斯比还是毫无所知,一无记载。

1 zoology   

n.动物学，生态

参考例句：

• I would like to brush up my zoology.我想重新温习一下动物学。
• The library didn't stock zoology textbooks.这家图书馆没有动物学教科书。

2 anatomy   

n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织

参考例句：

• He found out a great deal about the anatomy of animals.在动物解剖学方面，他有过许多发现。
• The hurricane's anatomy was powerful and complex.对飓风的剖析是一项庞大而复杂的工作。

3 seamen   

n.海员

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather. 有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• In the storm, many seamen wished they were on shore. 在暴风雨中，许多海员想，要是他们在陆地上就好了。

4 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

5 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

6 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

7 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。