英语听书《白鲸记》第698期

 Chapter 80 The Nut 第八十章 脑袋

If the Sperm¹ Whale be physiognomically a Sphinx, to the phrenologist his brain seems that geometrical circle which it is impossible to square. 如果说，从相术上说来，抹香鲸是只狮身男头的巨像的话，那么，在骨相学家看来，它那脑瓜子就好象是无法弄成方形的几何学上的圆圈了。

In the full-grown creature the skull² will measure at least twenty feet in length. 一条茁壮的大鲸，它的脑壳，量起来至少有二十英尺长。

Unhinge the lower jaw³, and the side view of this skull is as the side view of a moderately inclined plane resting throughout on a level base. 把它的下巴拆下来，这只脑壳的侧面图就跟一个普通斜面体完全搁在平板上的侧面图一样。

But in life—as we have elsewhere seen—this inclined plane is angularly filled up, 但是，就活鲸说来——一如我们已在其它地方认识到的一样——这种斜面图是突出而丰满的，

and almost squared by the enormous superincumbent mass of the junk and sperm. 而且，由于那里边还有大块块的脑块和鲸脑而显得差不多是方形的。

At the high end the skull forms a crater⁴ to bed that part of the mass; while under the long floor of this crater, 在脑壳隆起的地方，还有一只藏着那大块块东西的大坑：而在这个大坑的长长的底板下，

in another cavity seldom exceeding ten inches in length and as many in depth reposes⁵ the mere⁶ handful of this monster's brain. 在另一个横直还不到十英寸的窝窝中——就有这只巨兽那种不过是一捧的脑髓。

The brain is at least twenty feet from his apparent forehead in life; 活鲸的脑髓至少距开它那突出的前额有二十英尺的距离，

it is hidden away behind its vast outworks, like the innermost citadel⁷ within the amplified⁸ fortifications of Quebec. 它深藏在它的巨大的外堡后面，直象是秘藏在魁北克那些广阔的要塞里的城堡一样。

So like a choice casket is it secreted⁹ in him, 它真象是身上藏有一只精巧的首饰箱。

that I have known some whalemen who peremptorily¹⁰ deny that the Sperm Whale has any other brain 据我所知，有些捕鲸人还武断地否认抹香鲸有什么头脑，

than that palpable semblance¹¹ of one formed by the cubic-yards of his sperm magazine. 认为它只有一只外表很为明显、由好几立方码的鲸脑宝库所形成的东西而已。

Lying in strange folds, courses, and convolutions, to their apprehensions¹², 至于它那盘绕得古里古怪、重重叠叠、曲曲折折的情况，根据他们的理解，

it seems more in keeping with the idea of his general might to regard that mystic part of him as the seat of his intelligence. 似乎更使得人们对它怀有威力奇大的感觉，以至于把它那神秘的部分看做是它的情报机关的所在地。

1 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。

2 skull   

n.头骨；颅骨

参考例句：

• The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
• He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去，跌裂了颅骨。

3 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

4 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

5 reposes   

v.将（手臂等）靠在某人（某物）上( repose的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Below this stone reposes the mortal remains of his father. 在此石块下长眠的是他的父亲的遗体。 来自辞典例句
• His body reposes in the local church. 他的遗体安放在当地教堂里。 来自辞典例句

6 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

7 citadel   

n.城堡；堡垒；避难所

参考例句：

• The citadel was solid.城堡是坚固的。
• This citadel is built on high ground for protecting the city.这座城堡建于高处是为保护城市。

8 amplified   

放大，扩大( amplify的过去式和过去分词 )； 增强； 详述

参考例句：

• He amplified on his remarks with drawings and figures. 他用图表详细地解释了他的话。
• He amplified the whole course of the incident. 他详述了事件的全过程。

9 secreted   

v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏

参考例句：

• Insulin is secreted by the pancreas. 胰岛素是胰腺分泌的。
• He secreted his winnings in a drawer. 他把赢来的钱藏在抽届里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 peremptorily   

adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地

参考例句：

• She peremptorily rejected the request. 她断然拒绝了请求。
• Their propaganda was peremptorily switched to an anti-Western line. 他们的宣传断然地转而持反对西方的路线。 来自辞典例句

11 semblance   

n.外貌，外表

参考例句：

• Her semblance of anger frightened the children.她生气的样子使孩子们感到害怕。
• Those clouds have the semblance of a large head.那些云的形状像一个巨大的人头。

12 apprehensions   

疑惧

参考例句：

• He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
• But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。