英语听书《白鲸记》第741期

 At the crotch or junction¹, these flukes slightly overlap², then sideways recede³ from each other like wings, leaving a wide vacancy⁴ between. 在那桠杈或者分支的地方，这两片裂尾稍微有点叠起，接着又斜斜的、象两张翅膀彼此分开来，中间隔开得很阔。

In no living thing are the lines of beauty more exquisitely⁵ defined than in the crescentic borders of these flukes. 在一般生物中，决没有比这种仿如蛾眉月的裂片更具雅致鲜明的曲线美。

At its utmost expansion in the full grown whale, the tail will considerably⁶ exceed twenty feet across. 一只茁壮的鲸，在它尾巴充分扩张的时候，横里总在二十英尺以上。

The entire member seems a dense⁷ webbed bed of welded sinews; 整个尾巴的构造似乎是密结着肌肉的网络状的矿层，

but cut into it, and you find that three distinct strata⁸ compose it:—upper, middle, and lower. 不过一把它剖开来，就发现里边有性质不同的三层——上层，中层，下层。

The fibres in the upper and lower layers, are long and horizontal; 上层和下层的筋筋，又长又直；

those of the middle one, very short, and running crosswise between the outside layers. 中层的筋筋很短，同上下两层密相交叉。

This triune structure, as much as anything else, imparts power to the tail. 这种三位一体的结构，跟其它的组织一样，赋予尾巴以威力。

To the student of old Roman walls, the middle layer will furnish a curious parallel to the thin course of tiles 在研究古罗马城墙的学者看来，中层是奇特得跟古代的奇珍遗物中那层薄薄的花砖一样，

always alternating with the stone in those wonderful relics⁹ of the antique, 它往往跟石碑交错在一起，

and which undoubtedly¹⁰ contribute so much to the great strength of the masonry¹¹. 而无疑地又给石造建筑物增加了很大的助力。

But as if this vast local power in the tendinous tail were not enough, 不过，好象这根腱质尾巴的这种原有的巨力还不够大似的，

the whole bulk of the leviathan is knit over with a warp¹² and woof of muscular fibres and filaments¹³, 这种大海兽的整个躯干还横横直直地布满许多肌肉的筋筋和纤维，

which passing on either side the loins and running down into the flukes, insensibly blend with them, and largely contribute to their might; 这些东西穿过两边腰侧，直通裂片，不知不觉地跟裂片混凝在一起，大大加强了裂片的力量；

so that in the tail the confluent measureless force of the whole whale seems concentrated to a point.  因此，整个鲸身所汇合着的无比的力量，似乎就都集结在这根尾巴上。

1 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

2 overlap   

v.重叠，与…交叠；n.重叠

参考例句：

• The overlap between the jacket and the trousers is not good.夹克和裤子重叠的部分不好看。
• Tiles overlap each other.屋瓦相互叠盖。

3 recede   

vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进

参考例句：

• The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
• He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。

4 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

5 exquisitely   

adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地

参考例句：

• He found her exquisitely beautiful. 他觉得她异常美丽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He wore an exquisitely tailored gray silk and accessories to match. 他穿的是做工非常考究的灰色绸缎衣服，还有各种配得很协调的装饰。 来自教父部分

6 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

7 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

8 strata   

n.地层（复数）；社会阶层

参考例句：

• The older strata gradually disintegrate.较老的岩层渐渐风化。
• They represent all social strata.他们代表各个社会阶层。

9 relics   

[pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸

参考例句：

• The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
• Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。

10 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

11 masonry   

n.砖土建筑；砖石

参考例句：

• Masonry is a careful skill.砖石工艺是一种精心的技艺。
• The masonry of the old building began to crumble.旧楼房的砖石结构开始崩落。

12 warp   

vt.弄歪，使翘曲，使不正常，歪曲，使有偏见

参考例句：

• The damp wood began to warp.这块潮湿的木材有些翘曲了。
• A steel girder may warp in a fire.钢梁遇火会变弯。

13 filaments   

n.（电灯泡的）灯丝( filament的名词复数 )；丝极；细丝；丝状物

参考例句：

• Instead, sarcomere shortening occurs when the thin filaments'slide\" by the thick filaments. 此外，肌节的缩短发生于细肌丝沿粗肌丝“滑行”之际。 来自辞典例句
• Wetting-force data on filaments of any diameter and shape can easily obtained. 各种直径和形状的长丝的润湿力数据是易于测量的。 来自辞典例句