英语听书《白鲸记》第774期

 　　Another point of difference between the male and female schools is still more characteristic of the sexes. 雄鲸队与雌鲸队还有一种更具有性别特征的不同之处。

　　Say you strike a Forty-barrel-bull—poor devil! all his comrades quit him. 比如说，你去攻击一条四十大桶的雄鲸吧——天呀！它所有的同伴都弃它而逃。

　　But strike a member of the harem school, 可是，如果你去攻击闺秀鲸队中的一个成员的话，

　　and her companions swim around her with every token of concern, sometimes lingering so near her and so long, as themselves to fall a prey¹. 那她的同伴就显得非常关切，在她周围游来游去，有时竟至于游得那么靠近她，逗留得那么久，连她们自己也成了猎物。

　　Chapter 89 Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish 第八十九章 有主鲸和无主鲸

　　The allusion² to the waifs and waif-poles in the last chapter but one, necessitates³ some account of the laws and regulations of the whale fishery, 前一章偶然提到的浮标和浮标杆，这里，有必要把捕鲸业的一些大法和规章说明一下，

　　of which the waif may be deemed the grand symbol and badge. 其中关于浮标一项还可以说是一种重大的标记。

　　It frequently happens that when several ships are cruising in company, 往往会发生这样的事情：几艘船在一起巡游时，

　　a whale may be struck by one vessel⁴, then escape, and be finally killed and captured by another vessel; 其中有一艘船，可能打到了一条鲸，又给它逃脱了，最后让另外一艘船打死捉去了；

　　and herein are indirectly⁵ comprised many minor⁶ contingencies⁷, all partaking of this one grand feature. 这中间虽然间接地包含有许多不重要的意外事故，但都关系到这个重大的标记。

　　For example,—after a weary and perilous⁸ chase and capture of a whale, the body may get loose from the ship by reason of a violent storm; 例如，在一阵危险而疲累的追击后，捕到了一条大鲸，但是，那条鲸由于猛烈的风暴可能逃却了，

　　and drifting far away to leeward⁹, be retaken by a second whaler, who, in a calm, snugly¹⁰ tows it alongside, without risk of life or line. 漂到老远的下风处，给第二艘捕鲸船捉去了，这艘船一点也不必冒生命和绳索的风险，就不慌不忙地随手把它拖起走了。

　　Thus the most vexatious and violent disputes would often arise between the fishermen, 因此，如果没有一些可以适用于各种情况的成文的或不成文的、且是大家一致遵守、不必争辩的大法，那么，

　　were there not some written or unwritten, universal, undisputed law applicable to all cases. 捕鲸人之间就会经常发生最激烈又最恼人的纠纷了。

1 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

2 allusion   

n.暗示，间接提示

参考例句：

• He made an allusion to a secret plan in his speech.在讲话中他暗示有一项秘密计划。
• She made no allusion to the incident.她没有提及那个事件。

3 necessitates   

使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The increase in population necessitates a greater food supply. 人口的增加需要更多食物供应。
• Your proposal necessitates borrowing money. 你的提议使借款成为必要。

4 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

5 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。

6 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

7 contingencies   

n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一

参考例句：

• We must consider all possible contingencies. 我们必须考虑一切可能发生的事。
• We must be prepared for all contingencies. 我们要作好各种准备，以防意外。 来自辞典例句

8 perilous   

adj.危险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
• We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机，我们如今已安然无恙。

9 leeward   

adj.背风的；下风的

参考例句：

• The trees all listed to leeward.树木统统向下风方向倾。
• We steered a course to leeward.我们向下风航驶。

10 snugly   

adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地

参考例句：

• Jamie was snugly wrapped in a white woolen scarf. 杰米围着一条白色羊毛围巾舒适而暖和。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmyard was snugly sheltered with buildings on three sides. 这个农家院三面都有楼房，遮得很严实。 来自《简明英汉词典》