英语听书《白鲸记》第811期

 　　Gurry, so called, is a term properly belonging to right whalemen, but sometimes incidentally used by the sperm¹ fishermen. It designates the dark, glutinous² substance which is scraped off the back of the Greenland or right whale, and much of which covers the decks of those inferior souls who hunt that ignoble³ Leviathan.

　　还有一种原来是捕露脊鲸者所谓"碎肉"的专门名称，不过，它有时也偶尔被捕抹香鲸者使用了。这指的是从格陵兰鲸或者露脊鲸的背上剥下来的那种黑色的胶状物，那些专捕这种贱鲸的下等人物的船板上就尽是这些东西。

　　Nippers. Strictly⁴ this word is not indigenous⁵ to the whale's vocabulary. But as applied⁶ by whalemen, it becomes so. A whaleman's nipper is a short firm strip of tendinous stuff cut from the tapering⁷ part of Leviathan's tail: it averages an inch in thickness, and for the rest, is about the size of the iron part of a hoe. Edgewise moved along the oily deck, it operates like a leathern squilgee; and by nameless blandishments, as of magic, allures⁸ along with it all impurities⁹.

　　滚子（原文nippers应为"钳子"，但从文中意思看来，称为"滚子"比较妥当。）。这个名称，严格说来，并不是捕鲸业的原有的词儿。不过，由于捕鲸人使用了它，也就成为一种捕鲸词汇了。捕鲸人的所谓"滚子"就是从鲸尾的尖梢上割下来的一种坚硬的短腱块，它一般是一英寸厚，等而下的，大小约等于锹子的那块铁板。拿它斜斜地沿着油腻腻的甲板上滚去，它滚得象只橡皮滚子那样，真有说不出的圆滑灵巧，就象使用了不干不净的魔法那样。

　　But to learn all about these recondite¹⁰ matters, your best way is at once to descend¹¹ into the blubber-room, and have a long talk with its inmates¹². This place has previously¹³ been mentioned as the receptacle for the blanket-pieces, when stript and hoisted¹⁴ from the whale. When the proper time arrives for cutting up its contents, this apartment is a scene of terror to all tyros¹⁵, especially by night. On one side, lit by a dull lantern, a space has been left clear for the workmen. They generally go in pairs,—a pike-and-gaffman and a spade-man.

　　但是，要把所有这些奥妙的东西都弄清楚，最好还是请你立刻下到鲸脂间里去，跟那里边的人好好地长谈一番。这地方以前已经说过，等到毡子从鲸身上吊剥下来后，它就是一个藏毡子的仓库。不过，到了应该斩割大鲸的内脏时，这间房间，在一切生手看来，尤其是在夜里，可真是个恐怖的场所。一只昏暗的灯笼挂在一边，空出一块容工作人员站立的地方。他们一般地是两个人成双成对地在操作——一个拿着捕鲸枪和钩子，一个拿着只铲子。

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 glutinous   

adj.粘的，胶状的

参考例句：

• The sauce was glutinous and tasted artificial.这种酱有些黏，尝起来不是非常地道。
• The coat covering the soft candies is made from glutinous rice.包裹软糖的江米纸是由糯米做成的。

3 ignoble   

adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的

参考例句：

• There's something cowardly and ignoble about such an attitude.这种态度有点怯懦可鄙。
• Some very great men have come from ignoble families.有些伟人出身低微。

4 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

5 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

6 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

7 tapering   

adj.尖端细的

参考例句：

• Interest in the scandal seems to be tapering off. 人们对那件丑闻的兴趣似乎越来越小了。
• Nonproductive expenditures keep tapering down. 非生产性开支一直在下降。

8 allures   

诱引，吸引( allure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Hawaii allures many tourists. 夏威夷吸引了许多旅游者。
• The fine weather allures the ladies into the garden. 晴朗的天气吸引女士们来到花园里。

9 impurities   

不纯( impurity的名词复数 )； 不洁； 淫秽； 杂质

参考例句：

• A filter will remove most impurities found in water. 过滤器会滤掉水中的大部分杂质。
• Oil is refined to remove naturally occurring impurities. 油经过提炼去除天然存在的杂质。

10 recondite   

adj.深奥的，难解的

参考例句：

• Her poems are modishly experimental in style and recondite in subject-matter.她的诗在风格上是时髦的实验派，主题艰深难懂。
• To a craftsman,the ancient article with recondite and scholastic words was too abstruse to understand.可是对一个车轮师父而言，这些之乎者也的文言文是太深而难懂的。

11 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

12 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

14 hoisted   

把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He hoisted himself onto a high stool. 他抬身坐上了一张高凳子。
• The sailors hoisted the cargo onto the deck. 水手们把货物吊到甲板上。

15 tyros   

n.初学者，新手，生手( tyro的名词复数 )

参考例句：