英语听书《白鲸记》第861期

 　　But soon my line was out; and following it back, I emerged from the opening where I entered. 可是，不一会，我的麻线拉完了；只得顺着麻线打回头，从刚才进去的那个缺口出来。

　　I saw no living thing within; naught¹ was there but bones. 我看不到里面有什么生物；看来看去只是一些骨头。

　　Cutting me a green measuring-rod, I once more dived within the skeleton. 我砍了一根碧绿的量竿，又再一次地跑到骷髅里面去。

　　From their arrow-slit in the skull², the priests perceived me taking the altitude of the final rib³, 那些僧人从脑壳的弓形裂口上，看到我在量着最后一根肋骨的高度。

　　"How now!" they shouted; "Dar'st thou measure this our god! That's for us." "怎么啦！"他们都叫嚷道；"你竟胆敢量起我们这个大神来！那是要我们来量的。"

　　"Aye, priests—well, how long do ye make him, then?" "啊，僧人们——那么，你们量的长短是多少呀？"

　　But hereupon a fierce contest rose among them, concerning feet and inches; 于是乎，他们就掀起一阵有关尺寸的激烈的争辩；

　　they cracked each other's sconces with their yard-sticks— the great skull echoed—and seizing that lucky chance, I quickly concluded my own admeasurements. 他们用量码敲打着彼此的脑袋——弄得那只大脑壳也发出了回声——我抓住这个大好机会，连忙结束我自己的度量工作。

　　These admeasurements I now propose to set before you. 我现在打算把量来的这些尺寸告诉你们。

　　But first, be it recorded, that, in this matter, I am not free to utter any fancied measurements I please. 不过，首先请把它记下来，因为在这方面，我所想说的尺寸是不能随便乱说的。

　　Because there are skeleton authorities you can refer to, to test my accuracy. 因为骷髅的权威家有的是，你尽可以去请教他们，以检验我是否量得准确。

　　There is a Leviathanic Museum, they tell me, in Hull⁴, England, one of the whaling ports of that country, 据说，在英国的赫尔，在英国这个捕鲸港，有个大鲸博物馆，

　　where they have some fine specimens⁶ of fin-backs and other whales. 在那里，陈列有几只脊鳍鲸和其它大鲸的颇为精美的标本。

　　Likewise, I have heard that in the museum of Manchester, in New Hampshire, 同样地，我也听到人们说，在新罕布什尔的孟彻斯特博物馆中，

　　they have what the proprietors⁷ call quote "the only perfect specimen⁵ of a Greenland or River Whale in the United States." End quote 也陈列有一些物主管它叫"美国唯一的格陵兰或者河鲸的地道标本"。

　　Moreover, at a place in Yorkshire, England, Burton Constable⁸ by name, 而且，在英国的约克郡，有一个叫做伯顿·康斯特布尔的地方，

　　a certain Sir Clifford Constable has in his possession the skeleton of a Sperm⁹ Whale, 有某一位叫做克利福德·康斯特布尔爵士的，家里藏有一只抹香鲸的骷髅，

　　but of moderate size, by no means of the full-grown magnitude of my friend King Tranquo's. 不过，那是一条中型的鲸，绝不能跟我的朋友托朗魁王那只茁壮的巨物相比。

1 naught   

n.无，零 [=nought]

参考例句：

• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。
• I hope that all your efforts won't go for naught.我希望你的努力不会毫无结果。

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 rib   

n.肋骨，肋状物

参考例句：

• He broke a rib when he fell off his horse.他从马上摔下来折断了一根肋骨。
• He has broken a rib and the doctor has strapped it up.他断了一根肋骨，医生已包扎好了。

4 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

5 specimen   

n.样本，标本

参考例句：

• You'll need tweezers to hold up the specimen.你要用镊子来夹这标本。
• This specimen is richly variegated in colour.这件标本上有很多颜色。

6 specimens   

n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人

参考例句：

• Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
• The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 proprietors   

n.所有人，业主( proprietor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These little proprietors of businesses are lords indeed on their own ground. 这些小业主们，在他们自己的行当中，就是真正的至高无上的统治者。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Many proprietors try to furnish their hotels with antiques. 许多经营者都想用古董装饰他们的酒店。 来自辞典例句

8 constable   

n.(英国)警察，警官

参考例句：

• The constable conducted the suspect to the police station.警官把嫌疑犯带到派出所。
• The constable kept his temper,and would not be provoked.那警察压制着自己的怒气，不肯冒起火来。

9 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。