英语听书《白鲸记》第863期

 Chapter 103 Measurement of The Whale's Skeleton 第一百零三章 鲸骷髅的尺寸

In the first place, I wish to lay before you a particular, plain statement, touching¹ the living bulk of this leviathan, whose skeleton we are briefly² to exhibit. 首先，我想把这种大鲸的活躯体给你特别清晰地说明一番，至于它的骷髅，我们就简略地提一提。

Such a statement may prove useful here. 这样一种说明，也许在这里是有用处的。

According to a careful calculation I have made, and which I partly base upon Captain Scoresby's estimate, 根据我所做的仔细计算，而且这种计算大半还是以斯哥斯比船长的估计为依据的：

of seventy tons for the largest sized Greenland whale of sixty feet in length; 最大的格陵兰鲸体重七十吨，身长六十英尺；

according to my careful calculation, I say, a Sperm³ Whale of the largest magnitude, between eighty-five and ninety feet in length, 我说，根据我的仔细的计算，最大的一只抹香鲸，身长大约在八十五到九十英尺间，

and something less than forty feet in its fullest circumference⁴, such a whale will weigh at least ninety tons; 身圆最大的地方大约四十英尺左右，象这样一只鲸，它的重量至少有九十吨；

so that, reckoning thirteen men to a ton, he would considerably⁵ outweigh⁶ the combined population of a whole village of one thousand one hundred inhabitants. 因此，以十三个人合一吨计算，它的体重就要大大地超过一个有一千一百个居民的村子整个人口的总体重。

Think you not then that brains, like yoked⁷ cattle, should be put to this leviathan, to make him at all budge⁸ to any landsman's imagination? 那么，难道你不认为，在任何陆地人的想象中，这只大海兽定然长着一只象上了轭的牲口那样的脑袋，使它动弹不得么？

Having already in various ways put before you his skull⁹, spout-hole, jaw¹⁰, teeth, tail, forehead, fins¹¹, and divers¹² other parts, 关于它的脑壳，喷水口，嘴巴，牙齿，尾巴，前额，鳍，和其它各个部分，我已经用各种方法告诉过你了。

I shall now simply point out what is most interesting in the general bulk of his unobstructed bones. 现在我只想指出，在它那以优雅的骨胳所构成的整个身躯中，最有趣的是哪一方面。

1 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

2 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

3 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。

4 circumference   

n.圆周，周长，圆周线

参考例句：

• It's a mile round the circumference of the field.运动场周长一英里。
• The diameter and the circumference of a circle correlate.圆的直径与圆周有相互关系。

5 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。

6 outweigh   

vt.比...更重，...更重要

参考例句：

• The merits of your plan outweigh the defects.你制定的计划其优点胜过缺点。
• One's merits outweigh one's short-comings.功大于过。

7 yoked   

结合（yoke的过去式形式）

参考例句：

• The farmer yoked the oxen. 那个农夫给牛加上轭。
• He was yoked to an disinclined partner. 他不得不与一位不情愿的伙伴合作。

8 budge   

v.移动一点儿；改变立场

参考例句：

• We tried to lift the rock but it wouldn't budge.我们试图把大石头抬起来，但它连动都没动一下。
• She wouldn't budge on the issue.她在这个问题上不肯让步。

9 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。

10 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。

11 fins   

[医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌

参考例句：

• The level of TNF-α positively correlated with BMI,FPG,HbA1C,TG,FINS and IRI,but not with SBP and DBP. TNF-α水平与BMI、FPG、HbA1C、TG、FINS和IRI呈显著正相关，与SBP、DBP无相关。 来自互联网
• Fins are a feature specific to fish. 鱼鳍是鱼类特有的特征。 来自辞典例句

12 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。