英语听书《白鲸记》第41期
英语课
Whether it was that this undulating tester rolled the savage 1 away to far distant scenes,I know not,
but he now spoke 2 of his native island;and,eager to hear his history,I begged him to go on and tell it.
He gladly complied.Though at the time I but ill comprehended not a few of his words,yet subsequent disclosures,
when I had become more familiar with his broken phraseology,now enable me to present the whole story such as it may prove in the mere 3 skeleton I give.
CHAPTER 12.Biographical.
Queequeg was a native of Rokovoko,an island far away to the West and South.It is not down in any map;true places never are.
When a new hatched savage running wild about his native woodlands in a grass clout,followed by the nibbling 4 goats,
as if he were a green sapling;even then,in Queequeg's ambitious soul,lurked a strong desire to see something more of Christendom than a specimen 5 whaler or two.
His father was a High Chief,a King;his uncle a High Priest;and on the maternal 6 side he boasted aunts who were the wives of unconquerable warriors 7.
There was excellent blood in his veins 8 royal stuff;though sadly vitiated,
I fear,by the cannibal propensity 9 he nourished in his untutored youth.
A Sag 10 Harbor ship visited his father's bay,and Queequeg sought a passage to Christian 11 lands.But the ship,having her full complement 12 of seamen,
spurned his suit;and not all the King his father's influence could prevail.But Queequeg vowed 14 a vow 13.Alone in his canoe,he paddled off to a distant strait,
which he knew the ship must pass through when she quitted the island.On one side was a coral reef;on the other a low tongue of land,covered with mangrove 15 thickets 16 that grew out into the water.
Hiding his canoe,still afloat,among these thickets,with its prow 17 seaward,he sat down in the stern,paddle low in hand;and when the ship was gliding 18 by,
like a flash he darted 19 out;gained her side;with one backward dash of his foot capsized and sank his canoe;climbed up the chains;and throwing himself at full length upon the deck,grappled a ring bolt there,
and swore not to let it go,though hacked 20 in pieces.
In vain the captain threatened to throw him overboard;suspended a cutlass over his naked wrists;Queequeg was the son of a King,
and Queequeg budged 21 not.Struck by his desperate dauntlessness,and his wild desire to visit Christendom,the captain at last relented,and told him he might make himself at home.
1 savage
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人
- The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
- He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。
2 spoke
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
3 mere
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
- That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
- It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
4 nibbling
v.啃,一点一点地咬(吃)( nibble的现在分词 );啃出(洞),一点一点咬出(洞);慢慢减少;小口咬
- We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿,喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
- He was nibbling on the apple. 他在啃苹果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
5 specimen
n.样本,标本
- 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 maternal
adj.母亲的,母亲般的,母系的,母方的
- He is my maternal uncle.他是我舅舅。
- The sight of the hopeless little boy aroused her maternal instincts.那个绝望的小男孩的模样唤起了她的母性。
7 warriors
武士,勇士,战士( warrior的名词复数 )
- I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
- The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。
8 veins
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理
- The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的,感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 propensity
n.倾向;习性
- He has a propensity for drinking too much alcohol.他有酗酒的倾向。
- She hasn't reckoned on his propensity for violence.她不曾料到他有暴力倾向。
10 sag
v.下垂,下跌,消沉;n.下垂,下跌,凹陷,[航海]随风漂流
- The shelf was beginning to sag beneath the weight of the books upon it.书架在书的重压下渐渐下弯。
- We need to do something about the sag.我们须把下沉的地方修整一下。
11 Christian
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
- They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
- His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
12 complement
n.补足物,船上的定员;补语;vt.补充,补足
- The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
- They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。
13 vow
n.誓(言),誓约;v.起誓,立誓
- My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿,每星期日都去做礼拜。
- I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。
14 vowed
起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式)
- He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
- I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。
15 mangrove
n.(植物)红树,红树林
- It is the world's largest tidal mangrove forest.它是世界上最大的红树林沼泽地。
- Many consider this the most beautiful mangrove forest in all Thailand.许多人认为这里是全泰国最美丽的红树林了。
16 thickets
n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 );丛状物
- Small trees became thinly scattered among less dense thickets. 小树稀稀朗朗地立在树林里。 来自辞典例句
- The entire surface is covered with dense thickets. 所有的地面盖满了密密层层的灌木丛。 来自辞典例句
17 prow
n.(飞机)机头,船头
- The prow of the motor-boat cut through the water like a knife.汽艇的船头像一把刀子劈开水面向前行驶。
- He stands on the prow looking at the seadj.他站在船首看着大海。
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