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LESSON 36 The whale
第三十六課 鯨
The whale is the largest animal in the world. It is so large, that perhaps you have never seen a room big enough to hold one.
鯨是世界上最大的動物。它如此之大，以至于你可能從沒見過哪個房間大到可以容納下它。
It is commonly called a fish; but learned men say that it is not a fish, for it breathes air as we do.
它被普遍地稱為一種魚；但是學者們認為它不是一種魚，因為它像我一樣呼吸空氣。
As it does not live on land, it does not need legs to walk with. It swims in the sea by the help of its tail and fins.
由于它不生活在陸地上，因此它不需要用以行走的腿。它借助于自己的尾巴和鰭在海里游走。
Though it has a very large mouth, it has no teeth; so it lives on the small creatures that it finds swimming in the sea, and it swallows them whole. Only think what a number of shrimps a whale must need to eat for dinner!
雖然它有一張非常大的嘴，它卻沒有牙齒；所以它以吃在海中游動的小生物為生，它會把它們整個吞下去。想想看，一頭鯨的晚餐會吃掉多少的蝦??！
Men go in ships to those parts of the world where whales are found, and kill them with iron spears, called harpoons. But it is very dangerous work; for a whale often upsets a boat with a blow of its tail.
人類乘船去世界上有鯨出沒的地方，用被叫做魚叉的鐵矛殺死鯨。不過這可是非常危險的操作；因為一頭鯨經常能用尾巴打翻一條船。
When the whale is dead, the sailors put its fat, called blubber, into casks, and bring it home, to be made into oil.
當鯨死后，水手將鯨身上被稱作鯨脂的油脂放進木桶里，帶回家，用以做成油。
Whalebone, which comes from its jaws, is used in making umbrellas, and many other things; and part of one kind of whale, called the Sperm Whale, is used for making candles.
鯨須，取自其頜骨，被用來做雨傘，以及很多其他的制品；有一種叫做巨頭鯨的，它的肢體可以用來做蠟燭。
Plunging away through the deep deep sea,
投入深海的胸懷，
The huge whale sports in his kingly glee.
巨鯨暢享帝王樂。
Down to the bottom sometimes he will go,
偶爾深至海底處，
Then up to the surface again, to blow.
而后浮游海面息。
There is danger and dread in catching the whale,
捕鯨危險又可怕，
For he'll toss o'er a boat with a blow of his tail;
它的擺尾掀翻船；
And then with a plunge away goes he,
它再一頭扎進海，
Bounding along through the deep deep sea.
跳躍在深深的海洋里。
The whale! the whale! the mighty and free,
鯨啊，鯨！它既強大又無束，
Is the monarch and pride of the deep deep sea!
它是深海的君王與驕傲！
QUESTIONS
問題
Which is the largest animal in the world? Why is it not a fish? Why must it live on very small fishes? What are the spears called with which the whale is hunted? Why is whale-hunting dangerous? What do the ships bring home from the whale-hunt? Where does whalebone come from? What is it used for?
世界上最大的動物是什么？為什么它不是一種魚？為什么它必須以食小魚為生？用來抓捕鯨的矛叫什么？為什么捕鯨是危險的？捕到鯨之后漁船會帶回什么？鯨須是從哪里來的？鯨須被用來做什么呢？
