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Jack London: Listening to the Call of the Wild 杰克伦敦：野性的呼唤

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

“I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather that my spark would burn out in a brilliant blaze than be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.” – Jack London 1876~1916   「我宁愿是灰，也不愿是尘。我愿我是火花燃烧成炽热亮眼的火焰，而不是如同槁木死灰一般熄灭。我愿是一颗流星，每个分子都闪着奇妙的光芒，而不要是一颗死气沉沉，永无变化的行星。」

Jack London didn’t take the usual path towards becoming a celebrated author. Instead, he journeyed from California to Alaska, crossing mountains, rafting through rapids, and taking routes other men feared to even mention. A lifelong traveler and eager pursuer of outlandish adventure, London translated his abundant life experiences into timeless literature.

杰克伦敦成为知名作家的过程并不寻常。他一路由加州到阿拉斯加，翻山越岭，横渡激流，他行经的路线是其他人怯于提及的。杰克伦敦一生都在旅行，他热切的追求奇异的冒险，并且将丰富的人生经历转变成不朽的文学。

Born in San Francisco, California, in 1876, London didn’t have an easy childhood. He had no recollection of being taught to read or write, but he could do both by the time he was five. From the age of eight, he worked on his parents’ ranch, which was a world of seemingly inescapable boredom and loneliness for him. Every day, he looked to the horizon and wondered what lay beyond.

杰克伦敦于1876年在加州的旧金山出生，他的童年并不平顺。他不记得有人教过他读书写字，但是到了五岁，他既能读也能写。从八岁开始，他就在父母亲的农场工作，对他来说，这个地方是似乎难以逃脱的沉闷和孤寂。每天他都望着地平线，想象着地平线外的世界。

At the age of 11, London left for Oakland, where he made a living by selling newspapers. Much of his spare time was spent reading at the library. However, he didn’t stay long in Oakland, saying, “The adventure-lust was strong within me.”

十一岁时，杰克伦敦前往奥克兰，以卖报为生。他的空闲时间多半消磨在图书馆里。然而，他在奥克兰的时间并不长。他说：「我内心深处渴望着冒险。」

After turning 16, he took on a number of jobs. First, he was an oyster pirate, illegally poaching the shellfish in the San Francisco Bay. Ironically, he later became a member of the fish-patrol, which was responsible for catching oyster pirates! Subsequently, he shipped off as a seal hunter on the Japanese coast, and then returned to take work as a longshoreman. Following this, he settled into a factory job, but again manual labor and Jack London didn’t suit each other for long.

到了十六岁时，杰克伦敦从事好几份工作。第一个工作是盗采牡蛎，在旧金山湾非法捕捉贝类。很讽刺的是，日后他成为渔业巡逻队的一员，专门负责逮捕盗采牡蛎的人。随后，他乘船到日本沿海猎取海豹，然后又回去当码头工人。接下来，杰克伦敦到工厂做事，但没有多久，他和这份劳动工作又一拍两散了。

Vocabulary

单词发音

superb [sʊˋpɝb] adj. 极好的

magnificent [mægˋnɪfəsənt] adj. 壮丽的，宏伟的

permanent [ˋpɝmənənt] adj. 永久的，永恒的

outlandish [aʊtˋlændɪʃ] adj. 古怪的﹐奇异的

abundant [əˋbʌndənt] adj. 丰富的

recollection [͵rɛkəˋlɛkʃən] n. 回忆

spare time 业余时间; 空闲时间

take on 承担; 取得

poach [potʃ] v. 偷猎；偷捕

ironically [aɪˋrɑnɪklɪ] adv. 讽刺地

subsequently [ˋsʌbsɪ͵kwɛntlɪ] adv. 随后

manual [ˋmænjʊəl] adj. 体力的

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单词发音

spark [spɑrk] n. 火花，火星

blaze [blez] n. 火焰

stifle [ˋstaɪf!] v. 阻止；掩盖

dry-rot 腐朽

meteor [ˋmitɪɚ] n. 流星；陨星

glow [glo] n. 白热光

raft [ræft] v. 乘筏子渡（河）

rapid [ˋræpɪd] n. 急流；急湍

pursuer [pɚˋsuɚ] n. 追求者

timeless [ˋtaɪmlɪs] adj. 永恒的

easy [ˋizɪ] adj. 安逸的，安乐的

inescapable [͵ɪnəˋskepəb!] adj. 逃不掉的；不可避免的

lust [lʌst] v. 渴望

pirate [ˋpaɪrət] n. 侵入他人地界偷猎，走私者

shellfish [ˋʃɛl͵fɪʃ] n. 贝；有壳的水生动物

patrol [pəˋtrol] n. 巡逻队；巡逻

ship off  遣送 to send someone somewhere, usually when they do not want to go

longshoreman [ˋlɔŋ͵ʃormən] n. 码头（或港口）工人

settle into  安定下来﹐ 安心下来  to become comfortable in a new place or situation

课文讲解

Not wanting to be a “work beast,’ London had done some writing, and even won local literature contests. However, in order to write, he needed inspiration, adventure, and danger. In 1897, hearing of the gold rush to the Yukon, he boarded a steamer bound for the Klondike.

由于不想变成整天工作的动物，杰克伦敦写了一些文章，并赢得当地的文学竞赛。为了创作，他需要灵感、冒险和危险。于是在1897年，当他听说育空地区的淘金热后，就登上了一艘前往克伦代克的汽船。

After reaching port, London had to sail on to Dawson City. Out in the wild, solitary prospectors, with snow collecting on their beards and frozen breath hanging in the air, traveled silently across the icy-white landscape by dog sled. There, he witnessed the basic struggle for survival. “It was in the Klondike that I found myself. There, nobody talks. Everybody thinks. You get your perspective, I got mine,” he said.

到达港口之后，杰克伦敦又继续驶向道森市。在荒野中，孤独的采矿者坐着雪撬静静的穿越在白茫茫的大地上，雪花落在他们的胡子上，呼吸在空气中凝结。在那里，他目睹了为了生存而做的最基本挣扎。他说：「在克伦代克，我才找到了我自己。在那里，没有人交谈，每个人都在思考。你有你的领悟，我也有我的领悟。」

During his day in Dawson, he found a claim at an important crossroads. Many people stopped by his cabin, sharing dubious stories with him. In his diary, he vividly describes being attacked by swarms of enormous mosquitoes. Due to poor living conditions and lack of proper nutrition, he developed scurvy. In the spring, he headed home with his mind brimming with stories.

在道森市期间，杰克伦敦在一个重要的十字路口找到了一块地。许多人会经过他的小屋和他分享一些令人半信半疑的故事。他的日记里生动地描述着被一大群蚊子攻击的过程。由于生活环境恶劣，又缺乏充足的营养，他得了坏血病。到了春天，他带着脑海中满满的故事，踏上回家之路。

From 1899 until his death in 1916, Jack London wrote 50 books and over 1,000 articles. His most famous novel was The Call of the Wild, about a domestic dog whose natural instincts awaken when it is thrown into the wilderness. Many believe that London was describing a feeling shared by human as well. London’s writing is always cherished for his story of the Klondike and his love of adventure.

从1899年到1916年去世为止，杰克伦敦共写了五十本书和一千多篇文章。他最著名的小说是《野性的呼唤》，描写一只家犬被丢弃到荒野，唤醒了牠的天性本能；很多人相信杰克伦敦所叙述的亦是人类共同的感受。他的作品记录了克伦代克的生活和对于冒险的热爱，一直深受世人喜爱。

−by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

be bound for（准备）前往……

solitary [ˋsɑlə͵tɛrɪ] adj. 单独的，独自的; 孤独的；寂寞的

landscape [ˋlænd͵skep] n. 风景，景色

witness [ˋwɪtnɪs] v. 目击

perspective [pɚˋspɛktɪv] n. 看法，观点

dubious [ˋdjubɪəs] adj. 可疑的

nutrition [njuˋtrɪʃən] n. 营养，滋养

brim [brɪm] v. 充满，溢出[（+over/with）]

article [ˋɑrtɪk!] n. 文章

domestic [dəˋmɛstɪk] adj. 驯养的

wilderness [ˋwɪldɚnɪs] n. 荒野

cherish [ˋtʃɛrɪʃ] v. 珍爱

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单词发音

steamer [ˋstimɚ] n. 汽船，轮船

prospector [ˋprɑspɛktɚ] n. 勘探者，探矿者

claim [klem] n.（移民等）申请产权的土地

stop by  顺便拜访﹐ 顺路探望 to visit a place briefly

cabin [ˋkæbɪn] n. 小屋

scurvy [ˋskɝvɪ] n. 坏血病

Reading Questions

1.  Where did Jack London get most of the idea for his articles?

A.  From his parents while living on the farm.

B.  From his varied life experiences.

C.  From the writings of other authors.

D.  From his favorite childhood memories.

2.  Which of the following was NOT a job held by Jack London?

A.  Seal hunter.

B.  Ranch hand.

C.  Fish-patrol.

D.  Drink vendor.

3.  Life in the Klondike is best described as _____.

A.  isolated and harsh

B.  welcoming and open

C.  civilized and convenient

D.  modern and easy

4.  Which of the following statements can be inferred from the article?

A.  Jack London, like the majority of writers, knew he wanted to become an author from a young age.

B.  Journeying to the Klondike had a huge impact on London’s decision to become an author.

C.  London’s time in the Klondike was harmful to his writing career because he was ill.

D.  London was a timid man who feared the unknown and refused to leave his hometown.

Answer