原文欣赏
The last line reaching the quick ears of an ardent skipper not quite sober, who lodged opposite, and who instantly sprung out of bed, threw up his window, and joined in, across the street, at the top of his voice, produced a fine effect. When it was impossible to sustain the concluding note any longer, the skipper bellowed forth a terrific 'ahoy!' intended in part as a friendly greeting, and in part to show that he was not at all breathed. That done, he shut down his window, and went to bed again.
对面屋子里住着一位热心的小商船的船长，当最后一行歌词传到他灵敏的耳朵里时，他醉意未消，没有完全清醒过来，但却立刻从床上跳起来，打开窗子，放开嗓门，越过街道，参加合唱，产生了优美的效果。当他不能把最后的音调再支撑着唱下去的时候，他可怕地大叫了一声：“啊嗬！”，一方面是作为友好的问候，另一方面是想表示他还没有歇过一口气。然后，他关上窗子，重新躺到床上睡觉。
'And now, Captain Cuttle,' said Walter, handing him the blue coat and waistcoat, and bustling very much, 'if you'll come and break the news to Uncle Sol (which he ought to have known, days upon days ago, by rights), I'll leave you at the door, you know, and walk about until the afternoon.'
“现在，卡特尔船长，”沃尔特把蓝色的外衣和背心递给他，手脚十分忙乱地说，“如果您把这个消息去透露给所尔舅舅（按理说，他本来好几天以前就该知道它了），那么，到了我家门口，您知道，我就将跟您分手，在附近一带溜达溜达，直到下午。”
The Captain, however, scarcely appeared to relish the commission, or to be by any means confident of his powers of executing it. He had arranged the future life and adventures of Walter so very differently, and so entirely to his own satisfaction; he had felicitated himself so often on the sagacity and foresight displayed in that arrangement, and had found it so complete and perfect in all its parts; that to suffer it to go to pieces all at once, and even to assist in breaking it up, required a great effort of his resolution. The Captain, too, found it difficult to unload his old ideas upon the subject, and to take a perfectly new cargo on board, with that rapidity which the circumstances required, or without jumbling and confounding the two. Consequently, instead of putting on his coat and waistcoat with anything like the impetuosity that could alone have kept pace with Walter's mood, he declined to invest himself with those garments at all at present; and informed Walter that on such a serious matter, he must be allowed to 'bite his nails a bit'
可是船长看来丝毫也不高兴接受这个任务，要不就是对他完成这个任务的能力完全没有信心。他曾经给沃尔特未来的生活与事业作过截然不同的安排，并对它感到完全称心满意；他对他在这个安排中所表现出的明智与预见性时常沾沾自喜，觉得这个安排的各个方面都完美无缺，因此现在要让这个安排在顷刻之间土崩瓦解，甚至还要帮助去破坏它，这需要他的意志作出很大的努力才行。船长还觉得要把他对这个问题的老想法从头脑中去掉，迅速换上全新的想法，就像要按照情势所要求的火急速度，把船上的老货物卸下，装上一批全新的货物，而又不把两批货物混杂、弄乱一样困难。因此，他没有跟沃尔特的心情合拍，急匆匆地穿上外衣和背心，而是拒绝现在就把这些衣服套在身上；他告诉沃尔特，这样重大的事情，应该允许他“咬一下指甲”。
'It's an old habit of mine, Wal'r,' said the Captain, 'any time these fifty year. When you see Ned Cuttle bite his nails, Wal'r, then you may know that Ned Cuttle's aground.'
“这是我的老习惯，沃尔，”船长说，“已经有五十年了。当你看到内德·卡特尔在咬指甲，那么，沃尔，你就可以知道，内德·卡特尔搁浅了。”
Thereupon the Captain put his iron hook between his teeth, as if it were a hand; and with an air of wisdom and profundity that was the very concentration and sublimation of all philosophical reflection and grave inquiry, applied himself to the consideration of the subject in its various branches.
于是，船长把铁钩插在牙齿中间，仿佛那是一只手似的，同时露出富于智慧和思想深刻的神态，聚精会神地思考着这个问题的各个方面；他那智慧与深刻的思想是哲学的思考与认真的研究所集中与升华的结果。
'There's a friend of mine,' murmured the Captain, in an absent manner, 'but he's at present coasting round to Whitby, that would deliver such an opinion on this subject, or any other that could be named, as would give Parliament six and beat 'em. Been knocked overboard, that man,' said the Captain, 'twice, and none the worse for it. Was beat in his apprenticeship, for three weeks (off and on), about the head with a ring-bolt. And yet a clearer-minded man don't walk.'
“我有一位朋友，”船长神情恍惚地低声说道，“他会对这个问题以及其他任何问题发表意见；他曾把六比一的有利条件让给议会，来和议会就某个问题打赌，结果他仍能胜过他们；可是他现在正沿着惠特比岸边航行。”船长继续说下去，“这个人曾经两次从船上被冲打到水里，但却安然无恙，丝毫不受影响。他当学徒的时候，头上曾经被环端螺栓刺扎，断断续续的加起来有三个星期之久，可是在世界上仍找不到头脑比他更聪明的人。”
Despite of his respect for Captain Cuttle, Walter could not help inwardly rejoicing at the absence of this sage, and devoutly hoping that his limpid intellect might not be brought to bear on his difficulties until they were quite settled.
沃尔特虽然尊敬卡特尔船长，但却不由得由于这位聪明人不在而暗暗高兴；他衷心希望，在他的困难妥善解决之前，他的大智大慧不要用来处理它们。
'If you was to take and show that man the buoy at the Nore,' said Captain Cuttle in the same tone, 'and ask him his opinion of it, Wal'r, he'd give you an opinion that was no more like that buoy than your Uncle's buttons are. There ain't a man that walks—certainly not on two legs—that can come near him. Not near him!'
“如果你把诺尔的一个浮标给他看，”卡特尔船长用同样的声调说道，“请他谈谈他对它的看法的话，沃尔，那么他会说出一个跟浮标毫无关系的看法，就像你舅舅的钮扣跟浮标毫无关系一样。世界上没有一个人——至少是没有一个靠·两·条腿走路的人——能比得上他。没有能比得上他的！”
重点讲解
一.reach:v.到达, 伸出, 达成, 取得联系, 延伸, （伸手）去够 n.范围, 影响力, 河段, 等级
【词义辨析】
1.attain, reach, achieve, arrive
这些动词均有“达到”之意。
attain侧重指在抱负或雄心的激励下，以最大的努力去达到一般所不及或不敢追求的目的。
reach常用词，指到达某一空间、时间、目标或发展过程中的某一点。
achieve侧重为达到目的所需的技巧、忍耐和努力。
arrive指得出结论，达成某项协议或作出某一决定等。
2.come, arrive, reach
这些动词均含“到达”之意。
come普通用词，含义广泛。强调到达的动作或进程，不侧重是否到达目的地。也可用于比喻意义。
arrive侧重到达目的地或达到某一目标。也可用作比喻。
reach既可指到达目的地，又可指到达途中的中间站。强调经过的周折或付出的努力。
【例句用法】
I can just about reach the apples on the top branch.
我只差一点就能够著最上边树枝上的苹果。
That's beyond the reach of my imagination.
那是我想象不到的。
二.show:.证明, 显现, 展示, 解说, 指示, 表示, 表现, 流露, 带路, 标示, 描绘,陈列, 证明, 上映, 出现 n.表演, 展览, 显示, 行为,样子, 景象,场面, 表现
【词义辨析】
1.appear, emerge, show, loom
这些动词均有“出现”之意。
appear强调公开露面，被看见。
emerge侧重缓缓出现的过程。
show语气较强，强调“露出来”。
loom指朦胧出现，好像从雾中浮现出来一样。
2.show, exhibit, display, manifest, demonstrate
这些动词均含“显示、显露、展现”之意。
show泛指任何有意或无意地把东西给别人看的行为。
exhibit指公开或正式地展示，以便引人注目或让人检查。
display多指将某物陈列在显眼之处以便让发现其优点，侧重有意识地显示。
manifest书面正式用词，指明确地表明。
demonstrate指明显地表露感情。也指用实例、实验推理等手段表演证明，或论证某一问题。
【例句用法】
Her laziness showed in her exam results.
她平时懒惰从她的考试成绩可以看得出来。
All the new products were on show at the exhibition.
展览会上陈列著所有的新产品。
The leader rarely shows herself in public.
这位领导她很少在公众场合露面