(共20张PPT)
名著选萃
For the Love of a Man-2
Excerpt from The Call of the Wild
淘金潮时期,米勒法官家的爱犬巴克被贩卖到寒冷的阿
拉斯加,它历经了重重磨难,最终回归到大自然。
But in spite of① this great love he bore② John Thornton, which③ seemed to be the result of civilizing④ influence, the strain of the primitive⑤, which the Northland had aroused⑥ in him, remained alive and active. He was a thing of the wild, come in from the wild to sit by John Thornton's fire, rather than a dog of the soft Southland stamped⑦ with the marks of generations of civilization.
Because of his very great love, he could not leave this man, but from any other man, in any other camp, he did not hesitate⑧ an instant⑨; while the cunning⑩ enabled him to escape detection .
His face and body were hurt by the teeth of many dogs, and he fought as fiercely as ever and more shrewdly (机灵地). And Buck was merciless . He had learned well the law of club and fang (犬牙), and he never forewent an advantage or drew back from a foe he had
started on the way to death. He had lessoned from Spitz, and from the chief fighting dogs, and knew there was no middle course. He must master or be mastered; while to show mercy was a weakness . Mercy did not exist in the primitive life. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, was the law, which he obeyed .
He sat by John Thornton's fire, a broad-breasted dog, white-fanged (白色尖牙的) and long-furred ; but behind him were the shades of all kinds of dogs, half-wolves and wild wolves, urgent and prompting , tasting the savor of the meat he ate, thirsting for the water he drank, scenting the wind with him, listening with him and telling him the sounds made by the wild life in the forest, deciding his moods, directing his actions, lying down to sleep with him when he lay down, and dreaming with him and beyond him and becoming themselves the stuff of his dreams.
Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and luring , he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and to plunge into the forest, and on and on, he knew not where or why; nor did he wonder where or why, the call sounding imperiously , deep in the forest.
But as often as he gained the soft unbroken earth and the green shade, the love for John Thornton drew him back to the fire again.
Thornton alone held him. The rest of mankind was as nothing. Chance travellers might praise or pet him; but he was cold under it all, and from a too demonstrative (感情外露的) man he would get up and walk away.
When Thornton's partners, Hans and Pete, arrived on the long-expected raft (木筏), Buck refused to notice them till he learned they were close to Thornton; after that he tolerated them in a passive sort of way, accepting favors from them as though he favored them by accepting. They were of the same large type as Thornton, living close to the earth, thinking simply and seeing clearly; and before they swung the raft into the river, they understood Buck and his ways.
For Thornton, however, his love seemed to grow and grow. Nothing was too great for Buck to do, when Thornton commanded .
One day, at Circle City, “Black” Burton, a man evil-tempered and malicious , had been picking a quarrel with a freshman at the bar, when Thornton stepped good-naturedly between. Buck, as was his custom, was lying in a corner, head on paws , watching his master's every action. Burton struck out, without warning, straight from the shoulder. Thornton was sent spinning , and saved himself from falling only by clutching the rail of the bar.
①in spite of尽管
②bear v.怀有
③此处为which引导的非限制性定语从句。
④civilize v.使(文明)
⑤primitive n.原始人
⑥arouse v.引起;唤醒
⑦stamp v.印上
⑧hesitate v.犹豫
⑨instant n.瞬间
⑩cunning n.狡猾
detection n.察觉
fiercely adv.凶狠地
此处“as...as”表示同级之间的比较。
merciless adj.无情的
forego v.放弃
foe n.敌人
weakness n.缺点
obey v.服从
broad-breasted adj.
胸膛宽阔的
long-furred adj.长毛的
shade n.阴影
prompting adj.激动人心的
savor n.味道,滋味
thirst for 渴望
scent v.闻
此处为v.-ed作定语。
direct v.指导
mysteriously adv.神秘地
thrilling adj.刺激的
luring adj.吸引人的
compel v.强迫;迫使
plunge into跳入
imperiously adv.专制地;狂妄地
draw [熟词生义] v.吸引
pet v.爱抚
tolerate v.容忍
passive adj.被动的;消极的
此处为“be of+名词”句型,表示主语they所具有的特性。
swing v.使……突然转向
command v.命令
evil-tempered adj.坏脾气的
malicious adj.恶毒的
good-naturedly adv.
脾气好地
paw n.爪子
此处为v.-ing作状语。
spin v.快速旋转
此处为by doing作方式状语。
clutch v.抓紧