新概念英语第二册82

82 Monster or fish?是妖还是鱼？ Fishermen and sailors sometimes claim to have seen monsters in the sea. Though people have often laughed at stories told by seamen, it is now known that many of these 'monsters' which have at times been sighted are simply strange fish. Occasionally, unusual creatures are washed to the shore, but they are rarely caught out at sea. Some time ago, however, a peculiar fish was caught near Madagascar. A small fishing boat was carried miles out to sea by the powerful fish as it pulled on the line. Realizing that this was no ordinary fish, the fisherman made every effort not to damage it in any way. When it was eventually brought to shore, it was found to be over thirteen feet long. It had a head like a horse, big blue eyes, shining silver skin, and a bright red tail. The fish, which has since been sent to a museum where it is being examined by a scientist, is called an oarfish. Such creatures have rarely been seen alive by man as they live at a depth of six hundred feet. 渔夫和水手有时声称看到过海里的妖怪。虽然人们常常嘲笑海员所讲的故事，它是目前已知的这些“妖怪”很多，有时只不过是些奇怪的鱼。偶尔的，不寻常的动物被冲到岸上来，但它们在海上却极少能被捕到。前一段时间，但是，捕获了一条奇怪的鱼在马达加斯加。一条小渔船被拖到了几英里外的海上强大的鱼拖着鱼线。意识到这不是一条普通的鱼，于是千方百计不让它受到丝毫伤害。当终于把它弄上岸后，发现它有十三英尺长。它有一个像马一样的头，大大的蓝眼睛，闪闪发光的皮肤，还有一条鲜红色的尾巴。本鱼，被送进了博物馆，在那里接受一位科学家的观察，叫桨鱼。人们很少能看到活着的这类动物，因为它们生活在六百英尺深的。