杰克·伦敦：《 白牙 》
作者：秋耳
来源：《新高考·高一英语》2012年第09期
        杰克·伦敦（Jack London）生于美国加利福尼亚州旧金山市，是美国著名的现实主义作家。他一生共创作了约50部作品，其中最为著名的有《野性的呼唤》、《海狼》、《白牙》、《马丁·伊登》和一系列优秀短篇小说《热爱生命》、《老头子同盟》、《北方的奥德赛》、《马普希的房子》、《沉寂的雪原》等。
        《白牙》出版于1906年，曾一度成为畅销书。这是一部描写动物的小说，作者以寒冷的加拿大北极地区为背景，采用拟人化的手法，描写一条生于荒野的混血狼狗，在几个月大时，由母狼带着从荒野世界回归到人类生活中来，由狼变成狗的故事。在《白牙》中，杰克·伦敦一反《荒野的呼唤》的故事，叙述了一只幼狼如何从荒野进入人类的文明世界的故事。有趣而值得注意的是，杰克·伦敦所塑造的动物英雄，往往比它们所遇见的人高贵和值得尊敬。
        下面的内容节选自第四章——獠牙的搏斗，描写了处境艰难的狼在觅食的途中，灰狼
和老狼为了博得母狼的欢心所进行的搏斗，以及老狼和幼狼之间的斗争。
        It was the she⁃wolf who had first caught the sound of men’s voices and the whining of the sled⁃dogs； and it was the she⁃wolf who was first to spring away from the cornered man in his circle of dying flame. The pack had been loath to forego the kill it had hunted down， and it lingered for several minutes， making sure of the sounds， and then it， too，热爱生命杰克伦敦 sprang away on the trail made by the she⁃wolf. Running at the forefront of the pack was a large grey wolf—one of its several leaders. It was he who directed the pack’s course on the heels of the she⁃wolf. It was he who snarled warningly at the younger members of the pack or slashed at them with his fangs when they ambitiously tried to pass him. And it was he who increased the pace when he sighted the she⁃wolf， now trotting slowly across the snow.
        She dropped in alongside by him， as though it were her appointed position， and took the pace of the pack. He did not snarl at her， nor show his teeth， when any leap of hers chanced to put her in advance of him. On the contrary， he seemed kindly dispos
ed toward her—too kindly to suit her， for he was prone to run near to her， and when he ran too near it was she who snarled and showed her teeth. Nor was she above slashing his shoulder sharply on occasion. At such times he betrayed no anger. He merely sprang to the side and ran stiffly ahead for several awkward leaps， in carriage and conduct resembling an abashed country swain.
        This was his one trouble in the running of the pack； but she had other troubles. On her other side ran a gaunt old wolf， grizzled and marked with the scars of many battles. He ran always on her right side. The fact that he had but one eye， and that the left eye， might account for this. He， also， was addicted to crowding her， to veering toward her till his scarred muzzle touched her body， or shoulder， or neck. As with the running mate on the left， she repelled these attentions with her teeth； but when both bestowed their attentions at the same time she was roughly jostled， being compelled， with quick snaps to either side， to drive both lovers away and at the same time to maintain her forward leap with the pack and see the way of her feet before her. At such times her running mates flashed their teeth and growled threateningly across at each othe
r. They might have fought， but even wooing and its rivalry waited upon the more pressing hunger⁃need of the pack.