Day 1
He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him.
But after forty days without a fish the boy's parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week.
It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast. The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.
The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches of the benevolent skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks.
The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. But none of these scars were fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.
Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.
"Santiago," the boy said to him as they climbed from the bank where the skiff was hauled up. "I could go with you again. We've made some money."
The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him."No," the old man said. "You're with a lucky boat. Stay with them."
"But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks."
"I remember," the old man said. "I know you did not leave me because you doubted."
"It was papa made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him."
"I know," the old man said. "It is quite normal."
"He hasn't much faith."
"No," the old man said. "But we have. Haven't we?"
"Yes," the boy said. "Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace and then we'll take the stuff home."
"Why not?" the old man said. "Between fishermen."
They sat on the Terrace and many of the fishermen made fun of the old man and he was not angry. Others, of the older fishermen, looked at him and were sad. But they did not show it and they spoke politely about the current and the depths they had drifted their lines at and the steady good weather and of what they had seen.
The successful fishermen of that day were already in and had butchered their marlin out and carried them laid full length across two planks, with two men staggering at the end of each plank, to the fish house where they waited for the ice truck to carry them to the market in Havana.
Those who had caught sharks had taken them to the shark factory on the other side of the cove where they were hoisted on a block and tackle, their livers removed, their fins cut off and their hides skinned out and their flesh cut into strips for salting.
詞彙知識點
n.魚鏢，魚叉
例：The harpoon drove deep into [into表示進入的意思】the body of the whale.
adj.永久（性）的，永恆的，不變的，耐久的，持久的，經久的;穩定的;常務的，常設的
例：The museum will have a permanent exhibition of 60 vintage cars.
adj.好心腸的;與人為善的;樂善好施的;慈善的
例：They believe that the country needs a benevolent dictator.
vt.& vi.拖，拉
例：Revitalising the Romanian economy will be a long haul.
vt.升起，提起
例：Materials are elevated to the top floor by the new hoist.
n.小艇，小型帆船;摩託小快艇
例：Huck, I'll take you right to it in a skiff.
adj.憔悴的;骨瘦如柴的;荒涼的
例：Above on the hillside was a large, gaunt, grey house.
adj.強壯的，健全的;堅固的，耐用的;堅定的;精力充沛的
例：Grease two sturdy baking sheets and heat the oven to 400 degrees.
n.材料，原料，資料;〈俚〉錢，現金;填充物;素材資料
例：I don't want any more of that heavy stuff.
n.槍魚，青槍魚，四鰓旗魚
例：It could have been a marlin or a broadbill or a shark.
01
重點單詞/詞組
harpoon
【釋】 n. a spear with a shaft and barbed point for throwing
【譯】 魚叉
【同】leister
permanent
【釋】 adj.continuing or enduring without marked change in status or condition or place
【譯】 永久的
【延】n.permanence
【同】lasting
benevolent
【釋】 adj.intending or showing kindness
【譯】仁慈的
【延】benevolence
【同】friendly
haul
【釋】v.draw slowly or heavily
【譯】託拉
【搭】haul up
hoist
【釋】v.move from one place to another by lifting
【譯】吊起
【延】n.hoister 起重機
【同】lift
hoist 和lift的區別：
◈ hoist 多指用繩索、滑輪等機械把重物升起。
◈ lift 指用人力或機械力把某物升到較高的位置。
02
句子解析
1. The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.
解析：
teach someone to do something 教授某人去做某事
teach someone something 教某人某事
例：She taught me English.
譯文：
老人教會了這孩子捕魚，孩子愛他。
2.Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace and then we'll take the stuff home."
解析：
1）offer someone something 提供某人某物
offer something to someone 提供某物給某人
例：She offered him a room. 或：She offered a room to him. 她提供給他一個房間。
2）offer to do something 願意做某事
例：Peter offered to teach them water-skiing.彼得表示願意教他們滑水。
3）類似表達：take something/someone to somewhere 把某物（某人）帶到某處
例: take it to the kitchen. 把它拿到廚房去。
文中take something home (因home是副詞，故省略to)
譯文：
我請你到露臺飯店去喝杯啤酒，然後一起把打魚的家什帶回去。
每日金句
Only I have no luck any more. But who knows? Maybe today. Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.
問題只在於我的運氣就此不好了。可是誰說得準呢？說不定今天就轉運。每一天都是一個新的日子。走運當然是好。不過我情願做到分毫不差。這樣，運氣來的時候，你就有所準備了。