6】1 Frankenstein 科学怪人3 / 56 Frankenstein's Narrative Chapter One I was born in Geneva. My father was a magistrate. I had a little brother called William and an adopted sister called Elizabeth. My parents found Elizabeth living with a poor family in Italy. She was gentle and very beautiful, with golden hair and blue eyes. Her real parents, an Italian nobleman and a German lady, were both dead. My mother and father adopted Elizabeth and brought her to our home. Elizabeth and I grew up together, and we were very happy. I spent my days with Elizabeth, William, and my dear friend Henry Clerval. Henry wanted to be a poet. He loved nature and beauty, but I was interested in science. I wished to make some great scientific discovery. I wanted wisdom and knowledge, and I wanted to succeed where other men had failed. When I was seventeen, my parents decided to send me to the university at Ingolstadt, but my departure was delayed by the first misfortune of my life. Elizabeth became ill with scarlet fever①, and my mother nursed② her. Slowly Elizabeth recovered, but my mother caught the illness from her. When my poor mother was dying, she called us to her bedside and said, 'Dear Victor and Elizabeth, your father and I hope that one day you two will marry. Be happy, my children, and take care of little William.' She died calmly. How can I describe our sadness? There is no need. Everyone knows that sadness, or will know it one day. A few weeks later I went to the university in Ingolstadt. I walked around the town during the ① scarlet fever: 猩红热。
② nursed：护理 4 / 56 first three days. I met some of my professors and fellow students, but I felt lonely and disappointed. I had no desire to study. Then I went to hear a lecture by Mr Waldman, the professor of chemistry. At the end of the lecture, he spoke of modern chemistry in words I will never forget. 'Modern chemists can perform miracles,' he said. 'They have followed Nature to her hiding places. They have penetrated① her secrets. They have discovered how the blood circulates. They understand the nature of thunder storms and earthquakes. They are like gods. Those were the professor's words --- or I he words of Fate② --- spoken to destroy me. I left the lecture full of a new ambition. 'I will discover new things in science,' I thought. 'I will explain the mysteries of creation.' 'The next day I went to Mr Waldman. 'I wish to be your student,' I said. He showed me his laboratory and told me what books to read. My future was decided. ① penetrated：洞察。
② Fate：命运 《超越哈佛》徐老师原典英语——中级素材 “原典英语自学法”交流论坛 :// homer-english —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————5 / 56 Chapter Two I was a diligent student. I became very interested in the human body. 'Where does life come from?' I asked myself. To study life you must also study death. I began to work with dead bodies. I studied the progress of their decay①. I examined the change from life to death and from death to life. Then one day I suddenly understood. I was surprised that nobody had discovered the secret before. I had succeeded where other men had failed. I am not mad. I swear it is true. After days and nights of work, I discovered how life was created. I, myself was able to create life. I can see by your eager expression, my friend, that you want me to tell you the secret. I will not tell you, and soon you will understand why not. Listen to my story, and learn from my example. Knowledge is dangerous. An ambitious man is not a happy man. My first task was to create a body. I worked day and night. I grew thin and pale, but I continued to work. The moon watched me through the window as I uncovered② the secrets of Nature. What horrible work it was! I explored dead bodies and tortured living animals, but my work did not seem horrible to me then. I thought that I had conquered death. I would be the creator of a new race③ of happy and excellent creatures! All summer I worked on my filthy④ creation in a lonely attic room. I did not see the sunshine, the flowers, or the green leaves. I did not write to my family or think about them. I thought only of my work. Any ambition that makes you forget the people you love and the simple ① decay：腐烂。
② uncovered：发现 ③ race：种类 ④ filthy：卑鄙邪恶的 《超越哈佛》徐老师原典英语——中级素材 “原典英语自学法”交流论坛 :// homer-english —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————6 / 56 pleasures of ordinary life is bad. The leaves fell from the trees, and still I worked. I became anxious and nervous. I avoided other people. I hid myself like a criminal. My creation was nearly done. Soon it would be finished, and then, I promised myself, I would rest and recover my health. 《超越哈佛》徐老师原典英语——中级素材 “原典英语自学法”交流论坛 :// homer-english —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————7 / 56 Chapter Three I。