第1章 冰海上的男子

Mary Shelley

《弗蘭肯斯坦》（又譯為《科學怪人》）是英國作家瑪麗·雪萊在1818年創(chuàng)作的長篇小說。在小說中，主角弗蘭肯斯坦是個熱衷于生命起源的生物學家，他懷著犯罪心理頻繁出沒于藏尸間，嘗試用不同尸體的各個部分拼湊成一個巨大人體。當他制造出的怪物終于獲得生命并睜開眼睛時，弗蘭肯斯坦被他的猙獰面目嚇得落荒而逃，而怪物卻緊追不舍地向弗蘭肯斯坦索要女伴、溫暖和友情，接踵而至的便是一系列的懸疑事件和命案。這部小說被認為是世界上第一部真正意義上的科幻小說。

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“Captain!Something is moving on the ice.Look over there!”

The sailor stood at the top of the mast（桅桿）,high above the Captain.His hand pointed away from the ship,across the miles of ice that covered the sea.The Captain looked to the north,where the sailor was pointing.He saw something coming fast towards the ship across the ice.He put his telescope to his eye,and through it he could see the shapes of ten dogs pulling a sledge over the ice.He could also see the driver of the sledge—a huge figure,much bigger than a man.

The sledge came nearer and nearer to the sea.Soon it was only a quarter of a mile from the ship.No one needed a telescope now to see the huge figure of the driver.Suddenly the sledge went behind a mountain of ice and disappeared.At that moment another sledge appeared.It,too,was moving fast,and was clearly chasing the first sledge.This driver was a smaller figure,more like an ordinary man.Faster and faster the dogs ran;then the second sledge also disappeared behind the mountain of ice.

Two hours passed.The sledges did not appear again.Nothing moved on the ice.Soon night came,and in the night there was a storm.In the morning,the sailors saw that great pieces of ice were floating round the ship.Suddenly the sailor on the mast shouted again, “Captain,I can see a man on the ice.”

The sailor was pointing to a piece of ice that was floating near the ship.A man was sitting on the ice,and near him was a broken sledge.The man was nearly dead from cold and could not walk.The sailors carried him carefully onto the ship,and took him to the Captain,who said,“Welcome to my ship.I am the Captain and my name is Robert Walton.”

“Thank you,Captain Walton,”the man said.“My name is Frankenstein,Victor Frankenstein.”

Then he fainted and said no more.Two days passed before the man was strong enough to talk and then the Captain asked him to tell his story.

“I am trying to catch someone,” said Frankenstein.“That is why I have come so far north on the ice.”

“We saw you following someone,”the Captain said. “He was huge,much bigger than a man.We saw his sledge just in front of you on the night before the storm.”

“I am pleased you all saw that huge figure,”Frankenstein said.“Perhaps that will help you to believe my story.”

During the days,while the Captain worked on the ship,Frankenstein wrote down his story,and each evening he read what he had written to the Captain.

Here is Victor Frankenstein's story.

1.When did the story in this chapter probably happen?（1 word）

2.What could Victor Frankenstein be?Whom did he want to catch?Why did he do that?