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.

New words and expressions 生词和短语
monster n. 怪物
sailor n. 海员
sight v. 见到
creature n. 动物，生物
peculiar adj. 奇怪的，不寻常的
shining adj. 闪闪发光的
oarfish n. 桨鱼

 渔夫和水手们有时声称自己看到过海里的妖怪。虽然人们常常对水手们讲的故事付诸一笑，但现在看来，人们有时看到的这些“妖怪”很多不过是些奇怪的鱼。一些异常的生物偶尔会被冲到岸上来，但它们在海上却极少能被捕到。然而不久前，在马达加斯加附近的海里却捕到了一条奇怪的鱼。一条小渔船被一条咬住钩的强壮的大鱼拖到了几英里以外的海面上。那位渔民意识到这根本不是一条普通的鱼，于是千方百计不让它受到丝毫伤害。当终于把它弄上岸后，人们发现它身长超过了13英尺。它长着一个像马一样的头，有着大的蓝眼睛和闪闪发光的银色皮肤，还有一条鲜红色的尾巴。此鱼叫桨鱼，被送进了博物馆，现正接受一位科学家的检查。人们很少能看到活着的这类动物，因为它们生活在600英尺深的水下。