英国学生科学读本 第17期:兔子

 　　Lesson17 THE RABBIT

　　第17课 兔子
　　I know a boy who has some tame rabbits. He keeps them in the yard behind his house, in a box called a rabbit-hutch. His rabbits are black and white, but wild rabbits are grey or brown.
　　我认识一个男孩子, 他家里养了几只家兔。他把兔子养在后院一个叫“兔屋”的箱子里。他的兔子是黑色和白色的, 但是野兔是灰色或者褐色的。
　　The rabbit is nearly as large as a cat. It has a backbone 1, and four legs, like the cat. The hind-legs of the rabbit are longer and stronger than the forelegs, so that it can jump very well.
　　兔子的大小跟猫差不多, 也跟猫一样, 有一条脊椎骨和四条腿。兔子的后腿比前腿长, 能跳得特别远。
　　The rabbit is covered with fur, which is made of short hairs that stand out from the skin. The fur keeps the rabbit warm, and it is always clean, for no dirt will stick to it.
　　兔子的身体也盖着一层毛皮, 长着突出在皮肤外面的短毛。毛皮可以让兔子暖和, 而且毛皮一直是干净的, 因为灰尘不会沾在上面。
　　Look at the. rabbit's ears. How long they are, and how easily it can move them about, so as to hear the least sound!
　　看看兔子的耳朵。耳朵好长啊, 而且兔子很容易就能来回转动耳朵, 这样连最小的声音也能听见！
　　The rabbit's mouth is very funny. Its upper lip is cut into two parts. It has six sharp front teeth for cutting—four in the upper jaw 2, and two in the lower jaw. At the back of the mouth it has teeth with flat tops for grinding 3 its food. RABBIT'S MOUTH（兔子嘴）
　　兔子的嘴很有意思, 上唇是分成两块儿的。兔子嘴前面长着六颗锋利的牙齿, 上颌有四颗, 下颌有两颗。嘴后面的牙, 顶上是平的, 用来把食物磨碎。
　　The rabbit feeds on grass and roots and leaves, and even on the bark of young trees. It digs a deep hole or burrow 4 in a sandy bank, and makes its nest there.
　　兔子吃的是青草、草根、树叶, 有时候还吃小树的树皮。兔子在沙子很多的田埂或者斜坡上挖一个深深的洞穴, 就在那里面做窝。
　　A sandy place where many rabbits live is called a rabbit-warren. If you pass one of these in the dusk, you will see on every side of you little white stars of fur dancing about, and then sinking into the ground.
　　一个沙子很多, 又有很多兔子住的地方, 我们叫它“兔子窝”。晚上经过兔子窝的时候, 四面八方都会看见小小的、毛茸茸的白色星星来回飞舞, 然后钻进地里去。
　　When it is too dark to see the brown fur of the rabbits, you can see the white tufts on their tails as they run away to their burrows 5. This makes them look very funny in the dusk.
　　要是天太暗了, 看不见兔子的灰色毛皮, 也能看见兔子跑回洞去时, 尾巴上的一丛白毛。这就让兔子在傍晚的样子非常好玩。
　　The rabbit has whiskers on each side of its mouth. Its burrow is quite dark under the ground; but its whiskers are feelers, and keep it from hitting its head against anything.
　　兔子的嘴, 两边也有胡子。地底下的兔子洞里非常黑, 兔子的胡子就是“触角”, 有了胡子, 兔子就不会把脑袋撞到别的东西上了。
　　Notice the large eyes of the rabbit, so bright and so brown. And see, it has five toes on each fore-foot, but only four toes on each hind-foot. FORE-FOOT（前脚）
　　注意兔子的大眼睛, 很亮, 是深灰色的。再看看它的脚, 每只前脚上都长着五个脚趾, 但是每只后脚上只有四个脚趾。
　　I hope that, if you ever have rabbits, you will be kind to them, and give them plenty of green leaves to eat, and keep their hutch clean and dry. HIND-FOOT（后脚）
　　小朋友, 你要是养了兔子, 我希望你一定要好好照顾它们, 给它们充足的绿叶子吃, 把兔子窝打扫得干干净净, 不让兔子窝受潮。