美国小学英语教材4:第3课 小兔哥的一课(1)

 　　BUNNYBOY LEARNS A LESSON 小兔哥的一课

　　CLARENCE HAWKES 克拉伦斯·霍克斯
　　Did you know that even a little rabbit has lessons to learn? 你知道吗？就连一只小兔子也要学习很多事情。
　　One of these is to listen to his mother, 其中一课就是要听妈妈的话，
　　for she knows many ways by which a rabbit may protect himself from his enemies. 因为她知道很多兔子用来保护自己免遭敌人伤害的方法。
　　This story tells you how a little bunny got into trouble because he did not obey his mother. 这个故事讲述了一只小兔子因为不听妈妈的话而遇到了麻烦。
　　MOTHER RABBIT' S PLAN 兔妈妈的计划
　　Bunnyboy was a half-grown "cottontail" rabbit, whose home was in the woods. 小兔哥是一只半大的棉尾兔。他的家在树林里。
　　He lived with his mother and brothers and sisters in the burrow 1,  他和妈妈以及兄弟姐妹们一起住在地洞里——
　　a nice warm hole that went down into the ground under an old tree stump 2. 一个温暖而漂亮的洞穴，在一个老树桩下的底下。
　　One bright morning Mother Rabbit thought that she would go to a field 一个晴朗的早晨，兔妈妈想要去一处田野，
　　where she knew there were some early cabbages. 她知道那里有一些早熟的卷 心菜。
　　"Children," she said, "if you are good while I am gone, “孩子们，”她说，“我不在家的时候如果你们表现得很好，
　　I will bring you some juicy 3 cabbage leaves. You must stay quietly at home." 我会给你们带一些鲜嫩的卷心菜叶回来。你们必须安安静静地待在家里。”
　　But Bunnyboy followed his mother out of the burrow, saying,  小兔哥却跟着妈妈出了地洞，他说：
　　"I don't want to stay at home, Mother. Please take me with you." “我不想待在家里，妈妈，请带我一起去吧。”
　　"No, no, Bunnyboy!" said Mother Rabbit. “不，不行，小兔哥！”兔妈妈说，
　　"You are too young to go on such a long trip. “你太小了走不了那么远的路。
　　But if you will keep very quiet, I will let you stay in a clump 4 of bushes 5 while I am gone. 不过如果你能保持安静的话，我不在的时候可以让你待在一个灌木丛里。
　　You can see all around you, and it will be almost as much fun as if you went with me." 你能够看到周围的一切，这几乎同跟我在一起外出一样有趣。”
　　So Mother Rabbit took Bunnyboy to a thick clump of bushes near the burrow and left him there alone. 于是兔妈妈把小兔哥带到地洞旁边的一个茂密的灌木丛里，让他自己待在那里。
　　Then away she hopped 6 to the cabbage field. 然后她一蹦一跳地去了卷心菜地。
　　For a while Bunnyboy slept, dreaming of juicy cabbage leaves. 一会儿小兔哥睡着了，梦见了鲜嫩的卷心菜叶。
　　But before long he awoke, sat up, and yawned 7. 但是，不久他就醒了，坐起来打了一个呵欠。
　　How he wished that his mother had taken him with her! 他多么希望妈妈把他带在身边啊！
　　Surely 8 he was large enough to go. 他已经够大了，可以外出了。
　　He was certain that he could run almost as fast as she could. 小兔哥确信自己几乎能跟妈妈跑得一样快。
　　He did not think his mothe really knew how much he had grown or how well he could take care of himself. 妈妈其实不知道，他已经长大了，能够照顾自己了。
　　WHAT HAPPENED WHEN BUNNYBOY RAN AWAY 小兔哥跑远时发生的事情
　　For a long time Bunnyboy sat very still in the clump of bushes. 小兔哥在灌木丛里一动不动地坐了很长一段时间。
　　But by and by he crept 9 out carefully, and looked about. 又过了不久，他小心翼翼地爬了出来，四下张望。
　　As he sat there with the sunlight 10 falling on his head and shoulders, 小兔哥坐在那里的时候，阳光洒在他的头上和肩上，他
　　he was the most beautiful little creature 11 in the whole great woods. 是整个大森林中最漂亮的小动物。
　　When he thought he heard a sound, his long ears wiggled this way and that, trying to find out what it was. 当他感觉听到一个声音时，长耳朵摆动着试图弄清楚那是什么声音。
　　His large, bright eyes looked carefully at everything near him. 小兔哥用明亮的大眼睛仔细地观察着周围的一切。
　　His nose tried to smell all the different scents 12 of the woods. 他用鼻子努力去闻树林中所有不同的味道。
　　Bunnyboy's mother had given him and his little brothers and sisters many lessons on the dangers of the woods. 小兔哥的妈妈已经教给他和他的兄弟姐妹们很多关于树林中的危险的课程。
　　She had taught him to listen, to look, and to smell. 她曾教他听、看和闻。
　　For there were the three ways of protecting himself from his enemies—listening, looking, and smelling. 因为避开敌人、保护自己的三种方法就是听、看和闻。