美国小学英语教材4:第10课 与鹧鸪一家在一起的一天(1)

 　　A DAY WITH A PARTRIDGE FAMILY 与鹧鸪一家在一起的一天

　　ERNEST THOMPSON SETON 欧内斯特·汤普森·西顿
　　Perhaps you have thought that the wild creatures of the woods and fields do nothing all day 或许你认为，树林和田野里的野生动物整天无所事事,
　　but eat and frisk carelessly about. 只会吃和无忧无虑地四处蹦跶。
　　But their lives are quite different from that. 但它们的生活与你想得很不同。
　　When they are still very young, they begin to learn how to find food and how to hide from their enemies. 它们从很小的时候就开始学习怎样觅食以及怎样躲避敌人。
　　This story tells how some baby partridges, toddling 1 after their mother, met with a dangerous adventure. 这个故事讲述了鹧鸪宝宝跟着妈妈蹒跚学步时，遇到的一次冒险经历。
　　HOW MOTHER PARTRIDGE FOOLED THE FOX 鹧鸪妈妈如何愚弄狐狸
　　Down the side of Taylor's Hill Mother Partridge led her baby chicks toward the meadow and the sparkling brook 2. 鹧鸪妈妈带领着她的宝宝沿着泰勒山的一边向草地和波光粼粼的小溪走去。
　　The little partridges were only one day old, but they were already quick on foot, 虽然小鹧鸪们刚出生一天，但是它们已经能快速地走路了。
　　and their mother was taking them for the first time to drink. 这是妈妈第一次带它们去喝水。
　　Mother Partridge walked slowly, for the woods were full of enemies. 鹧鸪妈妈走得很慢，因为这片树林里到处都是敌人。
　　From her throat came a soft cluck. 她从喉咙里发出温柔的咯咯声。
　　It was a call to the little balls of down who came toddling after heron their tiny pink legs. 那是她在呼唤这些“小绒球”，它们用粉红色的小腿儿蹒跚地跟在她后面。
　　They peeped softly if they were left even a few inches behind.  如果它们被落下，哪怕是几英寸远，它们都轻声唧唧叫。
　　There were twelve of them, but Mother Partridge watched them all. 它们一共有12只，鹧鸪妈妈把它们都看管起来。
　　She also watched every bush and tree, and the whole woods, and the sky itself. 她还得观察每一棵灌木和大树，整个树林和天空。
　　Always this mother was looking for enemies, 鹧鸪妈妈一直在寻找敌人，
　　and an enemy she found when she reached the edge of the wooded slope. 当她到达一个长满树木的斜坡边上时，发现了一个敌人。
　　Across the meadow she could see a fox. 在草地的那边，她看见了一只狐狸。
　　He was coming toward her and her brood, 他正朝着她和她的宝宝们走来，
　　and in a few moments would be close enough to catch their scent 3 in the wind. 再过一会儿，他就会闻到它们在风中的气味。
　　The mother partridge knew that there was not a minute to lose. 鹧鸪妈妈知道片刻也耽误不得。
　　"Krrr! Krrr!" (Hide! Hide!) cried the mother in a low voice; “哈瑞！哈瑞！”（藏起来！藏起来！）妈妈低声叫道。
　　and the tiny partridges, hardly bigger than acorns 4 and only one day old, scattered 5 a few inches apart to hide. 于是，小鹧鸪们分散着藏了起来，它们才出生一天，几乎没有橡树籽大。
　　One hid under a leaf, another ran between two roots, 一只鹧鸪藏在一片树叶下，一只跑到两条树根之间，
　　a third crawled into a hole, and so on, until all were hidden but one. 另一只爬进了一个洞里……除了一只，其他的都藏好了。
　　This one could find no hiding-place; 这一只找不到藏身之地，
　　so he squatted 6 on a broad, yellowish brown chip of wood and lay very flat and still. 就趴在一块泛黄的棕色宽木片上，它压低身子待在那里一动也不动。
　　Then he closed his eyes tight, feeling sure that now he was safe from being seen. 然后，小鹧鸪紧紧地闭上了眼睛，确信现在自己安全了，不会被发现。
　　And he was nearly right; for he looked almost like the chip itself. 因为他看起来几乎和木片一样。
　　One by one the little partridges stopped their frightened peeping, and all was still. 小鹧鸪们相继停止了害怕的唧唧声，都一动也不动。