美国小学英语教材4:第8课 小棕熊米舒克(3)

 　　GETTING READY FOR WINTER 为冬天做准备

　　As the summer passed, the cubs 1 grew bigger and stronger every day. 夏天过去了，小熊们一天天长大，越来越强壮。
　　They did nothing but eat, and yet the fishes, bugs 2, nuts, and berries 3 were not enough for them. 他们除了吃什么也不做，然而鱼、虫子、坚果和浆果不够他们吃了。
　　Mother Bruin saw that her children were always hungry. 熊妈妈布伦看到她的孩子们总饿着。
　　"How thin you are!" she cried. “你们多瘦啊！”她叫道，
　　"You cannot sleep through a whole winter with no more fat than you have now, my children. “我的孩子们，你们现在这点儿脂肪睡不过整个冬天。
　　You must eat meat, then you will grow fat enough to sleep all winter without eating." 你们必须吃肉，变得足够胖，然后冬天不用吃东西也能睡过去。”
　　So she went toward 4 the village until she came to a large pasture 5. 于是她朝村子走去，到了一个大草场上。
　　There she killed a fine black horse, which she draged into the forest. 在那里，她杀死了一匹优良的黑马，并把它拖进了森林里。
　　She and her cubs feasted on the fresh meat until they had all they wanted. 她和孩子们尽情享用着鲜肉，直到吃饱了。
　　Then they crept 6 far into the dark woods and lay down for a quiet sleep. 然后，他们蹑手蹑脚地走到黑树林里，躺下来安静地睡了一觉。
　　From this time on, each day brought new trouble to the village. 从此以后，他们每天都给村里带来新的麻烦。
　　Bee-hives were robbed 7; one farmer lost a cow, another a horse. 蜂巢被抢劫；一个农夫丢了一头牛，另一个丢了一匹马。
　　The Bruin family became very very fat. As for Mishook, he was as round as a log 8. 布伦一家变得非常非常的胖。至于米舒克，他像木头一样圆圆的。
　　At last autumn came, and the mother bear made a large, new den 9. 终于秋天到了，熊妈妈建了一个很大的新洞。
　　In October, the whole family slept in it most of the time. 10月，熊一家大部分时间都在睡觉。
　　Once in a while the mother went out to hunt for food. 有一次，熊妈妈出去寻找食物。
　　Then she would say to her children, "Don't go far away, my dears; 她会孩子们说：“我的宝贝们，不要走太远；
　　the snow may fall at any moment, and we must not leave tracks 10 in the snow. 可能随时会下雪，我们不能在雪中留下痕迹。
　　Men will find us and kill us if we do" 否则人们会找到并杀了我们。”
　　Soon the north wind began to blow, rain fell often, and the mornings became colder. 不久，天开始刮北风了，也经常下雨，早晨也变得更冷了。
　　The birds had long ago flown away to a warmer country. 鸟儿很久以前就飞到了温暖的国家。
　　By this time, the bears had grown very sleepy. 这时，熊已经变得很困了。
　　Now Mother Bruin would not let her cubs eat much, 熊妈妈不让孩子们吃太多东西。
　　but she told them to drink all the water they wanted. 但是她告诉他们随意喝水。
　　One day, when they were all in the cave, she said: "It is time to take a long rest, children. 有一天，他们都在洞穴里时，她说：“孩子们，到睡觉的时候了。
　　We are not going out again until springtime. 我们要到春天才会出去。
　　Mishook and his little sister must lie down in the back of the den, 米舒克和小妹妹必须躺在洞穴后面，
　　and the older cubs in front of them. I will stretch myself near the opening." 前面是大熊，我会横在洞口。”
　　Mother Bruin then closed the mouth of the cave with brushwood, and the bears fell asleep. 熊妈妈布伦用灌木把洞口封住，然后熊们就睡觉了。
　　The den was soon covered deep with snow. 洞穴很快被雪盖住了。
　　Not again until spring would Mishook and his family leave the warm cave. 直到来年春天，米舒克和他的家人才离开温暖的洞穴。