美国学生世界地理教材 第225期:财富岛(4)

 The natives of Australia are black people called "Bushmen." 澳大利亚本土著居民是被称为“丛林居民”的黑人，

They can't count even up to ten nor write their names nor read a single word. 他们不识数，数数甚至数不到十，也不会写自己的名字，更不识字。

About the only thing they know is how to get food. They wear very little clothing. 他们唯一懂的就是如何获得食物。他们不穿什么衣服，

Instead of clothing they paint their bodies, and they raise bumps¹ on their skin by scratching it with the edge of a shell and rubbing² clay into the scratches. 他们在身体上涂上颜料来代替衣服，他们用贝壳的边缘划伤自己的皮肤，然后在划痕上揉进泥土，这样皮肤上就会隆起肿块。

The more bumps they have on their bodies, the more beautiful they think they are. 他们觉得身上的肿块越多越好看。

The Bushmen have a peculiar³ plaything called a boomerang. It is made of a piece of wood shaped like a new moon. 澳洲土著居民有一种奇特的玩具，叫做“回飞镖”，回飞镖是用木头做的，形状像一弯新月。

They throw it into the air away from themselves, and it turns round and round like a wheel and, if properly thrown, will come back to the thrower. 他们把回飞镖向空中扔出去，回飞镖像轮子一样不停转动，如果扔得恰当，它会飞回到原处。

I have several boom-erangs which I have learned⁴ to throw. 我有几个回飞镖，已经学会怎么扔它们。

A friend of mine once said, "I hear you know how to throw a kangaroo." 我的一个朋友曾对我说，“我听说你会扔袋鼠。”

"To throw a kangaroo!" said I. "No, not even a Bushman can do that." “扔袋鼠！”我说，“我不会，即使是丛林居民也做不到啊。”

The capital of Australia used to be a city called Melbourne. But a new city called Canberra has been built for the capital. 澳大利亚过去的首都是一座叫墨尔本的城市，但是人们建起了一座叫堪培拉的新城市作为首都。

It is a made-to-order city. 这是一座按设计建起的城市。

The city was laid out, streets made, a capitol built, and houses put up, and then people moved in. 城市设计好后，就建了街道，建了国会大厦，建起了房屋，然后人们迁入居住。

The chief city is Sydney. 澳大利亚最主要的城市是悉尼。

The healthiest country in the World is southeast of Australia. It is called New Zealand. 世界上最有益于健康的国家在澳大利亚的东南面，叫做新西兰。

You will remember that Zealand is a part of Denmark and you may remember that it is the healthiest country in Europe. 你还记得丹麦有个西兰岛吧，你也许记得丹麦是欧洲最有益于健康的国家。

New Zealand is made of two big islands that look something like Italy or a boot turned upside down. 新西兰由两座大岛组成，两座岛看起来像意大利或像一只倒置的靴子。

They do not seem to be far away from Australia on the map, but it takes four or five days to get to them by ship from Australia. 从地图上看，新西兰似乎离澳大利亚并不远，但是乘船从澳大利亚到新西兰需要四五天的时间。

In the northern part of New Zealand are natives called Maoris, but they are quite different from the Bushmen in Australia. 新西兰北部地区居住着叫“毛利人”的土著人，然而他们与澳大利亚的丛林居民十分不同，

They used to be cannibals, but they have brains, and they learned so much from the white men that now some of them are as well educated as their teachers, 他们以前是食人生番，但他们有很高的智力，从白人那里学到很多东西，所以现在，他们中的一些人受过和他们的老师一样的良好的教育，

and are even members of the New Zealand Parliament⁵. 有的甚至成为新西兰议会的成员。

1 bumps   

碰撞( bump的名词复数 )； 肿块； 轻微撞车事故； 隆起物

参考例句：

• I had goose bumps when we watched the fireworks. 我们看烟火的时候，我起鸡皮疙瘩。
• E was kind of zig-zagging across the pavement, and I bumps into 'im accidental-like. 他有点歪歪斜斜地在人行道上走，我一不小心撞到了他的怀里。 来自英汉文学

2 rubbing   

n. 摩擦, 研磨, 按磨

参考例句：

• This insect makes its strange noise by rubbing its back legs together. 这只昆虫摩擦它的两条后腿发出一种奇怪的声音。
• Jerry was already unhappy because he fumbled the ball,but his teammates kept rubbing it in. 本来杰瑞就很不高兴，因为他失了球，而他的队友们还一再提那件事。

3 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

4 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

5 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。