美国小学英语教材4:第6课 小棕熊米舒克(1)

 　　MISHOOK,THE BROWN BEAR CUB¹ 小棕熊米舒克

　　If someone asked you these questions about bears, could you answer them? 如果有人问你关于熊的这些问题，你能回答吗？

　　In what kind of home do bears live? What do they eat? 熊住在什么样的家里？它们吃什么？

　　What do they do all winter? 它们在整个冬天做什么？

　　The story of Mishook will answer these questions, and tell you many other interesting things about bears. 米舒克的故事将回答这些问题，并告诉你许多关于熊的其他趣事。

　　IN THE DEN² 在洞穴里

　　It was March, and the air was cold; snow still covered the earth. 三月里，天气还很冷，雪仍覆盖着大地。

　　But inside the cave in which lived Mishook, the brown bear cub, and his little sister, it was very warm. 但是，小棕熊米舒克和它妹妹居住的洞穴里很温暖。

　　The cubs³ had thick, dark-brown coats, narrow, blunt⁴ noses, and small, round ears. 小熊身披浓密的黑棕色皮毛，有窄钝的鼻子，又小又圆的耳朵。

　　Their tails were so short that they could hardly be seen. 它们的尾巴很短，几乎看不见。

　　Sharp claws peeped out from their toes. 锋利的爪子在脚趾间若隐若现。

　　Mishook's first home was the den that Mother Bruin had made for the winter which was just ending. 米舒克的第一个家是熊妈妈布伦为过冬而建的洞穴。

　　In a well-hidden spot at the foot of a mountain, 它在大山脚下一个很隐蔽的地方。

　　the old bear had dug a hole about twenty feet long, into which she dragged moss⁵, dead leaves, and grass. 熊妈妈挖了一个大约20英尺长的洞，把苔藓、枯叶和草拖进洞里。

　　When she had made these into a soft, warm bed, she piled up a heap of brushwood in front of the hole. 她用这些东西做好一张柔软温暖的床后，在洞口堆起了一堆柴草。

　　In this warm den, Mishook and his sister were born. 米舒克和它妹妹在这个温暖的洞穴里出生了。

　　There they and their mother slept through the long, cold winter. 在这里，它们和妈妈一起睡过了一个漫长寒冷的冬季。

　　The bears' den was in a thick, black forest in Russia. 这个熊洞在俄罗斯一个茂密的黑森林里。

　　No wonder this dark home pleased the Bruin family. 毫无疑问，这个昏暗的家让布伦一家很满意。

　　Here they found everything that bears like: 在这里，它们发现了熊喜欢的东西，如：

　　mountains and valleys, plenty of mushrooms and berries, and streams full of fish. 高山和峡谷，大量的蘑菇和浆果，以及到处是鱼的溪流。

　　Mishook's mother always kept her children with her for two years. 米舒克的妈妈通常让孩子们跟自己一起生活两年。

　　After that time, they were strong enough to care for themselves and to live alone. 两年后，它们就足够强大了，可以照顾自己，独立生活了。

　　Mishook and his little sister had an older brother and sister 米舒克除了妹妹还有一个哥哥和一个姐姐，

　　who were not yet quite old enough to leave their mother. 它们还没有足够大，不能离开妈妈。

　　The winter had been long, and the cubs had grown very hungry. 冬天很漫长，小熊很饿。

　　For four months, they had been shut up in a den without eating, and now they were very thin. 它们在没吃东西的情况下被关在洞穴里四个月了，现在它们非常瘦。

　　There had been nothing for them to do all day long but sleep. 除了睡觉，它们整天无事可做。

　　Still, winter could not stay forever. 不过，冬天不会永远停留。

　　It was now March, and spring had come at last. 现在到了三月，春天终于来了。

　　The air was warmer; the snow was gone; and the birds were singing gayly. 天气变暖了，雪融化了，小鸟欢快地唱着歌。

　　The mother now began to go for walks. 熊妈妈现在开始出去散步了。

　　Whenever she went out, she always left the little ones in the care of the older children. 每当她出门的时候，总是让年龄大一点儿的孩子照看弟弟妹妹。

　　Then Mishook would tease⁶ his big brother, for he was full of fun. 这时，米舒克会戏弄它的哥哥，因为它觉得很好玩。

　　The older cub stood the teasing⁷ for a long time, 熊哥哥忍受戏弄好长时间了，

　　but one day he gave Mishook such a slap on the head that the young bear cried aloud. 有一天，它在米舒克的头上打了一下，打得小熊大声哭起来。

　　That cry brought the mother into the cave. 哭声让熊妈妈回到洞里。

　　She flew at her older son, and boxed his ears. 她冲向大儿子，打了它几个耳光。

　　"You are no longer a young cub like Mishook", she said. “你已经不像米舒克那么小了。”她说，

　　"Do not be so rough with the little ones." “不要那么粗野地对待弟弟。”

1 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

2 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

3 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 blunt   

adj.（刀子）钝的，不锋利的，迟钝的，直率的

参考例句：

• The axe is too blunt to cut down the tree.斧头太钝，砍不倒树。
• She is rather blunt in speech.她说话很直率。

5 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

6 tease   

vt.戏弄，取笑，挑逗，撩拨；n.戏弄人者

参考例句：

• The other boys tease him because he is fat.因为他很胖，所以其他男生都取笑他。
• His friends used to tease him about his tatty clothes.他的朋友过去常常笑话他破旧的衣服。

7 teasing   

adj.戏弄的，逗趣的v.取笑，戏弄( tease的现在分词 )；梳理（羊毛等）

参考例句：

• Don't get upset—I was only teasing. 别不高兴，我只是在逗你玩。
• I didn't think you meant that seriously;I thought you were teasing. 我未想到你是当真的，我原以为你是开玩笑的。 来自《简明英汉词典》