美国小学英语教材5:第46课 午夜猎狮(2)

 　　We knew that we were safe from lions, yet we all felt a little nervous when Mr. Johnson left us. 我们知道我们不会被狮子咬伤，但当约翰逊先生离开我们时，我们都感到有些紧张。

　　We changed to our sleeping clothes while it was still light, and ate the lunch which Mrs. Johnson had prepared for us. 天还亮的时候，我们换上了睡衣，吃了约翰逊夫人为我们准备的午饭。

　　Just as we started to eat, Dave said something about this being our last meal on earth. 正当我们开始吃饭时，戴夫说这是我们在地球上的最后一餐了。

　　We all laughed, but little remarks like that at such a time make one feel rather uneasy¹. 我们都笑了，但是在这种时候，这样的小议论会使人感到很不自在。

　　To be sure, we had arranged with Mr. Johnson to fire the rifle² twice if we needed him, but what good would that do if he were quite a distance away and the lions only a few feet? 可以肯定的是，我们已经和约翰逊先生商量好了，如果我们需要他的话，就开两枪，但是如果他在相当远的地方，而狮子就在几英尺之外，那又有什么用呢?

　　After eating lunch in a silence broken only by a few strained³ whispers, we crawled⁴ under the blankets. 吃完午饭，只有几声勉强的低语打破了寂静，我们爬到毯子下面。

　　We had been told that if the lions heard a human voice they would instantly⁵ run. 我们得知，如果狮子听到人类的声音，会立刻跑开。

　　It was likely, though, that even if the animals were not afraid, we would have whispered because we were all so excited. 然而，很可能即使动物们不害怕，我们也会小声说话，因为我们都很兴奋。

　　Douglas said something about getting a lion into the truck and then jumping out. 道格拉斯说要把一头狮子放进卡车里，然后跳出来。

　　This started Dave laughing. 戴夫听后笑了起来。

　　He buried his head in the pillow and laughed until we thought he was crying. 他把头埋在枕头里，笑得我们以为他在哭。

　　When he called out, “You fellows will kill me yet!’’ we all began laughing, at the same time trying not to make a sound. 当他喊道:“你们这些家伙还是会笑死我的!”我们都笑了起来，同时尽量不出声。

1 uneasy   

adj.心神不安的，担心的，令人不安的

参考例句：

• He feels uneasy today.他今天心里感到不安。
• She had an uneasy feeling that they were still following her.她有一种他们仍在跟踪她的不安感觉。

2 rifle   

n.来复枪，步枪

参考例句：

• The soldiers keep a tight hold of the rifle.战士们紧握手中的枪。
• They armed him with a rifle.他们发给他一支步枪。

3 strained   

adj. 紧张的, 不自然的; 动词strain的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Her face looked strained and weary. 她的脸色显得憔悴疲惫。
• Relations between the two countries had become severely strained. 两国关系已经变得非常紧张。

4 crawled   

v.爬( crawl的过去式和过去分词 )；（昆虫）爬行；缓慢行进；巴结

参考例句：

• They crawled along on their bellies. 他们匍匐前进。
• She crawled onto the river bank and lay there gulping in air. 她爬上河岸，躺在那里喘着粗气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 instantly   

adv.立即，立刻

参考例句：

• She was used to having her orders instantly obeyed.她习惯了让人即刻服从她的命令。
• Though he slept soundly,he awoke instantly.他虽然睡得很香，但是马上就醒了。