美国小学英语教材5:第56课 长牙象彭博·库巴(2)

 It was good luck for him that he did not get into trouble, because at first he did not learn except from his own experience. 幸运的是，他没有陷入困境，因为一开始他除了从自己的经验中学习之外，什么也没学到。

Elephants and people who depend upon experience alone often get into trouble. 大象和仅仅依靠经验的人往往会陷入困境。

After a time, because as I said, he was a wise elephant even when he was young, he learned from the experiences of others, from those he saw and those he heard about. 过了片刻，这头大象从别人的经验中学习，从他所看到的和所听到的中学习，因为就像我说的，他年轻的时候就是一头聪明的大象。

But in the beginning it was just luck that saved him. 但一开始，是运气救了他。

For instance, there was the adventure with the crocodile. 例如，有一个关于鳄鱼的冒险故事。

Ever since he could remember, his mother had always been cautioning him not to put his trunk in the river to drink until he had looked out for crocodiles. 从他记事起，他的母亲就一直告诫他，把他的鼻子放到河里去喝水时要小心鳄鱼。

His mother always used to wade¹ in the stream and cast her bright beady eyes upstream and down and thrash around a bit; then she would put her trunk swiftly into the river and drink in the delicious water. 他的母亲总是在河里趟着水，那双明亮的、亮晶晶的眼睛上上下下地扫视着周围；然后，她会把鼻子迅速投入河里，喝在美味的水。

But Kubwa never saw any sense in waiting for something he wanted. 但是，库布瓦认为，等待他想要的东西没有任何意义。

So one day he scrambled² out of the line of march and ran on ahead toward the river. 于是有一天，他从队伍里爬出来，朝河边跑去。

Another little elephant ran along with him, because a bad example is as contagious³ as the measles⁴. 另一只小象跟着他跑，因为坏榜样像麻疹一样会传染。

Down to the bend in the stream went Kubwa, and in went his trunk. 库伯瓦走下河湾，把他的鼻子放了进去。

Down went the other elephant, and in went his trunk. 另一头大象走了下来，它的鼻子也进去了。

And suddenly the other elephant gave a gurgling cry of fright and then a shrill⁵, terror-stricken squeal⁶. 突然，另一头大象发出了一声由于害怕而发出的咯咯的叫声，接着是一声尖叫，惊恐万分。

Something under water had seized that trunk in its firm jaws⁷ and was pulling him in. 水下的什么东西用结实的下颚咬住了象鼻，把他拉了进去。

 

1 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

2 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

4 measles   

n.麻疹，风疹，包虫病，痧子

参考例句：

• The doctor is quite definite about Tom having measles.医生十分肯定汤姆得了麻疹。
• The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.医生叫她注意麻疹出现的症状。

5 shrill   

adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫

参考例句：

• Whistles began to shrill outside the barn.哨声开始在谷仓外面尖叫。
• The shrill ringing of a bell broke up the card game on the cutter.刺耳的铃声打散了小汽艇的牌局。

6 squeal   

v.发出长而尖的声音；n.长而尖的声音

参考例句：

• The children gave a squeal of fright.孩子们发出惊吓的尖叫声。
• There was a squeal of brakes as the car suddenly stopped.小汽车突然停下来时，车闸发出尖叫声。

7 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。