美国小学英语教材5:第207课 童子军如何生火(3)

It was a moment before the boy replied.

过了一会儿，男孩才回答。

Could the camper be making fun of him?

露营者会取笑他吗?

Then, looking Mr.Grayson squarely in the face, he answered:

然后，他直视着格雷森先生的脸，回答道:

“Well, if you really want to know, sir, it’s like this:

“如果你真想知道的话，先生，是这样的:”

“First find a place away from a tree, a stump¹, or a log, and not near any underbrush or young trees.

首先，找一个远离树木、树桩或圆木的地方，不要靠近灌木丛或幼树。

“Then scrape away all the pine needles, the leaves, the grass, sticks—everything that will burn—even the partly rotted stuff—until you get down to the dirt where it will not burn at all.

“然后刮掉所有的松针、树叶、草、树枝——所有会燃烧的东西——甚至是部分腐烂的东西——直到根本不会燃烧的地方。”

“Make a cleared space about five or six feet across; then build a small fire, just big enough for cooking.

“留出大约五六英尺宽的空地;然后生一个小火，刚好够做饭用。

“When you leave the fire, put it out with water, sand, or dirt.

当你离开火的时候，用水、沙子或泥土把火扑灭。

“Be sure to cover the fire with enough sand or dirt free from sticks or leaves, so that it will not get air enough to burn.

“一定要用足够的沙子或没有树枝或树叶的泥土覆盖火堆，这样就不会有足够的空气来燃烧。”

“Play safe by taking one last look at your fire to see that it is completely smothered².

“为了安全起见，最后看一眼你的火，看看它是否完全被扑灭了。”

Otherwise it will just hold over, and maybe a little later the wind will blow some of the dirt away from it.

否则它就会保持不动，也许过一会儿风就会把一些泥土吹走。

The burning coals may burst into flame and set fire to the leaves and pine needles that might be blown across the fire by the wind.”

燃烧的煤炭可能会燃烧起来，点燃被风吹过火堆的树叶和松针。”

When the Scout³ finished what he had to say about campfires, Mr.Grayson thanked him and then started off to find a safer place for his campfire.

当侦察员说完他对营火的看法后，格雷森先生向他道了谢，然后动身去找一个更安全的地方放营火。

1 stump   

n.残株，烟蒂，讲演台；v.砍断，蹒跚而走

参考例句：

• He went on the stump in his home state.他到故乡所在的州去发表演说。
• He used the stump as a table.他把树桩用作桌子。

2 smothered   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
• The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

3 scout   

n.童子军，侦察员；v.侦察，搜索

参考例句：

• He was mistaken for an enemy scout and badly wounded.他被误认为是敌人的侦察兵，受了重伤。
• The scout made a stealthy approach to the enemy position.侦察兵偷偷地靠近敌军阵地。