美国小学英语教材6:第34课 山齿鹑家族(5)

 　　August and September came and went, and the quail¹ family grew plump upon grain and weed seed, 八月和九月一晃就过去了，依靠谷物和草子过活，鹌鹑家族长胖了，

　　but the loss of grain to the farmer was more than paid for by the weed seed they destroyed. 相比于它们损坏的草子，谷物对于农民的损失更严重。

　　October with its corn in the shock and golden pumpkins² and harvested grain and fruit was with us 八月份有捆绑的玉米杆，金黄色的南瓜，还有丰收的谷物和水果，

　　when another hunter came down from the great woods. 另一只猎手从丛林中前来觅食。

　　This hunter did not shuffle³ as the old raccoon had done; his gait was a steady trot⁴. 这名猎手没有像老浣熊一样发出刷刷刷的声音，他是平稳的急速前行。

　　It was red fox, the wise, and a much more successful hunter than the old raccoon. 它就是赤狐，它比老浣熊更狡猾，成功几率更高。

　　He, too, got a scent⁵ of quail down in the pasture and followed it eagerly. His step was swift and sure, and his nose was keen. 他也闻到了牧场上鹑的味道，并急切地尾随他们而来，他的步伐又快又稳，他的鼻子很灵敏。

　　Swiftly like a dark shadow he advanced until he located the sleeping quail under an old brush fence. 他像一道黑色影子一样前进，直到他发现了老旧篱笆下熟睡的鹑。

　　Then he crept forward foot by foot until he was almost upon them, when with a sudden spring he darted⁶ into their midst. 他一步一步向前爬行，他几乎要抓住他们，他突然一跃而起钻入他们的巢穴。

　　Almost at once there could be heard the sudden whir of many wings 翅膀的翻腾声立刻响起，

　　and cries of fear and pain mingled⁷ with the rapid click, click of the fox's jaws⁸. 恐惧的尖叫声和赤狐吱吱的咬合声交织在一起。

　　When the bevy⁹ was gone, and Mr. Fox nosed about under the fence, he found he also had bagged a pair of quail. 当鹑群消失后，狐狸先生在篱笆下寻找，他发现他吃了很多只鹑。

　　A Family Reunion 家庭团聚

　　No more misfortunes happened to the quail family until the first day of the hunting season. 对于鹑家族而言，打猎季的第一天是最悲惨的。

　　This day was indeed one of sorrow to the family of bobwhite. 这天对于山齿鹑家族而言太悲惨了。

　　Toward night, a biting sleet¹⁰ and rainstorm set in and the hunting ceased, but the quail family had been scattered¹¹ in every direction. 夜晚临近，雨夹雪和暴雨不期而至，打猎结束，鹑家族被打散到各处。

1 quail   

n.鹌鹑；vi.畏惧，颤抖

参考例句：

• Cowards always quail before the enemy.在敌人面前，胆小鬼们总是畏缩不前的。
• Quail eggs are very high in cholesterol.鹌鹑蛋胆固醇含量高。

2 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

3 shuffle   

n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走

参考例句：

• I wish you'd remember to shuffle before you deal.我希望在你发牌前记得洗牌。
• Don't shuffle your feet along.别拖着脚步走。

4 trot   

n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧

参考例句：

• They passed me at a trot.他们从我身边快步走过。
• The horse broke into a brisk trot.马突然快步小跑起来。

5 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

6 darted   

v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。

8 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。

9 bevy   

n.一群

参考例句：

• A bevy of bathing beauties appeared on the beach.沙滩上出现了一群游泳的美女。
• Look,there comes a bevy of ladies.看，一群女人来了。

10 sleet   

n.雨雪；v.下雨雪，下冰雹

参考例句：

• There was a great deal of sleet last night.昨夜雨夹雪下得真大。
• When winter comes,we get sleet and frost.冬天来到时我们这儿会有雨夹雪和霜冻。

11 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。