美国小学英语教材6:第62课 洋基快速船(1)

 WEST WIND: THE YANKEE CLIPPER SHIP Cornelia Meigs 西风：洋基快速船 科妮莉亚·梅格斯

Do you remember how Columbus's ship looked, with its high, blunt bow and stern? 你还记得哥伦布的轮船长什么样子吗，有着锋利的船首和船尾？

For hundreds of years sailing ships had been built in that way, and they were slow, clumsy, and hard to handle. 数百年来，轮船都是这个模样，它们很笨拙，不易操作。

Then came the Yankee clippers, the swiftest and most beautiful sailing ships ever built. 之后是洋基快船，它是史上最漂亮，最快速的船只。

They were so beloved by all sailors that they were called The Darlings of the Sea. 也是所有船员的最爱，它们被称之为“海上的宠儿”。

This author has made up an interesting story about a clipper ship. 作者讲述了一个关于快船的有趣故事。

THE SHIPMASTER AND HIS MODEL 船长和他的模型

From the time when they first went to school to learn their letters, 回想当初第一次去学校上学，

Jonathan Adams and Humphrey Reynolds spent most of their waking hours in each other's company. 乔纳森·亚当斯和汉弗莱·雷诺兹总在一起。

They looked for birds' nests together in the woods at the edge of the broad Susquehanna River, 他们一起去丛林中寻找鸟巢，地点位于宽阔的萨斯奎哈纳河边缘，

they paddled along its marshy¹ banks, they played interesting games in that busy, entrancing place, Jonathan's father's shipyard. 他们在泥泞的河岸边淌水，他们在乔纳森父亲的船坞玩有趣的游戏，这里很繁忙很有趣。

Or they would stand side by side watching a great ship of war come sailing up the bay 或者站在一起看着巨大战船驶向海湾，

with square white sails and darkly outlined rigging, the vessel² that was commanded by Captain Reynolds, Humphrey's father. 卷起白色的浪花，看到了船上暗黑色的索具，这艘船由汉弗莱的父亲雷诺兹船长指挥。

The two boys talked much of what they would do when they were men; they would sit for long hours on the wharf³, 两个小孩谈论了许多长大后的愿望，他们会在码头待上几个小时，

their legs dangling⁴ above the water, discussing the future. 双腿在水上来回摆动，讨论着未来。

I am going into the navy like my father, Humphrey would say, 我要像父亲一样去海军，汉弗莱说到，

and I intend to sail in the finest and fastest ship of the whole fleet to the very ends of the world and back again. 我要驾驶整个舰队中最先进，最快速的舰船去世界的尽头，然后返回。

And I will have you for an officer, Jonathan. No, Jonathan would return seriously, 我要让你乔纳森成为一名军官，乔纳森毅然回绝了，

I get sick when I go to sea, and I don't like hardtack and salt pork. 他说我一出海就感觉不适，我不喜欢硬饼干和咸猪肉。

No, I will stay at home in my father's yards and some day I will build a ship that is a real ship and not just tubs like these. 我要待在父亲的院子中，我将来会建造一艘舰船，而不是像这些笨船。

 

1 marshy   

adj.沼泽的

参考例句：

• In August 1935,we began our march across the marshy grassland. 1935年8月，我们开始过草地。
• The surrounding land is low and marshy. 周围的地低洼而多沼泽。

2 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

3 wharf   

n.码头，停泊处

参考例句：

• We fetch up at the wharf exactly on time.我们准时到达码头。
• We reached the wharf gasping for breath.我们气喘吁吁地抵达了码头。

4 dangling   

悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口

参考例句：

• The tooth hung dangling by the bedpost, now. 结果，那颗牙就晃来晃去吊在床柱上了。
• The children sat on the high wall,their legs dangling. 孩子们坐在一堵高墙上，摇晃着他们的双腿。