美国小学英语教材6:第151课 年轻的乔治·华盛顿(2)

The Indians were expert hunters, and knew far more about the habits of wild animals and fish than any of the white men.

印第安人是狩猎的专家，他们比白人更知道野生动物和鱼类的习性。

But fond as he was of such sport, the boy was still more fond of horses;

尽管华盛顿很喜欢狩猎，但他更喜欢骑马；

he probably never remembered the time when he first sat astride of a pony¹. Certainly he began learning to ride at a very early age,

他或许从来没有忘记他第一次跨坐在小矮马的时刻，他很早就开始学习骑马，

and he had no lack of good instructors², for Virginians prided themselves on their horsemanship,

他不缺少好的教练，弗吉尼亚人因他们的骑术而自豪，

and most of the planters were in the saddle from morning till night.

多数种植园经营者从早到晚骑在马上。

Altogether, the farm on Hunting Creek³ was a delightful⁴ spot for a lad like Washington who loved sport and adventure,

总之，猎手溪农场是一片让人快乐的地方，特别是对像华盛顿这样喜欢运动和探险的人，

but it would have been a bit lonely had it not been for his brothers and sisters.

如果没有兄弟姐妹加入，这里似乎有点孤寂。

The nearest house was far away, and there were no schools or common meeting places for children.

最近的房屋很远，没有供孩子上学的学校或是公共会面场所。

Fortunately, however, Washington had a sister and a brother old enough to be very companionable,

幸运的是，华盛顿有一个哥哥和姐姐，他们可以陪伴华盛顿，

and two still younger brothers who later proved excellent playmates.

还有两个弟弟，他们后来也被证实是很好的玩伴。

Besides, in the servants' quarters there were a number of boys and girls who joined the Washington children in all their games.

此外，佣人住所有许多男孩和女孩，他们参与了华盛顿这一群孩子的所有游戏。

For five years the woods about the plantation⁵, which was later named Mount Vernon,

五年来，这个后来被叫作弗农山庄的周边森林

echoed with the shouts and laughter of a very merry company of youngsters.

回荡着快乐的年轻人叫嚷和欢笑声。

Then one day the house burned down, and the family moved to another farm on the Rappahannock River,

一天房屋被烧毁了，一家人搬到了拉帕汉诺克河的另外一处农场，

almost directly opposite the little town of Fredericksburg. This plantation, sometimes called the Ferry Farm,

几乎对着弗雷德里克斯堡小镇，这里的种植园被叫作费利农场，

closely resembled the others. The house was a small, plain, wooden building,

和其他的农场很类似，房子是小型不起眼的木建筑，

very simply but strongly constructed and painted a dark red. Around it lay tobacco, wheat, and corn fields,

构造很简单，但很结实，并刷成了深红色，周边种植着烟草、小麦、玉米地，

surrounded, as at the other homes, with dense⁶ woods. Until he arrived at Ferry Farm, Washington had been allowed to run free,

和其他房屋一样，周围是茂密的森林，直到华盛顿到达费利农场才被允许自由奔跑，

without schooling⁷ of any kind, and it is doubtful if he then knew even his letters, although he was already in his eighth year.

没有任何学校教育，值得怀疑的是尽管他已经八岁了，他是否可以看懂自己的名字。

1 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

2 instructors   

指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The instructors were slacking on the job. 教员们对工作松松垮垮。
• He was invited to sit on the rostrum as a representative of extramural instructors. 他以校外辅导员身份，被邀请到主席台上。

3 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

4 delightful   

adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的

参考例句：

• We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
• Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。

5 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

6 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

7 schooling   

n.教育；正规学校教育

参考例句：

• A child's access to schooling varies greatly from area to area.孩子获得学校教育的机会因地区不同而大相径庭。
• Backward children need a special kind of schooling.天赋差的孩子需要特殊的教育。