美国小学英语教材6:第188课 非洲的放牧女孩琳珐(1)

RIMFA, AFRICAN HERD¹-GIRL Erick Berry

非洲的放牧女孩琳珐 埃里克·贝利

In the first story in this book you went to Africa with Martin Johnson to photograph wild animals.

在本书的第一个故事中，你和马丁·约翰逊去非洲拍摄野生动物。

Now you will journey again to that great continent. This time you will visit a little African herd-girl,

如今，你将再次前往这个伟大的大陆，这次你会造访一位小巧的非洲放牧女孩，

see something of life in her village, and learn how she proved her courage, skill, and faithfulness in a time of great danger.

看看她在村庄的生活，学习她是如何在危险的情况下展现勇气、技能和忠诚的。

Perhaps you will feel that Rimfa was not so different from the boys and girls in our country.

或许你会觉得琳珐和我国的男孩和女孩没什么不同。

HERDING² THE CATTLE

牧牛

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It was yet three hours until the time of sundown and driving in the cattle. Now was the hottest part of the long day in West Africa.

还有三个小时才到下山时间，也是驱赶牛群的时间，如今是西非漫长的一天中最热的时段。

Rimfa, the little herd-girl, yawned as she lay in the shade of a huge tree, the only large tree in sight for miles and miles.

小小放牧女孩琳珐打了个哈欠，她躺在了大树的阴凉处，这也是绵延几英里能够看见的唯一一棵树。

Before her spread out her father's herd of cattle, fifty slow-moving white cows,

在她驱赶父亲的50头白色奶牛之前，这些奶牛行动缓慢，

each with horns a man's height across and a huge hump between its shoulders.

它们的牛角有一人高，牛肩上有一个巨大的突起。

They lay now in such small shade as they could find, contentedly³ chewing their cud and calmly looking out over the blazing plain.

奶牛躺在人们可以看到的小阴凉处，满意地咀嚼反刍的食物，安静的注视着炽热的平原。

A cowbird, crowds of which follow the cattle herd, hopped⁴ nearer, and made bold by Rimfa's stillness, pecked at a weed near her foot;

一群牛鸟跟随着这群牛，在它们的附近跳来跳去，琳珐的安静让牛鸟更加大胆，在她的脚旁边啄草；

but at this, Biri, her pet monkey, suddenly sprang up and let out a shrill⁵ chatter⁶ of rage.

但她的宠物猴比利突然跳了起来，发出愤怒的尖叫声。

Herding would have seemed a dull life to anyone not accustomed to it,

对于那些不适应的人而言，放牧似乎很无聊，

but Rimfa preferred it to the usual work of the girls of her tribe, to pounding corn and spinning,

但琳珐更喜欢放牧，而不是部落上平常女孩干的事情，比如捣碎玉米和纺线，

and cooking over the tiny fire in front of a hut in the narrow little village. Herding cattle was boys' work.

还有在狭窄的小村庄的简陋小屋前用小火煮饭，牧牛是男孩的工作。

At present her brother, Burum, was down with the measles⁷.

目前他的哥哥布兰姆患了麻疹。

For this reason the only daughter of the family was allowed the task of watching the herd.

所以家里唯一的女孩被允许看管牛群。

1 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

2 herding   

中畜群

参考例句：

• The little boy is herding the cattle. 这个小男孩在放牛。
• They have been herding cattle on the tableland for generations. 他们世世代代在这高原上放牧。

3 contentedly   

adv.心满意足地

参考例句：

• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe.父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。
• "This is brother John's writing,"said Sally,contentedly,as she opened the letter.

4 hopped   

跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花

参考例句：

• He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
• He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车，向市区开去。

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 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

7 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。