美国语文第四册 第1期:坚持不懈(1)

 　　"Will you give my kite a lift?" said my little nephew to his sister, after trying in vain to make it fly by dragging it along the ground. “能不能给我的风筝助个力？”我的小侄子对他妹妹说。之前他在地上拖着风筝，试着让它飞起来，但是失败了。

　　Lucy very kindly¹ took it up and threw it into the air, but, her brother neglecting to run off at the same moment, the kite fell down again. 他的妹妹露西热心地举起风筝，将它抛向空中，可是哥哥没有在同时起跑，于是风筝又摔了下来。

　　"Ah! now, how awkward you are!" said the little fellow. “哎呀！你怎么这么笨手笨脚的！”小家伙说。

　　"It was your fault entirely," answered his sister. “这全都是你的错。”他妹妹反驳道。

　　"Try again, children," said I. 我说：“孩子们，再试一次。”

　　Lucy once more took up the kite. 露西再一次把风筝拿了起来。

　　But now John was in too great a hurry; he ran off so suddenly that he twitched² the kite out of her hand, and it fell flat as before. 但这回约翰太心急了，他起跑得过于突然，把露西拿着的风筝扯得脱了手，结果像之前一样以失败告终。

　　"Well, who is to blame now?" asked Lucy. "Try again," said I. “现在是谁的错了？”露西问道。“再试试。”我说。

　　They did, and with more care; 他们又试了一次，这次更加小心了。

　　but a side wind coming suddenly, as Lucy let go the kite, it was blown against some shrubs³, 但忽然从侧面来了一阵大风，当露西松手放飞风筝的时候，

　　and the tail became entangled⁴ in a moment, leaving the poor kite hanging with its head downward. 它被吹到了一片灌木丛中，尾部一时间缠绕在了一起，可怜的风筝就头向下挂在了树丛中。

　　"There, there!" exclaimed John, "that comes of your throwing it all to one side." “看吧，看吧！”约翰叫道，“这就是你把它抛向一边的结果。”

　　"As if I could make the wind blow straight," said Lucy. “好像我能让风直着吹似的。”露西说。

　　In the meantime, I went to the kite's assistance; and having disengaged the long tail, I rolled it up, saying, 与此同时，我过去帮忙捡风筝。解开了风筝的长尾巴，我一边把它收起来一边说：

　　Come, children, there are too many trees here; let us find a more open space, and then try again. 来吧，孩子们，这里树丛太多，我们去找个更开阔的地方，然后再试一次吧。

　　We presently found a nice grassplot, at one side of which I took my stand; 不一会儿，我们找到了一片非常不错的草地，我在草地一边站定。

　　and all things being prepared, I tossed the kite up just as little John ran off. 一切都准备就绪，我将风筝高高地向上抛起，约翰开始起跑。

　　It rose with all the dignity of a balloon, and promised a lofty flight; 风筝像气球一样稳稳地飞了起来，似乎有希望可以飞得很高。

　　but John, delighted to find it pulling so hard at the string, stopped short to look upward and admire. 但是当约翰发现它在用力地扯动风筝线时，他大喜过望，顿时停下脚步抬头欣赏起来。

　　The string slackened, the kite wavered, and, the wind not being very favorable, down came the kite to the grass. 线一松，风筝开始摇摆，加上风势不太理想，它一下子掉在了草地上。

　　"O John, you should not have stopped," said I. "However, try again." “噢，约翰，刚才你不应该停下，”我说道，“不管怎么说，再来一次吧。”

1 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

2 twitched   

vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Her lips twitched with amusement. 她忍俊不禁地颤动着嘴唇。
• The child's mouth twitched as if she were about to cry. 这小孩的嘴抽动着，像是要哭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

4 entangled   

adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bird had become entangled in the wire netting. 那只小鸟被铁丝网缠住了。
• Some military observers fear the US could get entangled in another war. 一些军事观察家担心美国会卷入另一场战争。 来自《简明英汉词典》