美国语文第四册 第141期:鸟类趣闻(1)

 　　I had once a favorite black hen, "a great beauty," as she was called by everyone, and so I thought her; 我曾经有一只最喜爱的黑色大母鸡，名字叫“大美人”，人们都这么叫她，她真是一只美丽的大母鸡。

　　her feathers were so jetty, and her topping so white and full! 身上的羽毛漆黑，头顶上的羽毛又白又密！

　　She knew my voice as well as any dog,  她的听觉像狗一样灵敏，能听出我的声音，

　　and used to run cackling and bustling¹ to my hand to receive the fragments, that I never failed to collect from the breakfast table for "Yarico," as she was called. 常常咯咯叫着，跑着到我的手上啄食，我从不忘记拾起桌上的剩饭给雅丽克，雅丽克是她的名字。

　　Yarico, by the time she was a year old, hatched a respectable family of chickens; 那时雅丽克已经一岁了，她已经孵育了一大群小鸡；

　　little, cowering², timid things at first, but, in due time, they became fine chubby³ ones; 这些小东西一开始还蹑手蹑脚的，胆子很小，可是渐渐地，变得胖乎乎的；

　　and old Norah said, "If I could only keep Yarico out of the copse, it would do; but the copse is full of weasels and of foxes. 老诺拉说：“我得让雅丽克离小树林远点，那里都是黄鼬和狐狸。

　　I have driven her back twenty times; but she watches till some one goes out of the gate, and then she's off again. 我把她赶回来二十次了；可是她专门瞧着人出门的时候溜出去。

　　It is always the case with young hens, Miss; they think they know better than their keepers; and nothing cures them but losing a brood or two of chickens. 小姐，小母鸡可都这样；她们自以为比主人聪明；不丢一两窝小鸡她们可记不住。

　　I have often thought since that young people, as well as young hens, buy their experience equally dear. 此后我就常想，年轻人和小母鸡一样，买个教训总要花上大价钱。

　　One morning, after breakfast, I went to seek my favorite in the poultry⁴ yard; plenty of hens were there, but no Yarico. 一天上午，早饭后，我到养殖场找这只我最喜爱的大母鸡；很多母鸡都在那里，却不见了雅丽克。

　　The gate was open, and, as I concluded she had sought the forbidden copse,  门开着，我判断她一定是偷着去禁地了，

　　I proceeded there, accompanied by the yard mastiff, a noble fellow, steady and sagacious as a judge. 我朝那边走，马士提夫獒犬跟着我；雄赳赳的，步伐稳重，目光敏锐，神态庄重，像法官一样。

1 bustling   

adj.喧闹的

参考例句：

• The market was bustling with life. 市场上生机勃勃。
• This district is getting more and more prosperous and bustling. 这一带越来越繁华了。

2 cowering   

v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He turned his baleful glare on the cowering suspect. 他恶毒地盯着那个蜷缩成一团的嫌疑犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He stood over the cowering Herb with fists of fury. 他紧握着两个拳头怒气冲天地站在惊魂未定的赫伯面前。 来自辞典例句

3 chubby   

adj.丰满的，圆胖的

参考例句：

• He is stocky though not chubby.他长得敦实，可并不发胖。
• The short and chubby gentleman over there is our new director.那个既矮又胖的绅士是我们的新主任。

4 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?