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《神奇树屋》 第三十八册 Monday with a Mad Genius 07 The Great Bird

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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

  Leonardo shook the reins1. The white horse cloppedout of the courtyard and into the street.

"So where are we going?" Annie asked.

"To a steep hill just outside the city walls," saidLeonardo. "One day you will tell people that youwere with me on this historic Monday. You saw themad genius, Leonardo da Vinci, and his Great Bird!""Cool, but can you tell us exactly what you'replanning to do?" said Jack2.

"For twenty-five years, I have sketched3 birds81and bats," said Leonardo. "I have studied all theirmovements, their gliding4, their flapping, theirlanding, and their rising into the air. I have askedmyself over and over,Why can a person not fly as birds do?

So, years ago I began building my Great Bird.""Your Great Bird?" asked Annie.

"Ha-ha!" laughed Leonardo. "Wait and see! Waitand see!"The horse pulled the cart through the city gates,heading into the countryside. The chilly5 air waswarmed by bright sunlight.

Leonardo tugged6 on the reins and his horse turnedoff the main road and started up a narrow, rockypath. The cart bumped past pale green olive trees andyellow fields of wildflowers. Soon it came to thebottom of a steep hill.

Leonardo pulled the reins and his horse halted.

"There! Can you see it?" he said. "My Great Bird." Hepointed to a strange-looking structure on the top ofthe hill.

82"What is it?" asked Jack.

"The wings are like those of a bat, only much, muchlarger-large enough for a man!" said Leonardo.

"About a month ago on a moonlit night, myapprentices and I brought it to the top of this hill. Idid not have the confidence to try it then, but now Ido."Jack was confused. He knew people didn't flyairplanes until the beginning of the 1900s. "Ummaybeyou should work on this one a little longer,"he said. "I mean, maybe-""No, no, today is the day! I feel it!" said Leonardo.

"Stay here and watch."Leonardo leapt down from the cart and took longstrides up the steep slope.

"Quick, look up Great Bird in the Leonardo book,"Annie said to Jack.

Jack pulled out their research book and looked upGreat Bird in the index. "It's here!" he said. He foundthe right page and read aloud:

Leonardo da Vinci spent years making a flyingmachine that he called the Great Bird. But not untilthe invention of lightweight motors, nearly 400 yearsafter Leonardo's time, would human flight bepossible. It is not known whether Leonardo ever triedto fly the Great Bird. If he did, he surely crashed.

"Oh, no!" said Annie. "His machine won't work! IfLeonardo tries to fly off that hilltop, he'll crash. Wehave to stop him before he hurts himself!"Annie jumped out of the cart. Jack put the bookaway. He left his bag in the cart and ran after her.

They started up the steep hill.

"Leonardo, stop!" shouted Annie. But Leonardo keptclimbing.

"Human flight isn't possible yet!" Jack cried.

"Don't try it, Leonardo!" yelled Annie.

Jack and Annie were only halfway7 up the hill whenLeonardo reached the top. He began strapping8 himselfinto a harness on the Great Bird.

84Large handles were attached to the harness. Oneach side were huge cloth wings stretched over awooden frame.

"Don't!" shouted Jack.

But Leonardo was already staggering toward theedge of the steep hill with the flying machine on hisback. It was so heavy that he could hardly stand up.

"Leonardo, stop!" cried Annie. "You need a motor!"But Leonardo bent9 his legs and lowered his bodyclose to the ground. He grabbed the two large handlesand pulled them toward his chest. The huge wingsrose into the air.

"The Great Bird raises its wings and is pushed bythe wind!" shouted Leonardo. "Noooo!" yelled Jackand Annie.

Leonardo leapt off the side of the hill into the air. Agust of wind lifted him. As the wind held his wingsaloft, he pushed and pulled on the handles. The wingsmoved up and down.

86But Leonardo couldn't make the wings flap fastenough. Though he pushed and pulled wildly on thehandles, he soon began falling through the air-untilwings and wood and Leonardo all crashed to theground.

"Leonardo!" yelled Annie.

Jack and Annie charged down the hill. At thebottom, Leonardo da Vinci lay in a silent heap. Histwisted wings spread over the grass. Jack and Annierushed to him.

"Are you all right?" cried Annie. There was noanswer.

Oh, no! We've killed him! thought Jack.

But then Leonardo stirred. He moved his hand.

"Are you all right?" Annie asked again. Leonardomoved his other hand. He rolled over on his side andunbuckled the straps10 of the harness. He crawled awayfrom the flying machine and hauled himself to asitting position. His face was scraped and red.

"Are you all right?" Annie asked once more.

Leonardo looked at her. The light had gone out ofhis eyes. "No," he said in a quiet voice. "I am not allright.""Did you break something?" asked Annie. Leonardostood up. He stared at the twisted and torn wings ofthe Great Bird. He sighed deeply. "Only my heart," hesaid. "Only my heart."Leonardo turned and limped across the grass backtoward his horse and cart. Jack and Annie followed.

When Leonardo got to the cart, his white horsesnorted, as if trying to comfort him. Leonardo pressedhis head against the horse's neck.

Annie stepped toward him. "Why is your heartbroken, Leonardo?" she asked quietly.

Leonardo looked back at the hill. "All my life, Ihave started project's that have come to nothing," hesaid. "My towers and bridges have never been built.

My scientific ideas have never been proven."88"But-" said Annie.

Leonardo went on: "For years, I made drawings ofan enormous horse I planned to sculpt11 for the Duke ofMilan. But in the end, that work came to nothing, too.

I have finished only a few paintings. I cannot evenfinish my favorite one, a portrait of a lovely lady ofFlorence. Today my fresco12 in the hall of the greatcouncil was ruined. But always, in spite of all myfailures, one thing brought me comfort.""What?" asked Jack.

"I knew someday I would be the first person in theworld to fly," said Leonardo. His voice quavered.

"Talking with the two of you, I knew the time hadfinally come to test my machine.""We're sorry," said Annie.

"No, no, I had to test it sooner or later," saidLeonardo. "But now that dream, too, has come tonothing. I will never achieve fame by flying. I willnever fly." He hung his head and stared at theground. "I shall go home now. I shall burn all my89notebooks and my unfinished paintings andinventions. I shall leave Florence and never return.""Oh, no!" said Jack.

"Wait a minute," said Annie. "You will fly.""Annie," Jack warned. Since the machine would neverwork, he didn't want her to give Leonardo false hope.

"Youaregoing to fly, Leonardo," said Annie. "And you'regoing to love it.""Annie, human flight isn't possible at this time inhistory!" Jack whispered to Annie. "A person needs amotor. We don't have a motor."But Annie paid no attention. "Hold on, everyone,"she said. "I have to get something." She climbed intothe cart and reached into Jack's bag.

When Annie turned back around, Jack gasped13. Hehad forgotten all about the Wand of Dianthus.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 reins 370afc7786679703b82ccfca58610c98     
感情,激情; 缰( rein的名词复数 ); 控制手段; 掌管; (成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的)保护带
参考例句:
  • She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
  • The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。
2 jack 53Hxp     
n.插座,千斤顶,男人;v.抬起,提醒,扛举;n.(Jake)杰克
参考例句:
  • I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
  • He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
3 sketched 7209bf19355618c1eb5ca3c0fdf27631     
v.草拟(sketch的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
4 gliding gliding     
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的
参考例句:
  • Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
  • The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。
5 chilly pOfzl     
adj.凉快的,寒冷的
参考例句:
  • I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
  • I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后,寒气逼人。
6 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
v.用力拉,使劲拉,猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
  • A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 halfway Xrvzdq     
adj.中途的,不彻底的,部分的;adv.半路地,在中途,在半途
参考例句:
  • We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路,天就黑了。
  • In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上,最忌讳的是有始无终。
8 strapping strapping     
adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式
参考例句:
  • He's a strapping lad—already bigger than his father. 他是一个魁梧的小伙子——已经比他父亲高了。
  • He was a tall strapping boy. 他是一个高大健壮的小伙子。
9 bent QQ8yD     
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的
参考例句:
  • He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
  • We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。
10 straps 1412cf4c15adaea5261be8ae3e7edf8e     
n.带子( strap的名词复数 );挎带;肩带;背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 );用皮带抽打;包扎;给…打绷带
参考例句:
  • the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
  • The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。
11 sculpt TZux2     
n.雕刻,雕塑,雕刻品,雕塑品
参考例句:
  • When I sculpt,my style is expressionistic.我的雕刻风格是表现主义。
  • Then,sculpt the remaining fringe parting.然后雕刻剩余的边缘部分。
12 fresco KQRzs     
n.壁画;vt.作壁画于
参考例句:
  • This huge fresco is extremely clear and just like nature itself.It is very harmonious.这一巨幅壁画,清晰有致且又浑然天成,十分和谐。
  • So it is quite necessary to study the influence of visual thinking over fresco.因此,研究视觉思维对壁画的影响和作用是十分必要的。
13 gasped e6af294d8a7477229d6749fa9e8f5b80     
v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 );喘息;倒抽气;很想要
参考例句:
  • She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
  • People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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