绿野仙踪 第20期:穿过森林(1)

 After a few hours the road began to be rough, and walking grew so difficult that the Scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow bricks, which were here very uneven¹. 他们走了没多久，黄砖就越来越坏，稻草人常常在不平的地方跌到。

Sometimes, indeed, they were broken or missing altogether, leaving holes that Toto jumped across and Dorothy walked around. 有时路面坑坑洼洼，非常难走。托托跳了过去，多萝茜绕了过去。

As for the Scarecrow, having no brains, he walked straight ahead,  稻草人由于没有脑子，就笔直地向前走，

and so stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the hard bricks. 结果跌到洞里去了，全身掉在坚硬的砖头上。

It never hurt him, however, and Dorothy would pick him up and set him upon his feet again,  当然，他永远不会受伤，多萝茜把他提了起来，扶稳了，

while he joined her in laughing merrily at his own mishap². 他很快就赶上了她，对自己倒霉的事，竟快活地大笑着。

The farms were not nearly so well cared for here as they farther back. 这里远不像以前他们经过的地方，都是荒废的田野，

There were fewer houses and fewer fruit trees, and the farther they went the more dismal³ and lonesome the country became. 零星的果树，几处房子。当他们越来越深入的时候，感到更加地灰暗和孤寂。

At noon they sat down by the roadside, near a little brook⁴, and Dorothy opened her basket and got out some bread. 中午，他们坐在一条小溪旁，多萝茜打开篮子，拿出一些面包。

She offered a piece to the Scarecrow, but he refused. 她拿出一些面包来，邀请稻草人共进午餐，但是他谢绝了。

"I am never hungry," he said, "and it is a lucky thing I am not, for my mouth is only painted,  “我根本不会饿的，”他说：“这倒是一件运气的事，因为我的嘴巴是画出来的，

and if I should cut a hole in it so I could eat, the straw I am stuffed with would come out, and that would spoil the shape of my head." 如果我在那里挖出一个洞来，我就可以吃东西了。如果我这么吃的话，我那被填塞在里面的稻草就会跑出来，我头部的形状就会被破坏了。”

Dorothy saw at once that this was true, so she only nodded and went on eating her bread. 多萝茜很快明白了，所以她点了点头，自己吃了面包起来。

Tell me something about yourself and the country you came from," said the Scarecrow." when she had finished her dinner. 当她吃完了午饭，稻草人问道：“你还没有告诉我，你是从哪儿来的？”

So she told him all about Kansas, and how gray everything was there, and how the cyclone⁵ had carried her to this queer Land of Oz. 她就向稻草人描绘了堪萨斯州，那里灰暗的一切以及旋风是怎样将她带到这个神奇的奥兹国的。

1 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

2 mishap   

n.不幸的事，不幸；灾祸

参考例句：

• I'm afraid your son had a slight mishap in the playground.不好了，你儿子在操场上出了点小意外。
• We reached home without mishap.我们平安地回到了家。

3 dismal   

adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的

参考例句：

• That is a rather dismal melody.那是一支相当忧郁的歌曲。
• My prospects of returning to a suitable job are dismal.我重新找到一个合适的工作岗位的希望很渺茫。

4 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

5 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。