精灵鼠小弟 第41期:雪球的朋友们

 　　Snowbell, the cat, enjoyed nighttime more than daytime.

　　那只叫雪球的猫，更喜欢过晚上，而不是白天。

　　Perhaps it was because his eyes liked the dark.

　　可能因为他的眼睛对黑暗比较适应吧。

　　But I think it was because there are always so many worth-while things going on in New York at night.

　　不过我想那是因为纽约的夜里总有许多值得注意的东西。

　　Snowbell had several friends in the neighborhood. Some of them were house cats, others were store cats.

　　雪球在家附近有许多邻居，其中的一些是家猫，还有一些是店里的猫。

　　He knew a Maltese cat in the A and People, a white Persian in the apartment house next door, a tortoise-shell in the delicatessen,他认识一只在A&P超市的马耳他猫，一只住在公寓楼的另一个门里的白波斯猫，a tiger cat in the basement¹ of the branch² library, and a beautiful young Angora who had escaped³ from a cage in a pet shop on Third Avenue一只住在一家熟菜店里的玳瑁猫，一只住在图书馆分馆地下室的虎斑猫，一只从第三街的宠物店的笼子里逃出来的漂亮的小安哥拉猫，and had gone to live a free life of her own in the tool house of the small park near Stuart's home.

　　她在斯图亚特家附近的公园旁的一个小工具室里过着她自由自在的生活。

　　One fine spring evening Snowbell had been calling on the Angora in the park.

　　一个很好的春夜，雪球去拜访在公园住的安哥拉猫。

　　He started home, late, and it was such a lovely night she said she would walk along with him to keep him company.

　　等他在晚些时候想要回家时，她说因为这个夜晚太可爱了，所以想陪他一起散步。

　　When they got to Mr. Little's house, the two cats sat down at the foot of at all vine⁴ which ran up the side of the house past George's bedroom.

　　他们一直走到利特尔家，来到乔治卧室窗外的常春藤下，才坐下来休息。

　　This vine was useful to Snowbell, because he could climb it at night and crawl⁵ into the house through George's open window.

　　这常春藤对雪球来说特别有用，因为在夜里他可以从乔治卧室敞开的窗子里爬到这常春藤上，悄悄地溜出去。

　　Snowbell began telling his friend about Margalo and Stuart.

　　雪球开始告诉他的朋友有关玛戈和斯图亚特的事。

 

1 basement   

n.地下室，地窖；建筑物的基部

参考例句：

• It is rather damp in the basement.地下室很潮湿。
• They live in a basement flat in North London.他们住在伦敦北部的一所地下公寓里。

2 branch   

n.分支，树枝；vt/vi.分支，分岔

参考例句：

• The bird settles on a branch.鸟儿栖息在枝上。
• The olive branch stands for peace.橄榄枝象征着和平。

3 escaped   

adj.溜走v.逃脱( escape的过去式和过去分词 )；（气体，液体等）漏出；（未受伤或只受了一点伤害而）逃脱；声音（不自觉地）由…发出

参考例句：

• He escaped with only a broken arm. 他得以逃生，只是断了一只胳膊。
• Nothing escaped our teacher's eagle eye. 任何事情都逃不过我们老师那锐利的目光。

4 vine   

n.葡萄树；蔓；藤

参考例句：

• The vine twines round the tree.这藤盘绕在树干上。
• There is a vine yard before the hill.山前有一个葡萄园。

5 crawl   

vi.／n.爬行，匍匐行进；缓慢(费力)地行进

参考例句：

• We learn to crawl before we learn to walk.我们学会走路之前先要学会爬。
• She slowed the car to a crawl.她把车开得很慢。