英国语文第四册 第30期:缝叶莺(上)

LESSON 15 The tailor-bird

第十五课 缝叶莺

The birds in a tropical forest are exposed to many dangers;

热带森林的鸟儿时刻处于各种危险之中；

and if they were not gifted with instinct, they would soon fall victims to their enemies.

如果它们没有天赋本能，很快就会落入天敌的魔爪，丢了性命。

The monkeys are lying in wait for their eggs; and so is the snake, that glides¹ stealthily amongst the bushes.

猴子们暗中伏击它们的鸟蛋, 躲在灌木丛中悄悄滑动的蛇，也在觊觎它们的鸟蛋。

The mother bird knows very well what she has to expect, if either of these cunning foes² should find entrance into her nest;

如果这些狡猾的敌人其中一个找到巢的入口，进入鸟巢，鸟妈妈比谁都清楚可怕的后果是什么。

and she generally contrives³ to conceal⁴ it so skilfully⁵, that neither snake nor monkey can find it.

所以通常来说，鸟妈妈会把鸟巢的入口，设计地非常巧妙又隐蔽，以至于蛇和猴子都无法找到它。

The tailor-bird of India is no bigger than the hummingbird⁶, and has a long slender bill, which she uses as a needle.

印度的缝叶莺比蜂鸟还小，它长着细长的鸟喙，可以当针一样使用。

She is very timid and cautious, and will not hang her nest, as many birds do, to the end of a bough⁷.

它很胆小谨慎，不会像许多其他鸟类那样，在高悬的大树上筑巢。

She fancies that it would not be safe even there.

它甚至想，即使是一根大树枝也不安全。

She therefore fastens it to the leaf itself;

因此，它把巢和树叶非常小心地连接紧固住，

and so carefully that no one can see it.

这样谁也发现不了鸟巢。

First of all she picks up a dead leaf from the ground,

首先，它从地上叼起一片枯叶，

and then, with her needle and thread (her needle being her bill, and her thread the fibres of a plant),

然后，用它的针和线（针就是她的喙，线就是植物纤维），

she sews the dead leaf to the side of a living one, and in the space between she makes her nest.

把枯叶和活的叶子边缘缝起来，形成一个空间，在里面它就可以放心筑巢了。

Small as the space is, it is quite large enough for the tiny eggs she lays;

里面空间虽小，但产下的卵非常小，巢里足够装得下它们；

and she lines it with gossamer⁸, that the little tailor-birds may feel themselves quite snug⁹ and comfortable.

然后缝叶莺用蛛丝把这些叶子做的鸟巢排成一排，这样幼鸟会感到相当温暖舒适。

The leaf, with the nest sewed into it, swings about in the wind as it did before,

这些被缝补进鸟巢的叶子，像以前还长在树枝上一样，随风摇摆，

for the weight of the bird does not draw it down.

里面的鸟儿是那么轻，鸟巢也不会掉下来。

1 glides   

n.滑行( glide的名词复数 )；滑音；音渡；过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The new dance consists of a series of glides. 这种新舞蹈中有一连串的滑步。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The stately swan glides gracefully on the pond. 天鹅在池面上优美地游动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

3 contrives   

（不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的第三人称单数 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到

参考例句：

• The striver contrives to derive that privacy can't be deprived. 奋斗者想方设法推导得出隐私（权）不可剥夺。
• Chance contrives better than we ourselves. 机遇往往出人意料；人算不如天算。

4 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

5 skilfully   

adv. (美skillfully)熟练地

参考例句：

• Hall skilfully weaves the historical research into a gripping narrative. 霍尔巧妙地把历史研究揉进了扣人心弦的故事叙述。
• Enthusiasm alone won't do. You've got to work skilfully. 不能光靠傻劲儿，得找窍门。

6 hummingbird   

n.蜂鸟

参考例句：

• The hummingbird perches on a twig of the hawthorn.小蜂鸟栖在山楂树枝上。
• The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backward.蜂鸟是唯一能倒退向后飞的鸟。

7 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。

8 gossamer   

n.薄纱，游丝

参考例句：

• The prince helped the princess,who was still in her delightful gossamer gown.王子搀扶着仍穿著那套美丽薄纱晚礼服的公主。
• Gossamer is floating in calm air.空中飘浮着游丝。

9 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。