英语小达人 103 Racing in the Wild

 　　Racing¹ in the Wild

　　第7单元 荒野中的赛跑

　　The zebra grazing, looked up only slightly when two of the world's tallest animals galloped² past. The lanky³ animals' long, but awkward legs traveled across the desert in half the time it took most other desert animals.

　　当两只世界上长得最高的动物疾驰而过时，吃着草的斑马只是稍微抬头看了一下。这种瘦长动物的腿很长也很笨拙，但穿越沙漠的时间却比大部分其他沙漠动物还要快上一倍。

　　The extra weight of a single passenger and his bags did not seem to slow down the animals' speed.

　　背上多坐一个人再加上他的行李重量，似乎不会减慢这种动物的跑步速度。

　　March was the annual giraffe race. People from surrounding villages came to watch. This year, Ahul was racing for his first time. He was only 11. Before he died, Ahul's father had been a famous racer. It was up to Ahul to carry on in his father's footsteps.

　　三月是一年一度的长颈鹿赛跑大赛，附近的村民都会前来观赏。今天是阿哈第一次参赛，他只有十一岁。阿哈的爸爸生前是有名的长颈鹿赛鹿手，至于阿哈要不要跟随父亲的脚步，就由他自己决定。

　　Ahul held on tightly to the giraffe as it raced across sand dunes⁴ and past trees. They were in the lead. The finish line was close.

　　长颈鹿跑过沙丘、穿越树林时，阿哈紧紧抓着长颈鹿。他们目前居于领先地位，终点线就在前面不远了。

　　“Come on, Ginger,” Ahul called out. “You can do it.” What a rush to be sitting on top of a giraffe as it raced across the desert, the sun warm on his back, the cool wind blowing in his face.

　　“加油，金杰。”阿哈大喊着：“你一定行的。”长颈鹿在沙漠上奔跑时，坐在它上面那种感觉可真是快啊！温暖的阳光照在背上，脸上还有凉风吹过。

　　Ahul cried out, “You did it” as they crossed the finish line.

　　他们越过终点线时，阿哈大喊着：“你办到了。”

1 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

2 galloped   

（使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事

参考例句：

• Jo galloped across the field towards him. 乔骑马穿过田野向他奔去。
• The children galloped home as soon as the class was over. 孩子们一下课便飞奔回家了。

3 lanky   

adj.瘦长的

参考例句：

• He was six feet four,all lanky and leggy.他身高6英尺4英寸，瘦高个儿，大长腿。
• Tom was a lanky boy with long skinny legs.汤姆是一个腿很细的瘦高个儿。

4 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。