患难朋友见真情 A Friend in Need

 Brownie and Spotty were neighbor dogs who met every day to play together. Like pairs of dogs you can find in most any neighborhood, these two loved each other and played together so often that they had worn a path through the grass of the field between their respective1 houses. 

布朗尼和斯波蒂是邻居，两只每天相会一起玩的狗。像几乎能在任何社区找到的成对的狗一样，它们俩互相爱慕，常在一起玩耍嬉戏，两家之间的草地上已经踏出了一条小径。

One evening, Brownie's family noticed that Brownie hadn't returned home. They went looking for him with no success. Brownie didn't show up the next day, and, despite their efforts to find him, by the next week he was still missing. 

一天傍晚，布朗尼的主人家发现它没有回家，搜寻一番也没找到。第二天，布朗尼依然没露面。尽管人们还在努力寻找着，到了第二周，它还是不见踪影。

Curiously¹, Spotty showed up at Brownie's house alone. Barking, whining² and generally pestering2 Brownie's human family. Busy with their own lives, they just ignored the nervous little neighbor dog. 

奇怪的是，斯波蒂独自出现在布朗尼主人家，吠叫、哀嚎，还总是缠着家里的人，但他们忙于自己的生活，没有在意邻居家这只神经质的小狗。

Finally, one morning Spotty refused to take “no” for an answer. Ted³, Brownie's owner, was steadily⁴ harassed3 by the furious, adamant4 little dog. Spotty followed Ted about, barking insistently⁵, then darting⁶ toward a nearby empty lot and back, as if to say, “Follow me! It's urgent!” 

一天早上，斯波蒂终于拒绝接受“不”的回答。布朗尼的主人特德被这只暴怒的、不依不饶的小狗骚扰个不停。斯波蒂到处跟着特德，汪汪地叫个不停，然后窜到近处空地上，又窜回来，似乎在说：“跟我来！情况紧急！”

Eventually, Ted followed the frantic⁷ Spotty across the empty lot as Spotty paused to race back and bark encouragingly. The little dog led the man under a tree, past clumps5 of trees, to a desolate⁸ spot a half mile from the house. There Ted found his beloved Brownie alive, one of his hind⁹ legs crushed in a steel leghold trap. Horrified¹⁰, Ted now wished he'd taken Spotty's earlier appeals seriously. Then Ted noticed something quite remarkable¹¹. 

最后，特德跟着发疯似的斯波蒂穿过空地，小狗停步奔回，用叫声催促着。它领着特德从一棵树下穿过，经过树丛，来到离房子半英里远的一处荒地。在那里，特德发现他心爱的布朗尼还活着，一条后腿被一个钢制捕捉器夹着。特德大为震惊，后悔当初没有认真对待斯波蒂的求助。随后，一幅非凡的景象映入眼帘。

Spotty had done more than simply led Brownie's human owner to his trapped friend. In a circle around the injured dog, Ted found an array of dog food and table scraps1 which were later identified as the remains¹² of every meal Spotty had been fed that week! 

斯波蒂不仅仅只是带领布朗尼的主人来到它被困的朋友跟前。在受伤的布朗尼四周，特德发现有一圈狗食和餐桌上的残羹剩饭——后来证实是那个星期每餐喂斯波蒂吃剩下的食物！

Spotty had been visiting Brownie regularly, in a singleminded quest to keep his friend alive by sacrificing his own comfort. Spotty had evidently stayed with Brownie to protect him from predators2, snuggling with him at night to keep him warm and nuzzling3 him to keep his spirits up. 

斯波蒂一直定时来看望布朗尼，一心一意要让它的朋友活下去，吃苦受累在所不惜。显然，斯波蒂陪着布朗尼，保护它免遭其他捕食动物的侵袭，夜间偎依着它为它驱寒，用鼻口拱它振作它的精神。

Brownie's leg was treated by a veterinarian and he recovered. For many years thereafter, the two families watched the faithful friends frolicking4 and chasing each other down that wellworn path between their houses. 

兽医治愈了布朗尼的伤腿。自那以后多年中，两家邻居不时会看到这一对忠实的朋友嬉戏玩耍，在两幢住房间久踩成径的草地上相互追逐。

1 curiously   

adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地

参考例句：

• He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
• He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。

2 whining   

n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚

参考例句：

• That's the way with you whining, puny, pitiful players. 你们这种又爱哭、又软弱、又可怜的赌棍就是这样。
• The dog sat outside the door whining (to be let in). 那条狗坐在门外狺狺叫着（要进来）。

3 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

4 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

5 insistently   

ad.坚持地

参考例句：

• Still Rhett did not look at her. His eyes were bent insistently on Melanie's white face. 瑞德还是看也不看她，他的眼睛死死地盯着媚兰苍白的脸。
• These are the questions which we should think and explore insistently. 怎样实现这一主体性等问题仍要求我们不断思考、探索。

6 darting   

v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• Swallows were darting through the clouds. 燕子穿云急飞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Swallows were darting through the air. 燕子在空中掠过。 来自辞典例句

7 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

8 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

9 hind   

adj.后面的，后部的

参考例句：

• The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
• Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。

10 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

11 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

12 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。