英语美文：初雪

 The first snow

初雪

The first snow came.How beautiful it was, falling so silently, all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead!

初雪来了。她是多么美丽。一整天，一整夜，静静地落在山岭上，落在草地上，落在人们居住的房顶上，落在沉寂的坟墓上！

 All white save the river, that marked its course by a winding¹ black line across the landscape, and the leafless trees, that against the leaden sky now revealed more fully² the wonderful beauty and intricacy of their branches!

白雪皑皑，大地上河流被勾画成一条蜿蜒曲折的黑色系带；在铅灰色天空的衬托下，落光了叶子的树用她们那错综复杂的枝桠勾勒出了惊人的美丽。

What silence, too, came with the snow, and what seclusion³!

跟着雪花一起，周围是多么寂静呀，仿佛被与世隔绝了一样！

Every sound was muffled⁴, every noise changed to something soft and musical.

所有的声音都被消减了，连噪音都被改造得柔软了许多，隐约含着一丝的天籁。

No more trampling⁵ hoofs⁶, no more rattling⁷ wheels! Only the chiming of sleigh-bells, beating as swift and merrily as the hearts of children.

不再有沉重的马蹄，不再有吱吱呀呀的车轮，只有雪橇上的铃铛，宛如孩子们欢快喜悦的心，在一路唱着歌。

1 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 seclusion   

n.隐遁，隔离

参考例句：

• She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.她喜欢在自己僻静的花园里晒日光浴。
• I live very much in seclusion these days.这些天我过着几乎与世隔绝的生活。

4 muffled   

adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己）

参考例句：

• muffled voices from the next room 从隔壁房间里传来的沉闷声音
• There was a muffled explosion somewhere on their right. 在他们的右面什么地方有一声沉闷的爆炸声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 trampling   

踩( trample的现在分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯

参考例句：

• Diplomats denounced the leaders for trampling their citizens' civil rights. 外交官谴责这些领导人践踏其公民的公民权。
• They don't want people trampling the grass, pitching tents or building fires. 他们不希望人们踩踏草坪、支帐篷或生火。

6 hoofs   

n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The stamp of the horse's hoofs on the wooden floor was loud. 马蹄踏在木头地板上的声音很响。 来自辞典例句
• The noise of hoofs called him back to the other window. 马蹄声把他又唤回那扇窗子口。 来自辞典例句

7 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。