英语美文：小女孩

 　A little Girl

　　Sitting on a grassy¹ grave, beneath one of the windows of the church, was a little girl.With her head bent² back she was gazing up at the sky and singing, while one of her little hands was pointing to a tiny cloud that hovered³ like a golden feather above her head. The sun, which had suddenly become very bright, shining on her glossy⁴ hair, gave it a metallic⁵ luster⁶, and it was difficult to say what was the color, dark bronze or black. So completely absorbed was she in watching the cloud to which her strange song or incantation seemed addressed, that she did not observe me when I rose and went towards her.Over her head, high up in the blue, a lark⁷ that was soaring towards' the same gauzy cloud was singing, as if in rivalry⁸. As I slowly approached the child, I could see by her forehead, which, in the sunshine seemed like a globe of pearl, and especially by her complexion⁹, that she was uncommonly¹⁰ lovely. Her eyes, which at one moment seemed blue-gray, at another violet, were shaded by long black lashes¹¹, curving backward in a most peculiar¹² way, and these matched in hue¹³ her eyebrows¹⁴, and the tresses that were tossed about her tender throat and were quivering in the sunlight. All this I did not take in at once; for at first I could see nothing but those quivering, glittering, changeful eyes turned up into my face. Gradually the other features, especially the sensitive full-lipped mouth, grew upon me as I stood silently gazing. Here seemed to me a more perfect beauty than had ever come to me in my loveliest dreams of beauty. Yet it was not her beauty so much as the look she gave me that fascinated me, melted me. 

　　[参考译文]

　　在教堂的一扇窗下长满绿草的坟堆上，坐着个小女孩。她仰着头，望着天空，唱着歌儿。她的小手指点着一朵飘浮在她头顶的金色羽毛般的小彩云。突然间，阳光显得格外灿烂，照在她光泽的头发上，给它涂上一层金属似的光彩，很难说出它突竟是什么颜色，是深褐色，还是黑色。她是那么全神贯注地望着彩云，她那奇妙的歌声，或可说是喃喃自语，似乎是对着那彩云而发的。因而她没有注意到我站起身来朝她走去。在她上空高高的蓝天里，一只展翅飞向那朵轻盈透明的彩云的云雀也在歌唱，似乎在与她比赛。我慢步向小女孩走去，她那在阳光下如同珍珠一样圆润的前额，特别是她那肤色，使我感到她真是异常可爱。媳耶黑黑的长睫毛非常别致地朝后弯曲着，掩映着一双一会儿象是蓝灰色的，一会儿又象是紫罗兰色的眼睛。她的长睫毛同她的眉毛和头发色泽调和，披拂在她娇嫩的脖子上的发绺，在阳光里轻轻飘动。我并没有马上领略到这一切，因为我一开始只注意了那双闪闪发光、富于表情、盯着我看的眼睛。我伫立在一边默默地注视着她，才渐渐地看清了她容貌的其他部分，特别是那张灵敏而又丰满的小嘴。呈现在我眼苎的这一美的形象似乎比我在最美好的梦境中所见过的更美。然而，与其说是她的美丽，不如说是她朝我看的那种眼神，更使我着迷，更使我陶醉．

1 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

2 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

4 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

5 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

6 luster   

n.光辉；光泽，光亮；荣誉

参考例句：

• His great books have added luster to the university where he teaches.他的巨著给他任教的大学增了光。
• Mercerization enhances dyeability and luster of cotton materials.丝光处理扩大棉纤维的染色能力，增加纤维的光泽。

7 lark   

n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏

参考例句：

• He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
• She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

8 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

9 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

10 uncommonly   

adv. 稀罕(极，非常)

参考例句：

• an uncommonly gifted child 一个天赋异禀的儿童
• My little Mary was feeling uncommonly empty. 我肚子当时正饿得厉害。

11 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

13 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

14 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。