美国小学英语教材6:第157课亚伯拉罕·林肯成长历程(3)（打印版）

He was more than a tough, long, rawboned boy. He amazed men with his man's lifting power.

他不仅仅是一个身体健壮，身高臂长，身体消瘦的男孩，他举重物的能力惊人。

He put his shoulders under a new-built corn crib one day and walked away with it to where the farmer wanted it.

一天，他将肩膀放在新堆好的玉米垛下面，并可以将它移动到农民想要让它待的地方。

Four men, ready with poles to put under it and carry it, didn't need their poles.

四名准备好用杆子放在底部扛着玉米垛的男子无需杆子了。

He played the same trick with a chicken house; at the new, growing town of Gentryville near his home,

在他家附近的金特里维尔镇，这是一座欣欣向荣的新城，他在搬运鸡舍时也是如此搬运，

they said that the chicken house weighed six hundred pounds, and only a big boy with a hard backbone could get under it and walk away with it.

他们说鸡舍有600磅重，只有一名身材魁梧的男孩可以将它扛在身下并使其移动。

So he grew, living in that Pigeon Creek cabin for a home, sleeping in the loft,

他住在位于鸽子溪的一处木棚屋中，他睡在阁楼里。

climbing up at night to a bed just under the roof, where sometimes the snow and the rain drove through the cracks,

晚上会爬进紧贴屋檐的床中，有时雨雪会从缝隙中漏进屋内，

eating sometimes at a table where the family had only one thing to eat potatoes.

有时一家人的口粮就只有土豆。

Once at the table, when there were only potatoes, his father spoke a blessing to the Lord，for potatoes;

一次餐桌上只有土豆，他的父亲感谢上帝赐予土豆；

the boy murmured, Those are mighty poor blessings. And Abe made jokes once when company came,

男孩嘴里嘟囔着，这些祝福虽然看起来简单，但却很有力量，艾比会对同伴开玩笑，

and Sally Bush Lincoln brought out raw potatoes, gave the visitors a knife apiece,

赛丽·布什·林肯带来了生土豆，并给客人每人一把小刀，

and they all peeled raw potatoes and talked about the crops, politics, and religion.

他们将生土豆去皮，并谈论葡萄、政治和宗教。

Days when they had only potatoes to eat didn't come often. Other days in the year they had yaller-legged chicken with gravy,

只有土豆的日子不是特别普遍，其它日子他们有带肉汁的黄色鸡腿，

and corn dodgers with shortening, and berries and honey. They tasted of bear meat, deer, coon, quail, grouse,

起酥油做的玉米饼，浆果和蜂蜜，他们尝过熊肉、鹿肉、浣熊肉、鹌鹑肉、松鸡肉、

prairie turkey, catfish, bass, perch. Abe knew the sleep that comes after long hours of work out of doors.

草原火鸡、鲶鱼、昌鱼、鲈鱼，艾比知道在外工作几小时后就要休息。

He worked in those young years clearing timber land for pasture and corn crops, cutting loose the brush,

年轻时林肯为牧场和玉米地开发林地，清除灌木丛，

piling it and burning it, splitting rails, pulling the crosscut saw and whipsaw, driving the shovel plow,

将它们堆积起来焚烧，建立围栏，使用横切锯和双人横切锯，使用培土犁。

harrowing, planting, hoeing, pulling fodder, milking cows, churning butter, helping neighbors at house-raisings, log-rollings, corn-huskings.

耙地、种植、锄地、喂饲料、挤牛奶、搅奶酪，帮助邻居盖房子，滚木头以及将玉米去皮。