美国小学英语教材5:第243课 祖母的那不勒斯之旅(12)

Both boys, indeed, worked so hard and fast that their mother reminded them of an old saying:

事实上，这两个男孩学习都非常努力和迅速，以至于他们的母亲让他们想起一句老话：

Of a mulberry leaf and a little patience silk is made.

桑叶和一点耐心就做成了丝。

Patience indeed! Nothing else would bring those tiny, spoiled little creatures to the point of spinning their cocoons¹. Mother said that silkworms had even been known to go on hunger strikes. Ah, what uncertain creatures they were!

真的需要耐心！没有别的办法能把这些娇生惯养的小动物逼到结茧的地步。母亲说，蚕甚至会绝食。啊，他们是多么靠不住的生物啊！

In mid-July when cocoon-spinning time was approaching, the boys arranged branches and twigs² upon the shelves, so that the silkworms might have something to which they could attach their silken threads. This was an anxious time, and, moreover, it was the time of wheat harvest, when Ugo, having cut the golden grain, needed the help of the boys to put it into shocks. Margaretta, too, gave a helping³ hand in the field one warm, sunny morning. The harvesters all sang as they worked; the two girls, busily braiding straw on the veranda⁴, could hear the harvest song.

七月中旬，当结茧的时间临近的时候，孩子们把树枝和小树枝放在架子上，这样蚕就有了可以把丝线系在上面的东西。这是一个焦虑的时候，而且，这是小麦丰收的时候，乌戈砍下了金色的谷粒，需要孩子们的帮助来把它放在禾束堆中。在一个温暖、阳光明媚的早晨，玛格蕾塔也来帮忙了。收割的人都一边工作一边唱歌；两个姑娘在阳台上忙着编麦秆，听得见丰收的歌声。

1 cocoons   

n.茧，蚕茧( cocoon的名词复数 )v.茧，蚕茧( cocoon的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The silkworms have gone into the bushes to spin their cocoons. 蚕上山了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In two more days the " little darlings" would spin their cocoons. 再得两天，“宝宝”可以上山。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

2 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 veranda   

n.走廊；阳台

参考例句：

• She sat in the shade on the veranda.她坐在阳台上的遮荫处。
• They were strolling up and down the veranda.他们在走廊上来回徜徉。