美国语文第四册 第4期:海水为什么是咸的(1)

 　　There were, in very ancient times, two brothers, one of whom was rich, and the other poor. 很久很久以前，有两个兄弟，其中一个很富有，另外一个很贫穷。

　　Christmas was approaching, but the poor man had nothing in the house for a Christmas dinner; 圣诞节即将来临，穷人家里没有任何吃的可以做圣诞晚餐，

　　so he went to his brother and asked him for a trifling¹ gift. 于是他去找他的兄弟，希望能从他那里得到一点微不足道的小礼物。

　　The rich man was ill-natured, and when he heard his brother's request he looked very surly. 那个富人生性恶毒，当他听说了他兄弟的请求时，他看起来异常粗暴。

　　But as Christmas is a time when even the worst people give gifts, he took a fine ham down from the chimney, 但是由于在圣诞节时连最坏的人都要送出礼物，他便从烟囱里取下一块正在熏制的上好火腿，

　　where it was hanging to smoke, threw it at his brother, and bade him begone and never to let him see his face again. 扔给了他的兄弟，并命令他赶快滚开，再也不要让他看见。

　　The poor man thanked his brother for the ham, put it under his arm, and went his way. 穷人将火腿夹在胳膊下就上路了。

　　He had to pass through a great forest on his way home. 回家路上需要穿过一大片森林，

　　When he had reached the thickest part of it, he saw an old man, with a long, white beard, hewing² timber. 当他到达森林最深处时，看到了一位留着长长白胡须的老人正在伐木。

　　"Good evening," said he to him. “晚上好，”他对老人说。

　　"Good evening," returned the old man, raising himself up from his work, and looking at him. "That is a fine ham you are carrying." 老人从劳作中直起腰，看着他回答道：“晚上好。”“你拿的这块火腿看起来很不错。”

　　On this, the poor man told him all about it. 于是，穷人把有关火腿的事源源本本地告诉了老人。

　　"It is lucky for you," said the old man, "that you have met with me. 老人说：“遇到我是你运气好。”

　　If you will take that ham into the land of the dwarfs³, the entrance to which lies just under the roots of this tree, 如果你带着火腿去矮人国，去那里的入口就在这棵树的树根下面。

　　you can make a capital bargain with it; for the dwarfs are very fond of ham, and rarely get any. 你可以用这个跟他们大大地讨价还价一番，因为他们非常喜欢火腿，可是很难弄到。

　　But mind what I say: you must not sell it for money, but demand for it the old hand mill which stands behind the door. 但是请记住我的话：你一定不能为了钱去卖火腿，而是要交换门后面那台老旧的手工磨粉机。

　　When you come back, I'll show you how to use it. 等你回来后，我会告诉你如何使用它。

　　The poor man thanked his new friend, who showed him the door under a stone below the roots of the tree, and by this door he entered into the land of the dwarfs. 老人指给他看树根下的大石头，石头下面就是通向矮人国的大门，穷人谢过了他的新朋友，顺着这个门走了进去。

　　No sooner had he set his foot in it, than the dwarfs swarmed⁴ about him, attracted by the smell of the ham. 当他的双脚刚刚踏上矮人国的地盘，火腿的味道把矮人们全都吸引了过来，他们蜂拥而至，把他团团围住。

　　They offered him queer, old-fashioned money and gold and silver ore for it; 他们想用很多奇异的古老钱币以及金银宝石来交换火腿，

　　but he refused all their tempting⁵ offers, and said that he would sell it only for the old hand mill behind the door. 但他拒绝一切诱人的条件，说他只想用火腿换门后的那台老式手工磨粉机。

1 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

2 hewing   

v.（用斧、刀等）砍、劈( hew的现在分词 )；砍成；劈出；开辟

参考例句：

• The farmer spent a day in the woods hewing timber. 这个农夫花了一天时间在森林里砍木材。 来自辞典例句
• He was hewing away at the trunk of the tree. 他不停地照着树干砍去。 来自辞典例句

3 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

4 swarmed   

密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去

参考例句：

• When the bell rang, the children swarmed out of the school. 铃声一响，孩子们蜂拥而出离开了学校。
• When the rain started the crowd swarmed back into the hotel. 雨一开始下，人群就蜂拥回了旅社。

5 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。