美国语文第五册 第254期:种子的传播与种植(3)

 　　But especially, in the winter, the extent to which this transportation and planting of nuts is carried on, is made apparent by the snow.  白雪皑皑的冬天，松鼠们忙碌搬运、种植松果的活动更为清晰可见。

　　In almost every wood you will see where the red or gray squirrels have pawed down through the snow in a hundred places,  几乎每一片森林里，不难看见数以百计处红松鼠、灰松鼠扒拉雪地的痕迹。

　　sometimes two feet deep, and almost always directly to a nut or a pine cone¹,  有时地面积雪甚至深达两英尺，沿雪洞径直伸手掏下去，坚果或松果每每手到擒来。

　　as directly as if they had started from it and bored upward,—which you and I could not have done.  这些洞穴布局精巧，洞口好像从地底向上挖掘，松鼠们那么得心应手，或许我们只有望洋兴叹。

　　It would be difficult for us to find one before the snow falls.  即便雪没下，我们要想找到一粒坚果也极为不易，更别提大雪封山了。

　　Commonly, no doubt, they had deposited them there in the fall.  当然，松鼠们秋天贮藏下果实，

　　You wonder if they remember the localities or discover them by the scent².  但它们怎样才能记牢那些储藏地，或仅凭气味找到果子，其中奥秘令人费解。

　　The red squirrel commonly has its winter abode³ in the earth under a thicket⁴ of evergreens⁵,  冬天，松鼠通常在常青林灌丛下安家筑穴，

　　frequently under a small clump⁶ of evergreens in the midst of a deciduous⁷ wood.  洞穴周围最好有落叶乔木小簇灌丛环绕左右，

　　If there are any nut trees, which still retain their nuts, standing⁸ at a distance without the wood,  如果洞穴附近有橡树，甚至树上还挂着果，中途没有其他林木遮蔽，

　　their paths often lead directly to and from them.  那么，松鼠只是在洞穴与挂果树间穿梭奔波，

　　We, therefore, need not suppose an oak standing here and there in the wood in order to seed it,  我们亦无须认为，森林里到处应长有橡树，

　　but if a few stand within twenty or thirty rods of it, it is sufficient.  二十到三十杆间隔有那么三两株，播种也就绰绰有余了。

　　I think that I may venture to say that every white-pine cone that falls to the earth naturally in this town,  我不妨大胆设想一下，就自然落地的小镇上几乎每一颗白松松果来说，

　　before opening and losing its seeds, and almost every pitch-pine one that falls at all, is cut off by a squirrel;  果实尚未裂开或飞落前，全部拜赐松鼠的采摘；

1 cone   

n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果

参考例句：

• Saw-dust piled up in a great cone.锯屑堆积如山。
• The police have sectioned off part of the road with traffic cone.警察用锥形路标把部分路面分隔开来。

2 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

3 abode   

n.住处，住所

参考例句：

• It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.父亲花了十个月的功夫，才好不容易打听到他的住处。
• Welcome to our humble abode!欢迎光临寒舍！

4 thicket   

n.灌木丛，树林

参考例句：

• A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。
• We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

5 evergreens   

n.常青树，常绿植物，万年青( evergreen的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The leaves of evergreens are often shaped like needles. 常绿植物的叶常是针形的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pine, cedar and spruce are evergreens. 松树、雪松、云杉都是常绿的树。 来自辞典例句

6 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

7 deciduous   

adj.非永久的；短暂的；脱落的；落叶的

参考例句：

• Overgrown deciduous shrubs can be cut back at this time of year.过于繁茂的落叶灌木可以在每年的这个时候修剪。
• Deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn.落叶树木在秋天落叶。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。