英国语文第三册 第33期:雪屋

 　　LESSON 32 Houses made of snow 第三十二课 雪屋

　　All the winter, the Esquimaux live in huts made of snow. 爱斯基摩人整个冬天都住在冰雪筑城的屋子里。

　　These huts are very clean and white when they are new, but they soon turn dirty;  这些屋子新建时很干净洁白，但很快会变脏；

　　and when the summer comes they begin to melt. 夏天一来，这些房子就融化。

　　Sometimes the Esquimaux find logs of wood on the shore, which have been drifted by the waves from some other country; 有时会爱斯基摩人会在岸边找到从其它国家漂来的木头；

　　and these they gather, and build their huts with them. 他们会把这些木头收集起来盖房子。

　　When they cannot get wood, they use the pure white snow. 找不到木头时，他们就用白雪。

　　It is frozen¹ so hard that it keeps firm all through the winter. 因为结成了很硬的冰，所以整个冬天都不会倒塌。

　　Sometimes, when the hut becomes very warm with the lamps, and the people, and the dogs, the walls begin to drip a little; 有时候，灯带来的温度会使房子部分融化，

　　but a piece of fresh snow rubbed over the place soon mends it. 但是只要下一点点雪就能补上。

　　The windows of these huts are not made of glass, but of ice. 这些房子的窗户由冰雪而不是玻璃做成。

　　Though there is no fire in the hut, it is as warm as the Esquimau can bear it. 虽然室内没有火，但是爱斯基摩人能在这样的温度下生活。

　　He warms it with his lamp; which is nothing but a vessel² like a saucer, full of oil. 他们用灯来增加温度；这些灯并不是什么别的东西，只是装满了油的浅碟。

　　A great many little wicks float on the oil, and he lights them all. 油里漂浮着很多灯芯，他们会全部点燃。

　　The burning wicks make the room warm. 燃烧的灯芯给室内带来温度。

　　A cooking-pot hangs over the lamp; but he often eats his meat raw. 做饭用的锅悬挂在灯上；但是他们经常吃生肉。

　　He has no chairs or tables, for he does not know how to make them; 屋子里没有椅子也没有桌子，因为他们不知道怎么做；

　　but there is a raised ledge³ all round the hut, covered with warm skins. 但是房子周围都有一些高台，上面铺着暖和的兽皮。

　　This is his seat during the day, and his bed at night. 白天这就是椅子，晚上这就是床。

　　But under the skins there is nothing but snow. 兽皮下除了雪什么都没有。

　　When the warm weather comes, the Esquimau is glad to get away from the snow hut. 天气回暖时，爱斯基摩人会 兴高采烈地从雪屋里搬出来。

　　Its walls begin to melt, and he gets wet as he lies in bed, and often catches cold. 房屋墙壁开始融化，如果这时候还在里面睡觉就会全身湿透，然后感冒。

　　He is therefore very glad to escape from it to his tent,which forms his summer residence. 因此，他们很乐意从里面搬到帐篷——他们夏天的住所。

1 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

2 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

3 ledge   

n.壁架，架状突出物；岩架，岩礁

参考例句：

• They paid out the line to lower him to the ledge.他们放出绳子使他降到那块岩石的突出部分。
• Suddenly he struck his toe on a rocky ledge and fell.突然他的脚趾绊在一块突出的岩石上，摔倒了。