英国语文第四册 第1期:热带地区的景象(1)

LESSON 1 Scenes in the tropics

第一课 热带地区的景象

I．THE FOREST

I.森林

In hot countries the woods are not like our woods.

热带地区的森林不像我们这的森林。

They are great dark forests, where the trees grow so closely together, and are so tall, that if you looked up you could hardly see the sky.

它们很隐秘，那里的树长得很靠近，很高大，如果你抬头看几乎看不到天空。

Then there are a great many climbing plants, that twist themselves round and round the trunks and branches of the trees.

有很多攀缘植物，一圈一圈的缠绕着树干和树枝。它们被称为植物电缆，因为看起来很像绳子。

They are called vegetable cables, because they are so much like ropes. They reach from one tree to another, and almost fill up the spaces between.

它们从一颗树上缠绕到另一棵树上，几乎把两棵树间的空隙占满了。

Thewhite man has to carve out his way with his hatchet¹, or else burn a passage for himself through the dense² mass.

这些白人不得不用短斧开创出一条路，或者用火在这些密集的杂草中烧出一条通道。

Dangers of every kind lurk³ in the forest. The quick subtle Indian dare not venture there without his poisoned arrows, nor the white man without the thunder and lightning of his gun.

森林中潜伏着种种危险。身手敏捷的印第安人没带毒箭就不敢去那里冒险，白人没带电闪雷鸣的枪支也不敢去那里。

The venomous snake may lie coiled among the bushes, or traces of the savage⁴ jaguar⁵ may be seen upon the path.

毒蛇可能会蜷缩在灌木丛中，小路上可能会看到凶猛的美洲豹的踪迹。

Birds, beasts, and insects live there, for the most part, undisturbed.

鸟、野兽、昆虫都居住在那儿，它们中的大多数从未被打扰。

It is their home; and on every side they are at work, hunting their prey⁶, or escaping from danger.

那里是它们的家，它们总是在劳作、捕食，或者逃离危险。

For though man seldom wages war upon them, these wild creatures of the forest are engaged in constant warfare⁷ with each other;

尽管人类很少主动向它们发起战争，这些森林中的生物互相之间会不断地战斗，

and the weak are always using some contrivance to protect themselves from the strong.

弱的一方总是使用一些小工具来保护自己。

There are a great many curious things to be seen in these South American forests.

在南美的森林里有很多奇怪的事情。

1 hatchet   

n.短柄小斧；v.扼杀

参考例句：

• I shall have to take a hatchet to that stump.我得用一把短柄斧来劈这树桩。
• Do not remove a fly from your friend's forehead with a hatchet.别用斧头拍打朋友额头上的苍蝇。

2 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

3 lurk   

n.潜伏，潜行；v.潜藏，潜伏，埋伏

参考例句：

• Dangers lurk in the path of wilderness.在这条荒野的小路上隐伏着危险。
• He thought he saw someone lurking above the chamber during the address.他觉得自己看见有人在演讲时潜藏在会议厅顶上。

4 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。

5 jaguar   

n.美洲虎

参考例句：

• He was green with envy when he saw my new Jaguar car.看见我那辆美洲虎牌新车，他非常妒忌。
• Should you meet a jaguar in the jungle,just turn slowly,walk away.But slowly,never look back.你在丛林中若碰上美洲虎，就慢慢转身走开，可一定要慢，切莫回头看。

6 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

7 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。