中国春节风俗习惯 第3期:中国羊年(2)

 　　One year, when the weather grew warm she began her annual¹ journey,

　　一年，当天气变得温暖时，她开始一年一度的旅程，

　　stepping slowly and steadily² along the way, while her little kid skipped along beside her.

　　一路上缓慢而稳定地走，而她的小孩在她身边蹦蹦跳跳的走着。

　　But as she came to the end of the valley, she found a big bad wolf step out from behind a tree.

　　但随着她来到山谷，她发现了一个大坏狼从一棵树后面走了出来。

　　Good day, my dear goat, where are you off too? asked the wolf.

　　多美好的一天啊，我亲爱的山羊，你去哪呢？狼问道。

　　The sheep replied as bravely as she could:

　　羊尽量勇敢地回答到：

　　We are moving up to the high pastures³ for the summer, continuing our blameless lives, munching⁴ on the grass,

　　我们正打算搬去高山草原上度过夏季，继续我们无可责备的生活，吃草，

　　minding our own business and bothering nobody.

　　管好我们自己的事，不打扰任何人。

　　Your aim is very noble⁵, said the wolf, but we can't all be blameless in this world.

　　你的目标是很高尚，狼说，但我们在这个世界上不可能无可责备。

　　Not of all of us can live off grass. I was born to eat animals like you, and as I am feeling rather hungry, that is what I intend to do.

　　不是所有人能靠吃草为生。我生来就是吃像你一样的动物，我感觉很饿，所以我打算吃了你。

　　But the goat thought more quickly than she walked.

　　但是山羊的思考比她走路更快。

　　She replied to the wolf: As you know, my dear wolf, I am a selfless creature and cannot help thinking of others before myself.

　　她对狼说：你知道，我亲爱的狼，我是一个无私的人，无法停止在个人之前优先考虑别人。

　　It would be a shameful⁶ waste to eat us now. The winter has just finished, and we are all skin and bone.

　　现在吃我们将是一种可耻的浪费。冬天刚刚结束，我们身上都是皮包头。

　　My advice to you is to wait until we return in autumn. And then we will be nice and fat and will make a fine meal for a growing wolf like yourself.

　　我给你的建议就是等秋天我们返回，那时我们将变得又肥又壮，可以给像你一样的正在长身体的狼提供一顿丰盛的大餐。

　　The wolf, who was not as clever as he was strong, thought about this proposition⁷ and replied: Thank you dear goat for your kind advice.

　　狼没有与他强壮身体相匹配的智商，想了想这个提议并回答说：亲爱的山羊，感谢你善意的建议。

　　I will do as you suggest. But you must promise to meet me here on your return, for if you are as good as you say, you will not break your word.

　　我将按照你的建议做。但是你必须承诺在你回来见我，如果你和你说的一样好，你不会打破你的承诺。

　　The goat and her kid carried on their way, and spent the summer months happily leading their blameless lives,

　　山羊和她孩子上路了，高高兴兴地度过夏季，过着无可责备的生活，

　　munching on the grass, minding their own business, and bothering nobody.

　　吃草，管好我们自己的事，没打扰任何人。

　　The goat soon forgot all about her bargain with the Big Bad Wolf, but when the days began to grow shorter,

　　山羊很快就忘记了所有关于她和大坏狼讨价还价，但是当白天开始变短，

　　and the first snowflakes fell on the mountain, she remembered her fateful promise.

　　第一片雪花落在山上，她记起了她命运的承诺。

1 annual   

adj.每年的；一年的；（植物）一年生的 n.年刊；一年生植物

参考例句：

• It's an annual report.这是年度报告。
• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。

2 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

3 pastures   

牧草地( pasture的名词复数 )； 生活状况； 工作条件

参考例句：

• They move with their flocks to upland pastures. 他们带着牲畜迁往高原上的牧场。
• Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cock crow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. 金鸡初啼，黎明鸟语，那闪烁着朝晖的树木和草原的景色，这一切他认为无可比拟。

4 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

5 noble   

n.贵族；adj.高贵的，高尚的，贵族的，辉煌的

参考例句：

• He is a noble man,we all admire him.他是一个道德高尚的人，我们都敬佩他。
• Niagara falls is a noble sight.尼亚加拉瀑布是一壮观的景色。

6 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

7 proposition   

n.建议，命题，主张；vt.向...提议，向...调情

参考例句：

• The two teams prepared to debate the given proposition.两个队准备就所给定的命题展开辩论。
• It is clearly illogical to maintain such a proposition.坚持这种主张显然是没有道理的。