prefer  更喜欢

　　trapper  设陷阱捕兽者

　　forward  向前

　　material  材料

　　disturbing 令人不安的

　　dumb  愚蠢的

　　chiefly  主要是

　　gnawing  咬

　　America  美国

　　cautiously 小心翼翼的

　　height  高度

　　purpose 目的

　　tighter  更严格的

　　reminded  提醒

　　frequently 经常地

　　obtain  获得

　　curious  好奇的

　　inhuman  不人道的

　　including  包括

　　constructed 构造

　　THE BEAVER 海　狸

　　The beaver is found chiefly in North America.  海狸主要出现在北美地区，

　　It is about three and a half feet long, including the flat, paddle-shaped tail,which is a foot in length. 包括如桨一样平坦的尾巴在内，身体总长约3.5英尺，仅它的尾巴就有一英尺长。

　　The long, shining hair on the back is chestnut-colored, while the fine, soft fur that lies next the skin, is grayish brown. 它身后长长的光亮毛发是栗子色的，而紧靠皮肤的精美细柔皮毛则是略带浅灰的棕色。

　　Beavers build themselves most curious huts to live in,  海狸为自己建造的居所大多奇形怪状，

　　and quite frequently a great number of these huts are placed close together, like the buildings in a town. 而且经常是大批海狸比邻而居，就像城市里的建筑物一样。

　　They always build their huts on the banks of rivers orlakes, for they swim much more easily than they walk, and prefer moving about in the water. 它们总喜欢将自己的住所建造在河堤或湖边。因为它们在水中比在岸上行走更容易些，所以它们更喜欢在水中移动。

　　When they build on the bank of a running stream, they make a dam across the stream for the purpose of keeping the water at the height they wish. 当它们在潺潺的小溪边构建自己的巢穴时，往往会建造一条跨越溪流的大坝，目的是为了按照自己的意愿保证水流的高度。

　　These dams are made chiefly of mud, and stones, and the branches of trees.  这些大坝主要是由泥土、石头和树枝构成。

　　They are sometimes six or seven hundred feet in length, and are so constructed that they look more like the work of man than of little dumb beasts. 有时，它们建造的水坝足有六七百英尺长，如此完美的建筑，看起来更像是人类的杰作，绝非出自这些默不作声的小动物之手。

　　Their huts are made of the same material as the dams,and are round in shape.  它们的小屋和水坝都是由同样的材料建造而成，形状也都是圆形的。

　　The walls are very thick, and the roofs are finished off with a thick layer of mud, sticks, and leaves. 墙壁非常厚实，屋顶则由厚而稠的泥土、枝条和树叶组成。

　　They commence building their houses late in the summer,but do not get them finished before the early frosts.  它们常常在夏末开始建造自己的小屋，但是并不会在冰冻初期结束这个工程。

　　The freezing makes them tighter and stronger. 霜冻会使它们的房屋更加结实牢固。

　　They obtain the wood for their dams and huts by gnawing through the branches of trees,  海狸用自己那尖而长的前牙不断地噬咬大树的细枝，

　　and even through the trunks of small ones, with their sharp front teeth.  它们甚至还会咬断小树的主干，从而为自己的小屋和水坝储存木材。

　　They peel off the bark,and lay it up in store for winter food. 它们会剥掉树皮，作为冬天的食物以备后用。

　　The fur of the beaver is highly prized.  海狸的皮毛极其珍贵。

　　The men who hunt these animals are called trappers. 猎杀这类动物的人都被称做猎人。

　　A gentleman once saw five young beavers playing.  曾经有一位先生，亲眼看到过五只小海狸在玩耍。

　　They would leap on the trunk of a tree that lay near a beaver dam, and would push one another off into the water. 它们在自己建造的水坝附近嬉戏，大家都想跳过一根树干，于是彼此推搡着想让另外一个掉进水里。

　　He crept forward very cautiously, and was about to fire on the little creatures;  那位先生很谨慎地匍匐前进，随时准备袭击这些小生命；

　　but their amusing tricks reminded him so much of some little children he knew at home,  但是它们那有趣的把戏又使他想起了自己家中的小孩子，

　　that he thought it would be inhuman to kill them.  心里暗自寻思如此猎杀海狸是不人道的。

　　So he left them without even disturbing their play. 于是，他悄悄地离开了，并没有打扰海狸们的嬉戏玩耍。