吹小号的天鹅 第28期:求学生涯(2)

 　　"I'm lucky," he thought. "It's Sam."

　　“我太幸运了，”他想，“那正是萨姆。”

　　When Sam saw the swan, he laid down his ax and stood perfectly¹ still.

　　萨姆一看到这只天鹅，就放下了他的斧子，一动不动地站在那里。

　　Louis walked up timidly, then reached down and untied² Sam's shoelace.

　　路易斯壮着胆子走上前去，低下头去解萨姆的鞋带。

　　"Hello!" said Sam in a friendly voice.

　　“你好！”萨姆用友好的口气说。

　　Louis tried to say ko-hoh, but not a sound came from his throat.

　　路易斯想试着说吭—嗬，可他的喉咙里却发不出一点声音。

　　"I know you," said Sam. "You're the one that never said anything and used to pull my shoelaces."

　　“我认识你，”萨姆说，“你是那只从不说一句话，却喜欢拉我鞋带的天鹅。”

　　Louis nodded.

　　路易斯点点头。

　　"I'm glad to see you," said Sam. "What can I do for you?"

　　“见到你很高兴，”萨姆说，“我能为你做些什么？”

　　Louis just stared straight ahead."Are you hungry?" asked Sam.Louis shook his head."Thirsty?"Louis shook his head.

　　“路易斯只是直盯着前方。“你饿了吗？”萨姆问。路易斯摇摇头。“渴了？”路易斯又摇摇头。

　　"Do you want to stay overnight with us, here at the ranch³?" asked Sam.Louis nodded his head and jumped up and down.

　　“你想和我们一起，在这个农场过夜？”萨姆问。路易斯点点头，蹦了一下。

　　吹小号的天鹅

　　"OK." said Sam. "We have plenty of room. It's just a question of getting my father's permission."

　　“OK，”萨姆说，“我们有足够的卧室。只要得到我爸爸的允许就可以了。”

　　Sam picked up his ax, laid a stick of wood on the chopping block, and split the stick neatly⁴ down the middle.

　　萨姆拾起了他的斧子，把一根木头放到砧板上，将其齐齐地从中间劈作两半。

　　He looked at Louis."There's something wrong with your voice, isn't there?" he asked.

　　他看着路易斯。“你的嗓子出了毛病，对不对？”他问。

　　Louis nodded, pumping his neck up and down hard. He knew Sam was his friend, although he didn't know that Sam had once saved his mother's life.

　　路易斯点点头，使劲地上下晃动着脖子。他知道萨姆是他的朋友，却不知道萨姆曾救过他妈妈的命。

　　In a few minutes Mr. Beaver⁵ rode into the yard on a cow pony⁶. He got off and tied his pony to a rail.

　　几分钟后比弗先生骑着一匹牧牛马进了院子。他下了马，把他的马栓到一根木桩上。

　　"What have you got there?" he asked Sam.

　　“你得到什么啦？”他问萨姆。

　　"It's a young Trumpeter Swan," said Sam. "He's only a few months old. Will you let me keep him a while?"

　　“这是一只小号手天鹅，”萨姆说，“他只有几个月大。你能让我留他在这里呆一会儿吗？”

　　"Well," said Mr. Beaver, "I think it's against the law to hold one of these wild birds in captivity⁸.

　　“嗯，”比弗先生说，“我想私养一只这种野禽是违法的。

　　But I'll phone the game warden⁹ and see what he says. If he says yes, you can keep him."

　　不过我可以打电话问问狩猎法执行官，看他怎么说。如果他说行，你就可以留着他了。”

　　"Tell the warden the swan has something the matter with him," called Sam as his father started toward the house.

　　“告诉执法官这只天鹅有点儿毛病，”当他的父亲开始进屋时萨姆说。

　　"What's wrong with him?" asked his father.

　　“他怎么了？”他的父亲问。

　　"He has a speech problem," replied Sam. "Something's wrong with his throat."

　　“他有发声障碍，”萨姆说，“他的嗓子出了毛病。”

　　"What are you talking about? Who ever heard of a swan with a speech problem?"

　　“你在说什么呀？谁听说过一只天鹅会有发声障碍？”

　　"Well," said Sam, "this is a Trumpeter Swan that can't trumpet⁷. He's defective¹⁰. He can't make a sound."

　　“哦，”萨姆说，“这是一只不能吹号的号手天鹅。他是有缺陷的。他不能发声。”

1 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

2 untied   

松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决

参考例句：

• Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来，我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
• He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。

3 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

4 neatly   

adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地

参考例句：

• Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手们知道怎样把一条大绳利落地缠好。
• The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在领口处打着整齐的皱褶。

5 beaver   

n.海狸，河狸

参考例句：

• The hat is made of beaver.这顶帽子是海狸毛皮制的。
• A beaver is an animals with big front teeth.海狸是一种长着大门牙的动物。

6 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

7 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

8 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

9 warden   

n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人

参考例句：

• He is the warden of an old people's home.他是一家养老院的管理员。
• The warden of the prison signed the release.监狱长签发释放令。

10 defective   

adj.有毛病的，有问题的，有瑕疵的

参考例句：

• The firm had received bad publicity over a defective product. 该公司因为一件次品而受到媒体攻击。
• If the goods prove defective, the customer has the right to compensation. 如果货品证明有缺陷， 顾客有权索赔。