读者文摘:狗的秘密生活(1)

Much of my childhood in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, was excruciatingly lonely.

在明尼苏达州的锡夫里弗福尔斯，我童年的大部分时光都是极度孤独的。

Family troubles, devastating¹ shyness, and a complete lack of social skills ensured a life of solitude².

家庭烦恼、极度羞怯和完全缺乏社交技巧，注定了我生活的孤独。

Hunting was not only my opening into a world of wonder;

打猎不仅打开了我进入奇妙世界的大门；

it was my salvation³. From the age of 12, I lived, breathed, existed to hunt and fish.

还是我的救赎。从12岁起，我就以打猎和捕鱼为生。

On school days I would hunt in the morning and evening.

上学的时候，早晚我都要去打猎。

On Fridays I would head into the woods by myself, often for the entire weekend.

每周五，我都会独自一人前往森林，通常整个周末都是如此。

Still, I had not learned to love solitude, as I do now.

尽管如此，我还是没有爱上孤独，现在也是如此

I would see something beautiful—-the sun through the leaves, a deer moving through dappled light—

我将看到美好的事物——阳光透过树叶，斑驳的日光下一只鹿急速穿过——

and I would want to point and say to someone, Look.

我想对某人说，“看。”

But there was no one there. Then I met Ike. It was the beginning of duck season.

但一个人也没有。然后我遇到了艾克，这是鸭子泛滥的季节。

I got up at 3 a.m. and walked from our apartment four blocks to the railway yard, then across the Eighth Street bridge.

凌晨3点钟，我起床从住处出发，走了四条街，来到了铁路站场，然后穿过第八街大桥。

There I dropped to the riverbank and started walking along the water into the woods.

我在那下河，开始顺着水流进入树林。

In the dark it was hard going. After a mile and a half, I was wading⁴ in swamp muck and went to pull myself up the bank to harder ground.

黑暗中水途艰难，走了一英里半后，我在沼泽地的泥土中艰难跋涉，然后上岸。

The mud was as slick as grease. I fell, then scrabbled up the bank again, shotgun in one hand and grabbing at roots with the other.

泥浆像油脂一样光滑，我摔倒了，然后又爬上了河岸，一手拿着猎枪，一手抓着树根。

I had just gained the top when a part of the darkness detached itself, leaned close to my face, and went woof.

我刚刚爬上山顶，这时，部分暗光打在我的脸上，

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

3 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

4 wading   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The man tucked up his trousers for wading. 那人卷起裤子，准备涉水。
• The children were wading in the sea. 孩子们在海水中走着。