美国小学英语教材3:第79课 神奇的园丁(1)

 The Wonderful Gardener 神奇的园丁

Sometimes the things that people really do are far more interesting than the magic things told about in fairy stories. 有时候人们真正做的事情要比童话故事更有趣。

Find out what the man in this story did that seemed like magic. 找找看这则故事中的人做了什么魔幻的事情。

Just a few years ago, there lived in our country a man who had a garden that was like a magician¹'s garden. 就在几年前，我们国家有一个人，他有一个花园，他的花园像魔术师的花园一样。

In it grew many wonderful things. 花园里面长了许多神奇的东西。

There were plums that had no stones, and blackberry bushes without thorns². 有无核的李子和没有刺的黑莓丛。

There was a tree covered with beautiful rose-colored fruit. 花园里有一种树，上面结满了漂亮的玫瑰色的果子。

This fruit tasted something like a plum and something like an apricot. 这种果子的味道有点像李子，又有点像杏。

There were daisies much larger than the field daisy. 花园里的雏菊比野生雏菊大很多。

And there were lovely red poppies which, in other gardens, had always been golden yellow. 还有可爱的红色罂粟，而在其他花园里，罂粟通常是金黄色的。

Even the vegetables seemed to be enchanted³. 就连里面的蔬菜似乎也都被施了魔法。

There were potatoes so very good to eat that they were talked about everywhere. 那里的土豆味道好得家喻户晓。

All this sounds almost like a fairy story, but every bit of it is really true. 所有的这些听起来都像是一个童话，但这一切确实是真的。

The name of the man who made these wonderful plants grow in his garden is Luther Burbank. 在花园里种植了这些神奇植物的人名叫路德·伯班克。

Sometimes boys and girls go to see a man who pretends to do magic things, like pulling a rabbit from a hat. 有时候孩子们会去看一个人的魔术表演，比如从帽子里拖出一只兔子。

Those who are watching know that the magician is only playing a trick. 看表演的人都知道那只是魔术师的把戏。

But there was no trick played when Luther Burbank grew a plum without a stone and made a walnut⁴ with a shell as thin as paper. 而路德·伯班克种出的无核李子和皮只有纸片那么薄的核桃却没有掺一点假。

This man had always loved growing things. 伯班克总是喜欢种些东西。

When he was two years old, he was found one day trying to put a petal⁵ back on a flower. 当他两岁的时候，有一天人们发现他试着把花瓣安回到花朵上。

At another time he cried when he saw a bird taking the honey from a flower. 又有一次，当他看到小鸟在花上采蜜时，他哭了出来。

1 magician   

n.魔术师，变戏法的人，术士

参考例句：

• With a wave of his hand,the magician made the rabbit vanish.魔术师手一挥兔子便不见了。
• The magician transformed the man into a rabbit.魔术师把那个人变成了兔子。

2 thorns   

（玫瑰之类植物的）刺( thorn的名词复数 )； 棘刺； 带刺的树； 荆棘

参考例句：

• I was sitting on the thorns while waiting for the outcome. 等待结果时我如坐针毡。
• They had to stop to pick out thorns from their feet. 他们只得停下来把脚上的刺拔去。

3 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

4 walnut   

n.胡桃，胡桃木，胡桃色，茶色

参考例句：

• Walnut is a local specialty here.核桃是此地的土特产。
• The stool comes in several sizes in walnut or mahogany.凳子有几种尺寸，材质分胡桃木和红木两种。

5 petal   

n.花瓣

参考例句：

• Each white petal had a stripe of red.每一片白色的花瓣上都有一条红色的条纹。
• A petal fluttered to the ground.一片花瓣飘落到地上。