美国小学英语教材5:第73课 邓肯的鸟房客(2)

 His father gladly agreed to help him and suggested that they build a house 父亲很高兴地答应帮助他，并建议他们建造一座房子，

suitable for both bluebirds and tree swallows, and for purple martins, too, if they wished to come, 既适合蓝鸟和树燕子，也适合紫燕，如果它们愿意来的话。

though martins had not nested in Meriden for many years. 尽管马丁已经很多年没有在梅里登筑巢了。

First they wrote to the Department of Agriculture in Washington for a pamphlet called Homes for Birds, and with this as a guide they went to work. 首先，他们写信给位于华盛顿的农业部，索要一本名为《鸟类家园》的小册子，并以此为指导开始工作。

Early in April the little dwelling¹ was ready to put up. 四月初，这座小房子就准备好了。

In appearance it was like an old-fashioned, two-story New England farmhouse², 从外表上看，像是一座老式的两层楼高的新英格兰农舍，

painted white, 漆成白色，

and it was fastened to the end of a stout³ pole about eighteen feet long. 绑在一根大约十八英尺长的粗柱子上。

The bluebirds had already chosen a hole in the apple tree for their first home; 这些蓝知更鸟已经在苹果树上选择了一个洞作为它们的第一个家；

so for the present they were not interested in any other. 所以目前对其他的都不感兴趣。

But on the telephone wire sat a pair of tree swallows, their steel-blue coats and white shirt fronts glistening⁴ in the sunlight. 但电话线上坐着一对树燕子，钢蓝色外套和白色衬衫前襟在阳光下闪闪发光。

As soon as Duncan and his father began to raise the pole into the air, the swallows left their perch⁵, 邓肯和他的父亲刚把杆子举到空中，燕子们就离开了它们的栖木，

and twittering excitedly, flew round and round the little bird house as if they knew that it was for them. 兴奋地叽叽喳喳地叫着，绕着小鸟的房子飞啊飞，好像它们知道这是给它们的。

It had barely come to rest as the end of the pole dropped into the hole which had been dug for it, 还没停下来，杆子的一端就掉进了专门挖的洞里，

when the swallows alighted boldly on the roof and took possession as its first tenants⁶. 燕子们大胆地落在屋顶上，成为它的第一批房客。

 

1 dwelling   

n.住宅，住所，寓所

参考例句：

• Those two men are dwelling with us.那两个人跟我们住在一起。
• He occupies a three-story dwelling place on the Park Street.他在派克街上有一幢3层楼的寓所。

2 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

3 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

4 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

5 perch   

n.栖木，高位，杆；v.栖息，就位，位于

参考例句：

• The bird took its perch.鸟停歇在栖木上。
• Little birds perch themselves on the branches.小鸟儿栖歇在树枝上。

6 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。