美国小学英语教材5:第89课 松毛虫(8)

 After the day's work comes their dinner. 一天的工作之后，它们吃晚饭。

The caterpillars¹ come down from the nest and begin eating on the pine-needles below. 毛毛虫从巢里下来，开始在下面的松针上吃东西。

It is a magnificent sight to see the redcoated band lined up in twos and threes on each needle and in ranks so closely formed that the green sprigs of the branch bend under the load. 这是一个宏伟的景象，看到红色涂层的带子在每根针上排成三三两两，排列得如此紧密，以至于树枝上的绿色小枝在负载下弯曲。

The diners, all motionless, all poking² their heads forward, nibble³ slowly in silence. 所有的用餐者都一动不动，都把头伸出来，默默地慢慢吃着。

Their black foreheads gleam in the rays of my lantern. 它们黑色的额头在我的提灯的光线下闪闪发光。

They eat far into the night. 一直吃到深夜。

Then they go back to the nest, where for a little longer they continue spinning on the surface. 然后它们回到巢穴，在那里继续在水面上旋转一段时间。

It is one or two o'clock in the morning when the last of the band goes indoors. 队伍的最后一个成员在凌晨一两点钟回家。

To guide them as they wander about their tree, the caterpillars have their silk ribbon, formed by threads from their mouths. 为了方便在树上漫步，毛毛虫用嘴里的丝线织成了丝带。

They follow this on their return to the nest. 它们在返回巢穴时也会这样做。

Sometimes they miss it and strike the ribbon made by another band of caterpillars. 有时它们走错了，会撞上另一群毛毛虫织成的丝带。

They follow it and reach a strange dwelling⁴. 它们跟着它，来到一个奇怪的住所。

No matter! There is not the least quarreling between the owners and the new arrivals. 没有关系！屋主和新来的屋主之间没有一点争吵。

And all, when bedtime comes, start for the nest, like brothers who have always lived together. 所有的虫在睡觉的时候，都会归巢，像兄弟一样总是住在一起。

 

1 caterpillars   

n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带

参考例句：

• Caterpillars eat the young leaves of this plant. 毛毛虫吃这种植物的嫩叶。
• Caterpillars change into butterflies or moths. 毛虫能变成蝴蝶或蛾子。 来自辞典例句

2 poking   

n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢

参考例句：

• He was poking at the rubbish with his stick. 他正用手杖拨动垃圾。
• He spent his weekends poking around dusty old bookshops. 他周末都泡在布满尘埃的旧书店里。

3 nibble   

n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵

参考例句：

• Inflation began to nibble away at their savings.通货膨胀开始蚕食他们的存款。
• The birds cling to the wall and nibble at the brickwork.鸟儿们紧贴在墙上，啄着砖缝。

4 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。