美国语文第五册 第26期:脱钩的狗鱼(1)

 　　Our bachelor uncle who lived with us was a quiet, genial¹ man, much given to hunting and fishing; 与我们全家共同生活的鳏夫叔叔沉默寡言，性情温和，打猎或垂钓占据他生活中大多时光，

　　and it was one of the pleasures of our young life to accompany him on his expeditions to Great Hill, 于是，跟随他到处郊游野足成了我们年少时乐此不疲的快乐生活。我们足迹遍及格瑞特山、

　　Brandy-brow Woods, the Pond, and, best of all, to the Country Brook². 布兰迪山坡森林和大湖等地方。令我们最为心驰神往的还是那条康瑞河。

　　We were quite willing to work hard in the cornfield or the haying lot  夏季来临，我们通常在玉米地或干草堆边挥汗如雨，

　　to finish the necessary day's labor³ in season for an afternoon stroll through the woods and along the brookside. 筋疲力尽地做完当天必须完成的农活，午后，我们便钻进丛林，或者沿那条康瑞河尽兴散步。

　　I remember my first fishing excursion as if it were but yesterday. 恍惚如昨天发生的一切，那是我首次出去钓鱼。

　　I have been happy many times in my life, 在我一生中，有过许多快乐时光，

　　but never more intensely so than when I received that first fishing pole from my uncle's hand, and trudged⁴ off with him through the woods and meadows. 可这次钓鱼，却给我留下刻骨铭心的记忆。平生第一次，我从叔叔手里接过那根鱼竿，随他穿过那簇簇丛林，涉过翻飞草场，一路跋涉步履艰难。

　　It was a still, sweet day of early summer; the long afternoon shadows of the trees lay cool across our path; 记得当时正值初夏，四周安静极了，路边枝繁叶茂，遮蔽了午后漫长的阳光，

　　the leaves seemed greener, the flowers brighter, the birds merrier, than ever before. 满地蓊郁夹杂五颜六色的野花，鸟声鸣啾不断，天地间似乎未曾有过这样的美妙柔和。

　　My uncle, who knew by long experience where were the best haunts of pickerel, considerately placed me at the most favorable point. 由于长期垂钓生涯，经验丰富的叔叔谙知狗鱼出没之地，他极为慎重地帮我选好上佳的垂钓地方。

　　I threw out my line as I had so often seen others, 素日观看他人钓鱼颇多，我也学着别人模样，用力甩出长长的钓线，

　　and waited anxiously for a bite, moving the bait in rapid jerks on the surface of the water in imitation of the leap of a frog. 然后焦急地等待鱼儿上来咬钩；还不时模仿青蛙蹦跳姿势，沿水面上猛拽鱼饵，

　　Nothing came of it. "Try again," said my uncle. 半晌，也没见一条鱼儿上钩。“再试一次，”叔叔对我叫道。

　　Suddenly the bait sank out of sight. "Now for it," thought I; "here is a fish at last." 突然，鱼钩沉下水面，“有了，”我心头一喜，“咬钩了。”

1 genial   

adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的

参考例句：

• Orlando is a genial man.奥兰多是一位和蔼可亲的人。
• He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host.他是个热心的朋友，也是友善待客的主人。

2 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 trudged   

vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He trudged the last two miles to the town. 他步履艰难地走完最后两英里到了城里。
• He trudged wearily along the path. 他沿着小路疲惫地走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》