美国语文第五册 第148期:鹌鹑(1)

 　　The quail¹ is peculiarly a domestic bird, and is attached to his birthplace and the home of his forefathers².  鹌鹑为一种典型的家常鸟类，依恋滞留繁衍地或长久栖息地。

　　The various members of the aquatic³ families educate their children in the cool summer of the far north,  这种禽类大多栖水而生，在遥远北方的凉爽夏季孵化幼仔，

　　and bathe their warm bosoms⁴ in July in the iced waters of Hudson Bay;  然后飞去哈德逊湾冰水里消退七月炎热。

　　but when Boreas scatters⁵ the rushes where they had builded their bedchambers,  一旦朔风卷起枯枝败叶，当初鹌鹑以此垒巢建窝，

　　they desert their fatherland, and fly to disport⁶ in the sunny waters of the south. 然后，它们就会离开父辈领地，飞去温暖南方的水湄地带过冬。

　　The songsters of the woodland, when their customary crops of insects and berries are cut off in the fall, 秋天，以昆虫和莓子为生的鹌鹑，一旦田间农作物被砍倒后，

　　gather themselves to renew their loves and get married in more genial⁷ climes.  这些丛林歌手们便会麇集成群，重新开始新的爱恋，在更为温和的气候里求偶交配。

　　Presently, the groves⁸ so vocal⁹, and the sky so full, shall be silent and barren.  很快，果园树林里鸟声鸣啾不断，天空清澈空旷。

　　The “melancholy days” will soon be here; only thou, dear Bob White, wilt¹⁰ remain. 忧郁哀愁的日子不久将要降临，唯有你，亲爱的鲍勃·怀特仍会盘桓不去。

　　The quail is the bird for me. 鹌鹑是我的鸟。

　　He is no rover, no emigrant¹¹.  它并非流浪汉，亦不是迁徙者。

　　He stays at home, and is identified with the soil.  它习惯待在熟悉的地方，它离不开土地。

　　Where the farmer works, he lives, and loves, and whistles.  农夫们下地干活，它在田间地头栖息、爱恋、玩耍。

　　In budding springtime, and in scorching¹² summer—in bounteous¹³ autumn, and in barren winter,  季节流转，无论在含苞欲放的春天，骄阳似火的夏季，还是丰收喜悦的秋天，万木肃杀的寒冬；

　　his voice is heard from the same bushy hedge fence, and from his customary cedars¹⁴.  无论在浓密灌丛上空，或树篱栅栏周围，或常见的香柏树枝头，鹌鹑鸣啾声声不绝于耳，

1 quail   

n.鹌鹑；vi.畏惧，颤抖

参考例句：

• Cowards always quail before the enemy.在敌人面前，胆小鬼们总是畏缩不前的。
• Quail eggs are very high in cholesterol.鹌鹑蛋胆固醇含量高。

2 forefathers   

n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left. 它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

4 bosoms   

胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形

参考例句：

• How beautifully gold brooches glitter on the bosoms of our patriotic women! 金光闪闪的别针佩在我国爱国妇女的胸前，多美呀！
• Let us seek out some desolate shade, and there weep our sad bosoms empty. 我们寻个僻静的地方，去痛哭一场吧。

5 scatters   

v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒

参考例句：

• He scatters money about as if he were rich. 他四处挥霍，好像很有钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Truth raises against itself the storm that scatters its seeds broadcast. 真理引起了反对它自己的狂风骤雨，那场风雨吹散了真理的广播的种子。 来自辞典例句

6 disport   

v.嬉戏，玩

参考例句：

• Every Sunday,they disport themselves either in the parks or in the mountains.每周日他们或去公园或去爬山。
• A servant was washing the steps,and some crabs began to disport themselves in the little pools.一个仆人正在清洗台阶，一些螃蟹开始在小渠里玩耍。

7 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。

8 groves   

树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The early sun shone serenely on embrowned groves and still green fields. 朝阳宁静地照耀着已经发黄的树丛和还是一片绿色的田地。
• The trees grew more and more in groves and dotted with old yews. 那里的树木越来越多地长成了一簇簇的小丛林，还点缀着几棵老紫杉树。

9 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

10 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

11 emigrant   

adj.移居的，移民的；n.移居外国的人，移民

参考例句：

• He is a British emigrant to Australia.他是个移居澳大利亚的英国人。
• I always think area like this is unsuited for human beings,but it is also unpractical to emigrant in a large scale.我一直觉得，像这样的地方是不适宜人类居住的，可大规模的移民又是不现实的。

12 scorching   

adj. 灼热的

参考例句：

• a scorching, pitiless sun 灼热的骄阳
• a scorching critique of the government's economic policy 对政府经济政策的严厉批评

13 bounteous   

adj.丰富的

参考例句：

• Because of the spring rains,the farmers had a bounteous crop.因为下了春雨，农夫获得了丰收。
• He has a bounteous imagination.他有丰富的想象力。

14 cedars   

雪松，西洋杉( cedar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The old cedars were badly damaged in the storm. 风暴严重损害了古老的雪松。
• Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. 1黎巴嫩哪，开开你的门，任火烧灭你的香柏树。