heed 注意

sight 看见

slyly 狡猾的

stream 小河

drifting 漂移

flock 蜂拥

flight 飞行

snaps 吧嗒

hidden 躲藏

circling 环绕

THE FOX AND THE DUCKS 狐狸和鸭子

On a summer day, 夏日的一天，

a man sitting on the bank of a river, 有个人坐在河边，

in the shade of some bushes, 在灌木丛的阴凉下，

watched a flock of ducks on the stream. 着小溪中的一群鸭子。

Soon a branch with leaves came drifting among them, 不久，一根带着几片叶子树枝漂到了它们中间。

and they all took wing. 鸭子们都张开翅膀飞起来，

After circling in the air for a little time, 在空中盘旋一小会儿后，

they settled down again on their feeding ground. 又落到了它们的觅食地。

Soon another branch came drifting down among them, 很快，另一根树枝也漂到了它们中间。

and again they took flight from the river; 鸭子再次从河里飞起来。

but when they found the branch had drifted by 当它们发现树枝漂走了，

and done them no harm, 并没有对它们造成伤害后，

they flew down to the water as before. 它们又像从前那样落到了水里。

After four or five branches had drifted by in this way, 当四五根树枝都流经这里后，

the ducks gave little heed to them. 鸭子们稍稍留意了一下它们。

At length, they hardly tried to fly out of their way, 最后，甚至在树枝快要碰到它们时，

even when the branches nearly touched them. 也不再试图飞起来了。

The man who had been watching all this, 有个人看到了全过程。

now began to wonder who had set these branches adrift. 他开始纳闷是谁把这些树枝放在水里让它们漂过去。

He looked up the stream, 他抬头看了看河流，

and spied a fox slyly watching the ducks. 发现一只狐狸正阴险地注视着鸭子们。

"What will he do next?" thought the man. “它下一步会做什么呢？”这个人想。

When the fox saw that the ducks were no longer afraid of the branches, 当这只狐狸看到鸭子们不再害怕树枝后，

he took a much larger branch than any he had yet used, 它搬来一个比以前用过的更大的树枝，

and stretched himself upon it so as to be almost hidden. 然后直挺挺地趴在上面藏起来。

Then he set it afloat as he had the others. 它让这个树枝漂到水里，就像它以前做过的一样。

Right among the flock drifted the sly old fox, 狡猾的老狐狸准确无误地漂到了鸭群中，

and, making quick snaps to right and left, 突然向左右快速猛咬。

he seized two fine young ducks, 它捉住了两只漂亮的小鸭子，

and floated off with them. 然后离开了水面。

The rest of the flock flew away in fright, 其余的鸭子惊吓地飞离水面，

and did not come back for a long time. 吓得很久也没再回来。

The fox must have had a fine dinner 那只狐狸肯定享用了一顿美妙的晚餐，

to pay him for his cunning, patient work. 来犒劳自己狡猾而耐心的劳动。