美国小学英语教材4:第13课 与鹧鸪一家在一起的一天(4)

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　　Some ran around the hill, while a few of them began to carry away fat, white eggs. 有些蚂蚁绕着蚁丘跑，有些开始搬运胖胖的白蛋。

　　The old partridge, coming to her children, picked up one of these juicy-looking eggs and clucked. 鹧鸪妈妈走到孩子们面前，捡起一颗看起来很漂亮的蛋，咯咯叫着。

　　Then she dropped it, picked it up again, and clucked, and finally swallowed it. 然后她把它扔掉，再捡起来，咯咯叫着，最后把它吞了下去。

　　The young ones stood around, watching. 小鹧鸪们站在旁边看着。

　　Then one little fellow, the one that had sat on the chip, 然后那个坐在碎片上的小家伙捡起一颗蚁蛋，

　　picked up an ant-egg, dropped it a few times, and then swallowed it; so he had learned² to eat. 扔了几次，然后把它吞了；于是它学会了吃东西。

　　Within twenty minutes, even the smallest partridge had learned. 不到二十分钟，即使是最小的鹧鸪也学会了吃东西。

　　And a merry time they all had scrambling³ after the eggs 他们都高兴地争夺着

　　which their mother sent rolling down the sides of the ant-hill. 妈妈从蚁丘边上滚下来的蚁蛋。

　　Soon every young partridge had swallowed so many eggs that he could eat no more. 不久，每只小鹧鸪都吃了很多蚁蛋，再也吃不下了。

　　Then the mother led her children up the stream. 然后鹧鸪妈妈领着孩子们到了小溪上游。

　　On a sandy bank, well hidden by bushes⁴, they lay all that afternoon. 在沙岸边，他们好好地藏在灌木丛里躺了一下午。

　　They learned how pleasant it was to feel the cool dust running between their hot little toes. 他们了解到，凉爽的灰尘穿过火热的小脚丫是多么愉快。

　　They lay on their sides as their mother did and scratched⁵ happily with their tiny feet. 他们像妈妈一样躺着，用他们的小脚快乐地抓着。

　　That night Mother Partridge took her little ones to a dry thicket⁶ near by. 那天晚上，鹧鸪妈妈带着孩子们来到了附近的一个干燥灌木丛里。

　　There, among the dead leaves and under the bushes, 在枯叶和灌木丛下，

　　she covered them with her soft feathers. 她用自己柔软的羽毛覆盖住他们。

　　The wee cuddling things peeped⁷ in their sleep and snuggled against her warm body. 小可爱们做着美梦，偎依着她温暖的身体。

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