英語聽力小短文走遍全世界53: 瓦爾登湖

英語聽力原文：

At the approach of spring the red squirrels got under my house, two at a time, directly under my feet as I sat reading or writing, and kept up the queerest chuckling and chirruping and vocal pirouetting and gurgling sounds that ever were heard; and when I stamped they only chirruped the louder, as if past all fear and respect in their mad pranks, defying humanity to stop them. No, you don't - chickaree - chickaree. They were wholly deaf to my arguments, or failed to perceive their force, and fell into a strain of invective that was irresistible.

春天臨近時，赤松鼠來到了我的屋子底下，成雙成對，正當(dāng)我靜坐閱讀或?qū)懽鞯臅r候，它們就在我腳下，不斷地發(fā)出最奇怪的嘰嘰咕咕的叫聲，不斷地長嘶短鳴，要是我蹬了幾腳，叫聲就更加高，好像它們的瘋狂的惡作劇已經(jīng)超過了畏懼的境界，無視于人類的禁令了。你別——嘰嘰咕咕地叫。對于我的駁斥，它們聽也不聽，它們不覺得我氣勢洶洶，反而破口大罵，弄得我毫無辦法。

The first sparrow of spring! The year beginning with younger hope than ever! The faint silvery warblings heard over the partially bare and moist fields from the bluebird, the song sparrow, and the red-wing, as if the last flakes of winter tinkled as they fell! What at such a time are histories, chronologies, traditions, and all written revelations? The brooks sing carols and glees to the spring. The marsh hawk, sailing low over the meadow, is already seeking the first slimy life and awakes.

春天的第一只麻雀!這一年又在從來沒有這樣年輕的希望之中開始了!最初聽到很微弱的銀色的啁啾之聲傳過了一部分還光禿禿的、濕潤的田野，那是發(fā)自青島、離雀和紅翼鶇的，仿佛冬天的最后的雪花在叮當(dāng)?shù)仫h落!在這樣的一個時候，歷史、編年紀(jì)、傳說，一切啟示的文字又算得了什么?小溪向春天唱贊美詩和四部曲。沼澤上的鷹隼低低地飛翔在草地上，已經(jīng)在尋覓那初醒的脆弱的生物了。

The sinking sound of melting snow is heard in all dells, and the ice dissolves apace in the ponds. The grass flames up on the hillsides like a spring fire - "et primitus oritur herba imbribus primoribus evocate" - as if the earth sent forth an inward heat to greet the returing sun; not yellow but green is the color of its flame; - the symbol of perpetual youth, the grass-blade, like a long green ribbon, streams from the sod into the summer, checked indeed by the frost, but anon pushing on again, lifting its spear of last year's hay with the fresh life below. It grows as steadily as the rill oozes out of the ground. It is almost identical with that, for in the growing days of June, when the rills are dry, the grass-blades are their channels, and from year to year the herds drink at this pernnial green stream, and the mower draws from it betimes their winter supply.

在所有的谷中，聽得到融雪的滴答之聲，而湖上的冰在迅速地溶化。小草像春火在山腰燃燒起來了，—— "et primitus oritur herba imbribus primoribus evocata" ——好像大地上送上了一個內(nèi)在的熱力來迎接太陽的歸來;而火焰的顏色，不是黃的，是綠的，——永遠(yuǎn)的青春的象征，那草葉，像一根長長的綠色緞帶，從草地上流出來流向夏季。是的，它給霜雪阻攔過，可是它不久又在向前推進(jìn)，舉起了去年的干草的長莖，讓新的生命從下面升起來。它像小泉源的水從地下淙淙的冒出來一樣。它與小溪幾乎是一體的，因?yàn)樵诹履切╅L日之中，小溪已經(jīng)干涸了，這些草葉成了它的小道，多少個年代來，牛羊從這永恒的青色的溪流上飲水，到了時候，刈草的人把它們割去供給冬天的需要。

So our human life but dies down to its root, and still puts forth its green blade to eternity.

我們?nèi)祟惖纳词菇^滅，只是絕滅不了根，那根上仍能茁生綠色的草葉，至于永恒。

英語詞匯整理：

1. queer adj. 古怪的，奇怪的

eg: What a queer story!

一個多么離奇的故事!

相關(guān)短語：

be queer for [美國俚語]對……著了迷的，迷上了……的

on the queer [俚語]形跡可疑;不老實(shí)

queer fish 怪人;沒人要的魚

queer theory 酷兒理論

queer bird 古怪的家伙

2. pirouette vi. 用腳尖旋轉(zhuǎn)

eg: The ballet-dancer pirouetted continuously.

芭蕾舞演員連續(xù)用腳尖旋轉(zhuǎn)。

3. gurgle vi. 汩汩地流

eg: The water gurgled as it ran down the plug-hole.

水汨汨地從塞孔中流下去。

相關(guān)短語：

drink gurgle 喝水

4. defy vt. 藐視，挑釁，反抗

eg: They believe it is essential to defy convention.

他們認(rèn)為對抗流俗是絕對必要的。

相關(guān)短語:

defy someone to do something 激某人做某事

defy sb's will 違反某人的意志

defy one's superior 違抗上司

5. invective n. 惡言謾罵，痛罵

eg: He retorted the invective on her.

他用惡言諷刺還擊她。

6. moist adj. 潮濕的，濕潤的

eg: The soil is reasonably moist after the September rain.

9月的雨水之后，土壤適度濕潤。

相關(guān)短語:

moist air 濕空氣

moist soil 濕地

moist heat 溫濕

moist climate 濕潤氣候

7. flake n. 薄片，小片

eg: Large flakes of snow began swiftly to fall.

大片大片的雪花開始飛快地落下。

相關(guān)短語：

flake off 剝落

flake ice 冰屑;薄片冰

snow flake 雪花;雪片

8. chronology n. 年代學(xué);年表

eg: Now, this chronology doesn't prove that politics drives changes in inequality.

現(xiàn)在這個年表并不能證明政治主導(dǎo)著不平等變化。

同近義詞：

fasti n.[圖情]年表;年代學(xué)

9. brook n. 小河，溪

eg: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.

去融化愛，就像一條正在奔流的小溪哼唱著自己的旋律直到晚上。

P.S.：用作動詞時，解釋為“容許，容忍”

eg: I will brook no interference.

我決不容許任何干涉行徑。

10. carol n. 頌歌，歡樂的歌

eg: The singing of Christmas carols is a custom derived from early dance routines of pagan origin.

唱圣誕歌這一傳統(tǒng)源自異教早期的舞蹈儀式。

相關(guān)短語：

christmas carol [基督教]圣誕頌歌

11. glee n. 歡喜，高興

eg: He was a charming mixture of glum and glee.

他是一個很有魅力的人，時而憂傷時而歡笑。

相關(guān)短語：

glee club 合唱團(tuán)

12. marsh n. 沼澤，濕地

eg: He led them away from a marsh.

他把他們帶離沼澤。

相關(guān)短語：

marsh gas 甲烷，沼氣

salt marsh 鹽沼;鹽堿灘

13. slimy adj. 粘滑的

eg: His feet slipped in the slimy mud.

他因腳下黏糊糊的泥而滑倒了。

相關(guān)短語：

slimy milk 粘乳

slimy ground 泥濘地

14. dissolve vt. 使溶解，解散，消除

eg: Heat gently until the sugar dissolves.

微微加熱直到糖溶解。

相關(guān)短語：

dissolve away 消失;消散

dissolve in 溶入

dissolve in tears (使)痛哭流涕

dissolve into tears 痛哭流涕

dissolve into 溶化成(某物)

15. perpetual adj. 永久的，永恒的

eg: It is the secret of perpetual youth.

它是青春永駐的秘訣。

16. rill n. 小河

eg: Flowed like a rill in the morning beam.

像晨光中的溪流一樣流淌。

相關(guān)短語：

rill erosion 細(xì)溝侵蝕;細(xì)流沖蝕

17. perennial adj. 永久的，反復(fù)出現(xiàn)的，多年生的

eg: Politics provides a perennial subject for argument.

政治是一種長期爭論不休的話題。

相關(guān)短語：

perennial plant 多年生植物

perennial grasses 多年生牧草

perennial ryegrass 黑麥草

perennial root 宿根

18. eternity n. 永恒，無窮

eg: I have always found the thought of eternity terrifying.

我總覺得永生的想法很可怕。

相關(guān)短語：

launch into eternity 一命歸陰

send someone to eternity 使某人死去

through all eternity 永遠(yuǎn)

佳句采摘：

The brooks sing carols and glees to the spring. The marsh hawk, sailing low over the meadow, is already seeking the first slimy life and awakes. The sinking sound of melting snow is heard in all dells, and the ice dissolves apace in the ponds.

小溪向春天唱贊美詩和四部曲。沼澤上的鷹隼低低地飛翔在草地上，已經(jīng)在尋覓那初醒的脆弱的生物了。在所有的谷中，聽得到融雪的嘀嗒之聲，而湖上的冰在迅速地融化。

So our human life but dies down to its root, and still puts forth its green blade to eternity.

我們?nèi)祟惖纳词菇^滅，只是絕滅不了根，那根上仍能茁生綠色的草葉，至于永恒。
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