LESSON 41 The two crossing-sweepers
第四十一课 两个清道夫
They could not claim a single friend,beneath the wide-spread sky;
广阔天地,没有人愿意做他们的朋友;
But to each other they were bound,by poverty's strong tie.
但他们彼此之间却因为贫穷而命运相连。
Though poor, they were too proud to beg,
虽然贫穷,他们依然一身傲骨,不愿乞讨;
Too upright far to steal;
虽然贫穷,他们依然品行端正,耻于偷窃;
And gladly would they sweep and clean,to gain an honest meal.
他们乐意以清扫街道换取一顿晚餐,心安理得。
But, sad to say, the only food,they often had to eat,was scraps of bread and broken fruit,they picked up from the street.
但不幸的是,他们能吃到的唯一食物经常是从街上捡来的面包屑和烂水果。
It was a bleak and bitter morn,just at the close of March,
三月底,每天早上单调痛苦的,
And they had slept the night before,within a market arch.
他们前一晚只能睡在商店门前。
As very hungry, very cold,
因为饥饿和寒冷,
They wandered down the street,
他们在街上晃荡,
Joe picked an apple from the ground,
乔从地上捡到了一个苹果,
And thought, "Why, here's a treat!
他想,“为什么,我找到了一顿大餐!”
"It has been rather kicked about,but it's a good one still;"
“虽然被它已经被踢烂了,但还可以吃;”
And, turning to his mate, he said,"what have you picked up, Bill?"
然后,他转身问同伴:“比尔,你捡到什么了吗?”
"I haven't found a single scrap,"Bill mournfully did say—
比尔凄凉地答道:“我连一点面包屑都没看见。”
"Then, as you are the younger, Bill,Here—take and bite away."
——“比尔,我比你年长,你吃一口我的苹果吧”
The poor boy bit a small piece off:
这个可怜的男孩咬了一小口。
"Ha! that won't do!" cried Joe;
乔喊道:“哈!这样不行!
"Bite bigger, Billy—bigger yet!
咬多一点,比利——大口咬!
You're welcome—that you know!"
你知道我的,不用和我客气!”
A noble lesson this should teach,
从这个故事我们应该学到很宝贵的东西,
Dear children unto you:
亲爱的孩子们:
Do unto others as you would that they to you should do.
你希望人如何对待你,就如何去待人。
—R. P. S.
—R. P. S.
问题
What were the two boys too proud to do? and too upright to…? How did they get their living? What was the only food they often had? Where did they spend a night in March? What did Joe find in the morning? Did he begin to eat it himself? That would have been…? What did he do with it? What did he say when Bill bit off a small piece? What lesson should this teach us?
这两个男孩的一身傲骨让他们不愿去做什么?他们的正直让他们不愿去干什么?他们如何谋生?他们经常只能吃到什么?三月的一个晚上他们睡在哪?乔在早上发现了什么?他一个人吃了发现的东西吗?要是这样会怎么样?他是如何处理捡到的东西的?比尔咬了一小口后乔说了什么?我们从这一课能学到什么?
有用的知识III
季节
Into how many seasons is the year divided? Four: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
一年分为几个季节?一年有四个季节:春、夏、秋、冬。
WINTER.—Which is the coldest season? Winter.
冬天——最冷的是哪个季节?是冬天。
Is it winter all over the Earth at the same time? No; when it is winter in the northern half of the Earth, it is summer in the southern half; and when it is summer in the north, it is winter in the south.
全球进入冬天的时间都是一样的吗?不,当北半球是冬天时,南半球就是夏天;反之依然。
When is it winter in either half of the Earth? When that half is least directly under the sun's rays.
南北半球的冬天是什么时候?当太阳直射最少时,半球就进入冬天。
What effect has this on the length of the days? The days are shortest in winter, and the nights longest. The shortest day is the middle of winter.
这对白昼长度有什么影响?冬天白昼最短,夜晚最长。隆冬时白昼时间最短。
What kind of weather have we in winter? Very cold, with frost and snow.
冬天的天气怎么样?很寒冷,下霜又下雪。
What is snow? Water frozen as it falls from the clouds.
雪是什么?雪是凝结的水珠。
What is it when the drops are frozen into little balls? Hail.
雨珠变成小球时是什么?是冰雹。
Of what use is snow? It covers the earth, and guards the seeds and young plants from the frost.
雪有什么用?雪覆盖大地,保护种子和小植物不受霜的影响。
Of what use is frost? It kills many insects that injure plants; and it crumbles the clods and makes them fit to receive the seed.
霜有什么用呢?霜能杀死许多伤害植物的害虫;霜还能让土地裂开,方便播种。
What is frozen water? Ice.
水凝固了是什么?是冰。
How do we play on the ice? We skate and slide.
我们在冰面上怎么玩耍?我们在冰面上滑雪。
How do we play with the snow? We build snow-houses, and throw snow-balls.
我们怎么玩雪?堆雪屋,打雪仗。
Where do the birds go in winter? Many of them go to warmer countries—as the swallow, the cuckoo, and the nightingale.
冬天鸟儿都去哪儿了?许多鸟儿在冬天都飞到更温暖的国家去了——例如燕子,杜鹃和夜莺。
What do those that remain do? They come near our houses, and become very tame.
那些没飞走的鸟儿呢?它们住在我们房子附近,会变得很温顺。
How are the birds fed on Christmas-day in some countries? A sheaf of corn is tied on a pole, and put up for them to eat.
在有些国家圣诞节怎么喂鸟?在杆子上绑一个玉米,竖起来,让它们吃。
What birds often hop into the house in winter? The robin redbreast in Britain; the black and white snow-bird in America.
冬天什么鸟儿经常飞进屋子?英国的红襟和更鸟;美国的黑雪雀和白雪雀。
What do some animals do in winter? Hide themselves in holes, and sleep for weeks at a time.
有些动物怎么过冬?藏在洞穴里,有时睡上一个星期。
How do we keep our houses warm in winter? We have fires in our rooms.
冬天我们如何让房子保暖?我们的房间里有火。
What does the fire burn in? The grate.
火在哪个地方?在壁炉里。
What do we burn in it? Wood and coal.
我们烧什么?烧木柴和煤。
Where does coal come from? It is dug out of deep pits, far below the surface of the ground.
煤是怎么来的?是从地上深处挖出来的。
After the middle of winter, what do the days become? Longer and longer.
隆冬过后,白昼有什么变化?白昼会越来越长。
SPRING.—Which season follows Winter? Spring: so called because plants then begin to spring or grow.
春天——冬天后面是什么季节?是春季:之所以叫春天是因为在春季植物都开始发芽生长。
What changes do you then see in nature? The grass becomes green, the flowers begin to send up new leaves, and the little buds appear on the hedges and trees.
春季的大自然有什么变化?草儿变绿,花儿长新叶,树上发新芽。
What does the farmer do in spring? He ploughs and harrows the ground, and sows the seed.
农民在春天里有哪些活动?农民在春天里用犁耙犁地,随后播种。
What is a harrow? A large kind of rake with long teeth, used to break the clods of earth which the plough has turned up.
犁耙是什么?一种带有长齿的耙子,用来把犁好的土地耙开。
When is the ground harrowed again? After the seed is sown, to cover the seeds with earth.
什么时候第二次犁地?播种过后,这样是为了用泥土掩盖种子。
What is the young corn like? Green, like blades of grass.
小麦长什么样?像绿色的草叶。
What helps it to grow? The rain and the sunshine.
是什么帮助小麦成长?阳光雨露。
What do the birds do in spring? They begin to build their nests.
春季时鸟儿都在干嘛?鸟儿们开始筑巢。
What are the chief birds of spring? The thrush and the cuckoo, in England; in America, the robin and the song-sparrow. The cuckoo is called in England the bird of spring.
春季的鸟主要有哪些?英国有画眉和杜鹃;美国有知更鸟和麻雀。在英国我们把杜鹃叫做春天之鸟。
What is the length of the day in the middle of spring? The day is exactly the same length as the night. The sun rises at six in the morning, and sets at six in the evening.
春分白昼的长度是多少?昼夜等长。早晨六点太阳升起,下午六点太阳落山。
SUMMER.—Which is the next season? Summer, the warmest season of the year.
夏季——春季后面是哪个季节?是夏季,是全年最热的季节。
What goes on in the fields in summer? Hay-making.
夏季田野里是什么景象?收割干草。
What is hay? Ripe grass cut down and dried in the sun.
干草是什么?将长大的牧草割下晒干。
For what is it used? To feed horses and cows, chiefly in winter, when they cannot get fresh grass.
干草有何用处?用来喂马喂牛,尤其是在冬天牛马吃不到鲜草的时候。
What is the corn like in summer? It is full-grown, the ears are formed on the stalk, and it is growing yellow as it ripens in the sun.
夏季里的小麦长什么样?小麦已经长成,茎上已经长出穗,在阳光的照射下逐渐成熟,颜色变黄。
What do you notice about the sheep in summer? It is the time when the little lambs play in the fields.
羊群在夏天有什么活动?夏天是小羊羔在田里玩耍的时间。
What is done to the sheep then? They are washed in a pool or stream, and then their wool is shorn.
随后这些羊被怎么样了?牧羊人会在池里或小溪里将它们洗净,随后剪羊毛。
What are the birds doing in summer? The young birds have learned to fly about, and are singing in the woods.
夏天里鸟儿们都在做什么?小鸟已经开始学飞,在森林里歌唱。
What bird comes back to us in summer? The swallow.
什么鸟会在夏天飞回来?燕子。
Why are the woods and fields so pleasant in summer? The flowers are in full bloom, the air is sweet and soft, and the trees shelter us from the warm sunshine.
为什么夏天里的森林和田野这么怡人?百花盛开,空气清新,我们还可以在树荫下遮阳。
What is midsummer day? The longest day in the year.
夏至日是什么?全年白昼最长的一天。
And after that? The days get shorter and shorter, and so we are carried into Autumn.
夏至日之后呢?白昼越来越短,并即将进入秋季。
AUTUMN.—What is Autumn the season of? Of harvest.
秋季——秋天是什么季节?秋天是丰收的季节。
What is harvest? The ingathering of the fruits of the earth.
什么是丰收?采集地里的果实。
What is the first work the farmer has to do then? Reaping, or cutting down the corn.
丰收过后农民要做的第一件事是什么?收割小麦。
What is done with it after it is cut down? It is left in the fields to dry for some time, and is then built into stacks.
放倒麦苗后做什么?留在田里晒干,之后再堆积起来。
What is done with it, when it is required for food? It is sent to the threshing-mill, where the seeds are separated from the straw and from the chaff.
堆积起来做什么用?何时可食用?收集起来后送往磨坊,当果实从秆上脱落并去皮后可食用。
What is straw? The stalk or stem of corn.
秆是什么?小麦的茎秆。
What is it used for? As bedding for horses and as roofing for houses. Sometimes it is plaited, and made into hats and bonnets.
有什么用?可用来铺设马厩和盖房子。有时候编成辫子,放进帽子里。
What is chaff? The empty husk of the corn-seed.
什么是壳?小麦的空皮。
Where is the seed sent, from the threshing-mill? To the flourmill, to be ground into flour and meal.
小麦从磨坊送往何处?送去面粉厂,碾成面粉。
Where is it sent next? It is now ready for the baker, who makes it into loaves and rolls.
随后送去何处?送到烘培师手中,做成食物。
What kind of flour is chiefly used in making bread? Wheat flour.
做面包主要用哪种面粉?麦面。
What does the farmer grow besides hay and corn? Pease and beans for his horses; turnips for his cattle in winter; and potatoes, to last us till next summer.
除了干草和小麦,农民还种哪些东西?种豌豆和大豆喂马;冬天种萝卜喂牛;还种土豆留作备用食物。
What else is gathered in autumn? Fruit is gathered, in gardens and orchards; nuts and blackberries are gathered in the woods.
秋天还丰收哪些作物?果园里的水果,森林里的坚果和黑莓。
What is the length of the day in the middle of autumn? The same length as the night,—as in the middle of spring.
秋分这一天白昼长度如何?昼夜等长,——和春分日一样。
But what difference is there? After the middle of spring, the days get longer and the nights shorter; after the middle of autumn, the days get shorter and the nights longer.
有什么区别吗?春分后,白昼变长夜晚变短;秋分后反之。
And after autumn? We pass again to the cold days of winter.
秋天过后是什么?再经历寒冷的冬天。