美国语文第四册 第144期:鸟类趣闻(4)

 　　How wonderful is that instinct by which the bird of passage performs its annual migration¹! 候鸟具有每年准确迁徙的惊人本能！

　　But how still more wonderful is it when the bird, after its voyage of thousands of miles has been performed, 可是当鸟儿在飞行了上千里，在新家过冬后，

　　and new lands visited, returns to the precise window or eaves where, the summer before, it first enjoyed existence! 依然能准确地飞回前一年夏天出生的那个窗户或屋檐，这是多么奇妙啊！

　　And yet, such is unquestionably the fact. 可是，毫无疑问事实就是这样。

　　Four brothers had watched with indignation the felonious attempts of a sparrow to possess himself of the nest of a house martin,  四兄弟愤怒地看到一只麻雀试图夺取一只燕子的巢窠，

　　in which lay its young brood of four unfledged birds. 里面有四只羽翼未丰的小燕子。

　　The little fellows considered themselves as champions for the bird which had come over land and sea, and chosen its shelter under their mother's roof. 四兄弟觉得自己是英雄，因为鸟儿飞跃陆地和海洋后，选择了自家的屋顶。

　　They therefore marshaled themselves with blowguns, to execute summary vengeance²;  因此他们拿着气枪匆忙向麻雀讨公道，

　　but their well-meant endeavors brought destruction upon the mud-built domicile they wished to defend. 可是他们的尝试给他们要保卫的用泥土垒成的巢窠带来了灾难。

　　Their artillery³ loosened the foundations, and down it came, precipitating⁴ its four little inmates⁵ to the ground. 巢窠的根基被炮火动摇了，掉落在地上，四只雏燕摔到了地上。

　　The mother of the children, Good Samaritan-like, replaced the little outcasts in their nest, and set it in the open window of an unoccupied chamber⁶. 四兄弟的妈妈，就像善良的撒马利亚人一样，把四只雏燕放回巢窠，放在一扇未住人的房间的窗户上方。

　　The parent birds, after the first terror was over, did not appear disconcerted by the change of situation, 经历了最初的恐慌后，成年燕子没有因为环境改变而显得不安，

　　but hourly fed their young as usual, and testified, by their unwearied twitter of pleasure, the satisfaction and confidence they felt. 仍然每隔一小时给小鸟喂食，不知疲倦唧唧喳喳的欢叫着，充满满足和信心。

　　There the young birds were duly fledged, and from that window they began their flight, and entered upon life. 在这个窗户上方四只小鸟长大了。

　　The next spring, with the reappearance of the martins, came four, which familiarly flew into the chamber, visited all the walls,  第二年春天，随着燕子迁徙归来，四只燕子熟悉地飞到那个房间的窗口，在墙上飞来飞去，

　　and expressed their recognition by the most clamorous⁷ twitterings of joy. 唧唧喳喳地，显得非常熟悉。

　　They were, without question, the very birds that had been bred there the preceding year. 毫无疑问，这是头一年在那里出生的四只雏燕。

1 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

2 vengeance   

n.报复，报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
• For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

3 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。

4 precipitating   

adj.急落的，猛冲的v.（突如其来地）使发生( precipitate的现在分词 )；促成；猛然摔下；使沉淀

参考例句：

• Precipitating electrode plate is a key part in electrostatic precipitation equipment. 静电收尘板是静电收尘设备中的关键部件。 来自互联网
• The precipitation bond adopts a sloped tube to enhance the precipitating efficiency. 沉淀池采用斜管，提高了沉降效率。 来自互联网

5 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 clamorous   

adj.吵闹的，喧哗的

参考例句：

• They are clamorous for better pay.他们吵吵嚷嚷要求增加工资。
• The meeting began to become clamorous.会议开始变得喧哗了。