英国学生科学读本 第42期:调皮的麻雀(1)

 　　Lesson 4 The Saucy¹ Sparrow

　　第4课 调皮的麻雀

　　What little birds are these that build their nests in our great cities, and do not mind the smoke and the noise and the bustle²? What little birds are these that hop³ about our crowded streets, and pick up seeds under the noses of the horses? These are our little friends the bold, saucy sparrows.

　　有一些小鸟儿在英国的大城市里做窝, 它们不怕烟雾, 不怕噪音, 不怕人们的忙乱, 这是什么鸟儿呢? 有一些小鸟儿在我们拥挤的街道上跳来跳去, 在马的鼻子底下啄谷粒吃, 这是什么鸟儿呢? 它们就是我们小小的朋友, 又大胆又调皮的麻雀！

　　The sparrow is a small bird, grey and brown in colour, and with a short strong beak⁴. It lives with us all the year round. It feeds both on insects and on seeds.

　　麻雀是一种体型很小的鸟儿, 颜色是灰色和棕色的, 长着短而坚硬的喙。麻雀一年到头都跟我们生活在一起。麻雀既吃昆虫, 也吃植物的种子。

　　The sparrow builds its nest of straw, hay, and leaves in an old wall, or under the eaves or in the water-spouts of houses. Its nest is rather rough, but it is very well lined with feathers.

　　麻雀用稻草、干草和树叶做巢, 巢搭在老旧的墙上, 或者屋檐下, 或者房子的雨水管里面。麻雀窝很粗糙, 但里面用羽毛铺得很软。

　　The mother sparrow lays five eggs in the nest, and sits on them to keep them warm. The eggs are white, with brown spots. When the young birds come out of the eggs, both the father and the mother sparrow bring them soft little grubs to eat.

　　麻雀妈妈在巢里一次产下五个蛋, 坐在蛋上给蛋保暖。蛋是白色的, 带着褐色的斑点。小麻雀从蛋里钻出来, 麻雀爸爸和麻雀妈妈就会抓来软软的小虫子, 给它们吃。

1 saucy   

adj.无礼的；俊俏的；活泼的

参考例句：

• He was saucy and mischievous when he was working.他工作时总爱调皮捣蛋。
• It was saucy of you to contradict your father.你顶撞父亲，真是无礼。

2 bustle   

v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹

参考例句：

• The bustle and din gradually faded to silence as night advanced.随着夜越来越深，喧闹声逐渐沉寂。
• There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the railway station.火车站里非常拥挤。

3 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

4 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。