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杨柳风 07

时间:2009-11-26 05:29来源:互联网 提供网友:天剑客   字体: [ ]
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Chapter Seven The Spirit of Nature

It was a very hot evening a few weeks later. Mole1 lay on the grass next to the river. He was waiting for Rat to come home. Mole had spent the day with some friends and Rat had gone to visit Otter2. It was dark and Rat hadn’t returned. He was probably staying up late talking to Otter.

It was still too hot to go inside. Mole had decided3 to wait for his friend by the river. Soon he heard Rat coming.

“Oh, it’s so much cooler next to the river.” He said.

He sat down and stared at the water. He was quiet and he seemed to be thinking about something.

“Did you eat dinner with Otter and his family?” asked Mole after a few moments.

“Oh, of course.” said Rat. “They wouldn’t let me leave without eating. You know how kind Otter and his family are. And we had a very nice time. However, I felt terrible. The family is very worried and unhappy. But they don’t want me to know it. Mole, I’m afraid they’re in serious trouble. Otter’s son, Portly, is missing4 again.”

“What? That little animal.” said Mole. “He is always leaving home to have adventures by himself. He gets lost for a few days, but he always returns home. And every animal around here knows him and likes him. I’m sure he is safe. You and I have seen Portly when he’s lost. He was many miles from home, but he wasn’t scared.

“Yes. But this time it’s more serious.” said the Rat. “Portly has been gone for many days now. The Otters5 have looked everywhere for him. He’s disappeared. Otter is afraid. He doesn’t want to frighten his family too much. But when I left their house Otter said he would come with me. Then he and I had a private talk. He’s afraid for his son. Portly hasn’t learned6 to swim yet, you see. And humans will catch and kill otters when they get the chance. Otter told me he’s going to spend the night watching by the river. There is a place Portly like to play. Otter hopes Portly would go there if he has lost.”

Mole and Rat sat there quietly for a while. They were thinking of poor Otter waiting for his little son to come home. How lonely and worried he must be!

After a while, Rat said, “Well, I guess it’s time for bed.”

But he didn’t move.

“Rat,” said Mole slowly. “I can’t go in and go to sleep now. I feel like I’ve got to do something to help Otter. Maybe we can’t help, but we can try. What do you think? We’ll get the boat out and row it up the river. The moon will rise in an hour and then we’ll search for Portly as hard as we can. Who knows? We may find some clue7 or hear some news about him.”

“That’s just what I was thinking!” said Rat. “I’m not tired and it’s not too many hours until sunrise.

Mole and Rat got their boat out and began to travel up the river. It was a clear quiet night. There were many stars in the sky. There were many animals outside. They were talking to each other and working together.

Soon the large silver moon rose in the sky. The two friends traveled up the river for a little while and then began to search in the bushes8, trees, holes and tunnels9 for a little Portly, the Otter.

They searched for some time, then traveled up the river some more, then they searched again. They continued in this way for many hours until the moon set in the sky.

After the moon had set, the sky grew lighter10. The grass and trees became easier to see. A bird sang a song and then was quiet. A gentle wind blew through the trees.

Rat was sitting in the front of the boat while Mole was rowing. Suddenly Rat stood up. He was listening to something very carefully. But Mole could not hear it. After a few moments, Rat sat down again. Mole looked at him curiously11.

“It’s gone.” cried Rat softly12. “I heard some music. It was so beautiful, strange and new. If it had to end so soon, then I wish I had never heard it. Now nothing in life seems good. I only want to hear that beautiful music again and listen to it forever. Wait, now I hear it again!”

Rat listened carefully. He had an astonished13 look on his face. He looked happier than Mole had ever seen him.

“Now the music is getting softer. I can’t hear it anymore.” He said after a few moments. “Oh, Mole, if only you could hear this music! How beautiful it is! It is clear, joyful14 and sweet. It is the sound of a flute15. I think that the person who plays the flute is calling us. Come on, Mole, we must find him.”

Mole was amazed16.

“All right.” he said, “As for me, I hear nothing. I only hear the wind moving through the trees.”

Rat did not answer him. He was busy listening to the mysterious music. He was trembling17 with joy.

Quietly Mole rowed the boat up the river. They were very close to the grass now.

Then Rat suddenly said, “Now the music is nearer. Do you hear it? Oh, you do hear it, Mole?

And Mole did hear the mysterious beautiful music. He stood very still and listened. It was the most beautiful music he had ever heard. It was like music from heaven. He saw tears of joy on Rat’s cheeks.

For a minute, the two animals did not move. Then Mole continued to row the boat. Rat was right. Someone or something was calling them. The beautiful music was leading them somewhere. They did not know where.

No birds sing and there was no wind. Except for the wonderful music, everything was still and quiet. It seemed to Rat and Mole that the world had never been so beautiful. The grass was fresh and green. The flowers smelled sweeter than before. All the colors of the forest were bright and clear.

Soon they saw a very small island in the middle of the river. The island was surrounded by trees. Both the animals suddenly knew that they had to go to the island. They needed to see what was behind all those trees. They didn’t understand why. They thought they were answering the call of the mysterious music.

In a few moments, they had arrived at the island. Without speaking, Mole and Rat got out of their boat. They tied it to a tree by the water. They walked slowly through the trees. Then they saw that they were in a beautiful space filled with grass and flowers. The space was surrounded by cherry, apple and other fruit trees.

“Here is the place.” said the Rat. “It is a holy18 place. We will surely19 find Him here.”

Mole didn’t need to ask who He was. Suddenly he felt a strange amazing feeling in his heart. He felt both incredibly happy and afraid. He could not lift his head to see what stood in front of him. But he could see that there was a bright golden20 light shining all around him. He felt that someone was very near, that someone was not from this earth.

Slowly Mole turned to look at Rat. He saw that Rat was trembling. The golden light grew brighter. Everything was silent21. Perhaps Mole would have never raised his head, but something was commanding him. Even if it meant he would die that moment, he had to obey.

Mole raised his head and looked straight ahead. He looked into the eyes of a great Spirit.

It was the Spirit of Nature.

The Spirit of Nature was the friend and helper22 of all animals. The Spirit had a flute in his hand. He had a long beard, curly23 hair and kind eyes. In the Spirit’s large arms was the lost little Otter, Portly. Portly was sleeping just like a baby.

Somehow, Mole was able to say, “Rat, are you afraid?”

“Afraid?” whispered24 Rat. Rat’s eyes were shining with love. “of him? And yet, somehow... Oh, Mole, I’m afraid.”

Then the two animals bowed to the great Spirit.

At that moment, the sun began to rise. The sun’s light shone brightly into Mole and Rat’s eyes. They could not see for a moment. When they looked again, they saw that the Spirit was gone. The air was filled with the sounds of birds’ singing. The birds were welcoming the new day.

Mole and Rat stared at each other and didn’t say anything. They understood the meaning of what they had seen. But now the Spirit was gone and they would never see him again. They suddenly felt extremely25 sad and lonely.

However a cool wind suddenly touched their skins. The wind was magic. The Spirit of Nature created it. When the Spirit of Nature helps animals in trouble, he is always careful to make them forget that they have seen him. Otherwise, the amazing memory might make them bored with their ordinary life. Then they would be unhappy.

Mole and Rat felt this magic wind on their faces. They immediately forgot that they had seen the Spirit. Mole rubbed his eyes.

“What were you just seeing, Rat?” he asked.

“I think I was seeing that we might find Otter’s son here.” said Rat slowly.

Suddenly he shouted, “And there he is. It’s little Portly!”

He ran towards the baby otter. The baby was sleeping on the ground. But Mole stood still for a moment. He felt as if he had just woken up from a beautiful dream, but he couldn’t remember it at all. He stood there for a minute, thinking deeply26. Then he signed sadly and joined Rat.

Portly, the otter, woke up. He was very happy to see his father’s friends. Often they had played with him at home. But soon Portly began to run around the island. He seemed to be looking for someone. He seemed very upset and finally began to cry. Mole ran to comfort him. Rat was looking at the ground.

There were some large footprints27 there.

“I think some large animal has been here.” Rat said slowly.

He tried to think about it. Had he seen a large animal? It seemed to Rat that he had seen something here. Something astonishing28! What was it? He couldn’t remember.

“Come on, Rat.” said Mole, “Think of poor Otter waiting by the river, we’ve got to take Portly home.”

When little Portly found out that he was going to take a ride in Rat’s boat, he forgot about being sad. The three animals got into their boat and traveled down the river again.

It was a beautiful morning. Soon they saw the path that lead to Otter’s home. They pulled up the boat close to the grass. Then they took Portly out of the boat and said, “Now, off you go, little Portly. Go home to your family.”

They watched as the little otter ran quickly along the path. He was making little sounds in his otter language. These sounds meant, “father, father, where are you? I’m home!” Then they saw Otter running down the path towards his son.

They continued to row down the river.

Mole said, “Rat, I feel terribly tired. We often stay out all night. But for some reason, I can’t keep my eyes open. I feel as if we’ve just had some great and exciting adventure, but we haven’t. We only went out to search for Portly, and we found him.”

“I feel just the same way.” said Rat. “I’m exhausted29. I wonder why we both feel this way.”

They were quiet for a while enjoying the warm sunshine.

After a while Rat turned to Mole and said, “Mole, this is the most beautiful day. Do you hear the wind moving through the grass? It’s just like music.”

“It is, isn’t it? I almost believe that I hear someone singing. What do you think the words are?” asked Mole.

“I hear it, too. Let me try to listen.” said the Rat.

After a moment he said, “It seems to be a song about forgetting your troubles and being happy.”

“I don’t understand. What does that mean?” asked Mole.

But Rat had already fallen asleep. He had a peaceful smile on his face.


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 mole 26Nzn     
n.胎块;痣;克分子
参考例句:
  • She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
  • The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。
2 otter 7vgyH     
n.水獭
参考例句:
  • The economists say the competition otter to the brink of extinction.经济学家们说,竞争把海獭推到了灭绝的边缘。
  • She collared my black wool coat with otter pelts.她把我的黑呢上衣镶上了水獭领。
3 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
4 missing 3nTzx7     
adj.遗失的,缺少的,失踪的
参考例句:
  • Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具,看有无丢失。
  • All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了,就短他一个。
5 otters c7b1b011f1aba54879393a220705a840     
n.(水)獭( otter的名词复数 );獭皮
参考例句:
  • An attempt is being made to entice otters back to the river. 人们正试图把水獭引诱回河里去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Otters are believed to have been on Earth for 90 million years. 水獭被认为存活在地球上已经9千多万年。 来自互联网
6 learned m1oxn     
adj.有学问的,博学的;learn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
  • In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里,他被视为有学问的人。
7 clue pWhyn     
n.线索;提示;词语
参考例句:
  • She will clue you in about this.她将为你提供这方面情况。
  • No clue to his whereabouts has been found.至今没有找到有关他行踪的线索。
8 bushes 34aa67dd9b2ec411c4fcb7109a0f5922     
n.灌木(丛)( bush的名词复数 );[机械学](金属)衬套;[电学](绝缘)套管;类似灌木的东西(尤指浓密的毛发或皮毛)
参考例句:
  • There was someone skulking behind the bushes. 有人藏在灌木后面。
  • The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 tunnels 12a236f766f5696ea5dc5ead9a4a8595     
隧道,地道( tunnel的名词复数 ); (动物栖息的)穴
参考例句:
  • The badger sett had twelve entrances to what must have been a labyrinth of tunnels. 这个獾穴有12 个入口,下面必定有一套错综复杂的地道。
  • Workers could not clear the tunnels of smoke. 工人们无法清除隧道里的烟雾。
10 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
11 curiously 3v0zIc     
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地
参考例句:
  • He looked curiously at the people.他好奇地看着那些人。
  • He took long stealthy strides. His hands were curiously cold.他迈着悄没声息的大步。他的双手出奇地冷。
12 softly HiIzR4     
adv.柔和地,静静地,温柔地
参考例句:
  • He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻,她听不见。
  • She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。
13 astonished LyUznq     
adj.惊讶的
参考例句:
  • The news astonished everyone. 这消息使大家十分惊讶。
  • He was astonished to learn he'd won the competition. 他听说他比赛赢了,感到很惊讶。
14 joyful N3Fx0     
adj.欢乐的,令人欢欣的
参考例句:
  • She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
  • They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。
15 flute hj9xH     
n.长笛;v.吹笛
参考例句:
  • He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
  • There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
16 amazed 9zYzBk     
adj.吃惊的,惊奇的v.使大为吃惊,使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
  • I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。
17 trembling omTwh     
n.发抖adj.发抖的v.发抖( tremble的现在分词 );焦虑;颤动;轻轻摇晃
参考例句:
  • My legs were trembling with fear. 我吓得双腿直发抖。
  • Daddy was trembling with anxiety as to how the talks would go. 爸爸为那些商谈的进展而焦虑不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 holy OyKy6     
adj.神圣的,圣洁的,至善的;n.神圣的东西
参考例句:
  • She was still a holy and pure young girl.她仍是一个圣洁的少女。
  • He reads the Holy Bible every night.他每晚读《圣经》。
19 surely yrRwj     
adv.确实地,无疑地;必定地,一定地
参考例句:
  • It'should surely be possible for them to reach an agreement.想必他们可以达成协议。
  • Surely we'll profit from your work.我们肯定会从你的工作中得到益处。
20 golden 9fcxo     
adj.金的,含金的,可贵的,金色的,贵重的,繁盛的
参考例句:
  • My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
  • It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚,是恋人们的黄金时光。
21 silent eEVz8     
adj.安静的,不吵闹的,沉默的,无言的;n.(复数)默剧
参考例句:
  • Immediately on his beginning to speak,everyone was silent.他一讲话,大家顿时安静下来。
  • The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder. 孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。
22 helper 6ryzDM     
n.帮助者,帮手,助手
参考例句:
  • The cook is in charge of the kitchen helper.这位厨师负责管理厨工。
  • She was a voluntary helper.她是自愿帮忙的。
23 curly wybxh     
adj.卷曲的,卷缩的
参考例句:
  • The little boy has curly hair.这小男孩长着一头卷发。
  • She is tall and dark with curly hair.她高高的个子,黑皮肤,卷头发。
24 whispered ac3eda029cd72fefda0d32abc42aa001     
adj.耳语的,低语的v.低声说( whisper的过去式和过去分词 );私语;小声说;私下说
参考例句:
  • She sidled up to me and whispered something in my ear. 她悄悄走上前来,对我耳语了几句。
  • His ill luck has been whispered about the neighborhood. 他的不幸遭遇已在邻居中传开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 extremely 2tJzAz     
adv.极其,非常,极度
参考例句:
  • The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了,我非看不可。
  • The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。
26 deeply Ru7zyZ     
adv.深刻地,在深处,深沉地
参考例句:
  • I do feel deeply the strength of the collective.我确实深深地感到了集体的力量。
  • We're deeply honoured that you should agree to join us.您能同意加入我们,我们感到很荣幸。
27 footprints 5fec2467deb3a38a74a5e19ddd4b28d9     
n.(尤指软地上的)脚印( footprint的名词复数 );(地板上的)脚印;(建筑物或设备,尤指计算机)占用的空间;(尤指来自卫星的)广播信号覆盖区
参考例句:
  • footprints in the sand 沙地足迹
  • He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 astonishing Ny2zna     
adj.令人惊讶,惊人的
参考例句:
  • The new houses have been built with astonishing speed.这些房子的修建速度快得惊人。
  • I find it quite astonishing that none of you liked the play.我感到惊讶的是你们谁都不喜欢那个剧。
29 exhausted 7taz4r     
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
参考例句:
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
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