美国小学英语教材4:第63课 莫尼和他的山羊(6)

 　　Moni reached her side and stood listening also. Suddenly he heard a faint bleat¹. 莫尼来到她的身边，也站在那里听。他突然听到了一阵微弱的咩咩声。

　　It was Meggie's voice coming up from below, a pitiful and frightened call for help. 这是从下面传来的梅吉的声音，是可怜而害怕的呼救声。

　　Moni lay down on the ground and leaned over the edge. 莫尼趴到地上，从峭壁的边缘探头往下看。

　　Far below there was something moving, 在下面很深的地方，有东西在动，

　　and he saw that it was Meggie hanging over the bough² of a tree that grew out from the cliff. 他看到是梅吉挂在从悬崖长出的一棵大树的树枝上。

　　"Oh, she must have fallen down!" cried Moni. “诶呀，她一定是摔下去的！”莫尼叫道。

　　Fortunately the branch had caught the little goat, or she would have fallen many feet below. 幸运的是，树枝接住了小山羊，否则她一定会掉到下面的深渊去的。

　　But even now if she could not keep her place, she would fall and be dashed to pieces. 但即使是现在这样，如果她不能在那里坚持住的话，就会掉下去摔得粉碎。

　　In the most anxious tone, Moni called down, 莫尼非常着急地向下喊道：

　　"Hold on, Meggie; hold fast to the branch. See, I am coming to get you." “抓住啊，梅吉，牢牢地抓住那根树枝。瞧，我来救你了。”

　　But how could he save the kid that was bleating³ so piteously below? 但是莫尼怎么去救那只在下面可怜巴巴，咩咩叫着的小山羊呢？

　　The mountain wall was so steep that he could not climb down it. Moni thought hard. 山壁是那么的陡峭，他爬不下去。莫尼努力地思索着。

　　The little goat must be about on a level with the Rain Cliff, 小山羊肯定跟雷音悬崖差不多在一个高度上，

　　an overhanging rock under which the goat boys gathered for shelter when a mountain storm arose. 那是一块悬垂的岩石，山上暴风雨来临时，牧羊男孩们就在它下面避雨。

　　From that spot Moni thought he could climb upward to the tree on which Meggie was hanging. 莫尼认为，从那个地方，他能爬到挂住梅吉的大树上。

　　Quickly the boy whistled his herd⁴ together and led them to a level spot near the Rain Cliff. 莫尼迅速吹响了口哨，把羊群集合起来，带着它们前往雷音悬崖附近的一片平地走去。

　　There he left them to graze and went on by himself to the Cliff. 他留下它们吃草，自己继续往悬崖走去。

1 bleat   

v.咩咩叫，(讲)废话，哭诉；n.咩咩叫，废话，哭诉

参考例句：

• He heard the bleat of a lamb.他听到小羊的叫声。
• They bleat about how miserable they are.他们诉说他们的生活是多么悲惨。

2 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。

3 bleating   

v.（羊，小牛）叫( bleat的现在分词 )；哭诉；发出羊叫似的声音；轻声诉说

参考例句：

• I don't like people who go around bleating out things like that. 我不喜欢跑来跑去讲那种蠢话的人。 来自辞典例句
• He heard the tinny phonograph bleating as he walked in. 他步入室内时听到那架蹩脚的留声机在呜咽。 来自辞典例句

4 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。