英国学生科学读本 Lesson 82 花园中的蜗牛(1)
第82课 花园中的蜗牛
The "winkle" which you pick out of its shell with a pin and eat is a sea-snail. But we have now to talk about the common land-snail, which creeps about our gardens. It has a "house on its back, " in the shape of a spiral or coiled shell, which is all in one piece, and has a smooth edge. Have you noticed how the shell is marked with pretty bright bands of colour? The shell protects the soft body of the snail, and provides a shelter into which it can retreat in time of danger, and in which it sleeps.
当你拿着大头针, 将“滨螺”从外壳中挑出吃下的时候, 你知道吗, 这是一种海蜗牛。不过我们现在要讨论的却是在我们的花园中爬来爬去的普通蜗牛。它总是“背着自己的房子”, 这座一体式的小房子是一个螺旋或者卷曲的外壳, 边缘很光滑。你有没有注意过, 它的外壳上带有非常明亮的颜色条纹? 这个外壳能够保护蜗牛柔弱的身体, 在危险时作为避风港, 在休息时作为它温暖的家。
The snail has a heart, a stomach, a lung, and many nerves inside its soft body. It creeps along by means of the lower portion of its body, a long, fleshy part called the "foot. " Have you ever seen the snail's eyes? They are placed at the ends of the two long feelers or "horns" which stick out from the creature's head. When a horn is extended, the eye is seen at its point; when it is withdrawn, the eye disappears within it. Under these horns are two much shorter feelers. Below these again is the mouth.
蜗牛柔弱的身体中长有心脏、胃、肺以及许多神经。它通过身体下半部分一个长长的肉“足”进行蠕动。你见到过蜗牛的眼睛吗? 它们位于头部上方两根长长的触角顶端。当蜗牛伸出触角的时候, 最上方的圆点就是它的眼睛;当触角缩回时, 眼睛也消失不见了。这些触角下方还有两根触角, 只是短得多, 在下方就是蜗牛的嘴巴。
The snail has a long tongue like a ribbon, which is covered with tiny teeth. It also has a sort of horny upper jaw. With its teeth and its upper jaw the snail cuts off bits of the young plants for food. On this account gardeners do not like the snail.
蜗牛长有一条缎带般的长舌, 上面布满了细小的牙齿。它还有一个类似角质的上颚。凭借这样的牙齿与上颚, 蜗牛能够撕咬植物幼苗作为食物。因为这个原因, 园丁对蜗牛没有好感。
The snail lays its eggs in damp places in the ground;they look like tiny beads of jelly. When the little snails come out of these eggs, each one has its own little shell. As they grow larger, more of the hard shell forms round the edge; and so the snail and its shell grow together, until the animal has reached its full size.
蜗牛在地下的潮湿处产卵, 这些卵看起来就像是很小的果冻微粒。当小蜗牛孵化出来以后, 它们都背着自己的壳子。随着它们不断长大, 外壳边缘逐渐形成更多坚硬的外壳;于是, 蜗牛与自己的外壳一起发育, 直到完全成熟为止。
英语美文
