英语听力小短文走遍全世界53: 瓦尔登湖

英语听力原文：

At the approach of spring the red squirrels got under my house, two at a time, directly under my feet as I sat reading or writing, and kept up the queerest chuckling and chirruping and vocal pirouetting and gurgling sounds that ever were heard; and when I stamped they only chirruped the louder, as if past all fear and respect in their mad pranks, defying humanity to stop them. No, you don't - chickaree - chickaree. They were wholly deaf to my arguments, or failed to perceive their force, and fell into a strain of invective that was irresistible.

春天临近时，赤松鼠来到了我的屋子底下，成双成对，正当我静坐阅读或写作的时候，它们就在我脚下，不断地发出最奇怪的叽叽咕咕的叫声，不断地长嘶短鸣，要是我蹬了几脚，叫声就更加高，好像它们的疯狂的恶作剧已经超过了畏惧的境界，无视于人类的禁令了。你别——叽叽咕咕地叫。对于我的驳斥，它们听也不听，它们不觉得我气势汹汹，反而破口大骂，弄得我毫无办法。

The first sparrow of spring! The year beginning with younger hope than ever! The faint silvery warblings heard over the partially bare and moist fields from the bluebird, the song sparrow, and the red-wing, as if the last flakes of winter tinkled as they fell! What at such a time are histories, chronologies, traditions, and all written revelations? The brooks sing carols and glees to the spring. The marsh hawk, sailing low over the meadow, is already seeking the first slimy life and awakes.

春天的第一只麻雀!这一年又在从来没有这样年轻的希望之中开始了!最初听到很微弱的银色的啁啾之声传过了一部分还光秃秃的、湿润的田野，那是发自青岛、离雀和红翼鸫的，仿佛冬天的最后的雪花在叮当地飘落!在这样的一个时候，历史、编年纪、传说，一切启示的文字又算得了什么?小溪向春天唱赞美诗和四部曲。沼泽上的鹰隼低低地飞翔在草地上，已经在寻觅那初醒的脆弱的生物了。

The sinking sound of melting snow is heard in all dells, and the ice dissolves apace in the ponds. The grass flames up on the hillsides like a spring fire - "et primitus oritur herba imbribus primoribus evocate" - as if the earth sent forth an inward heat to greet the returing sun; not yellow but green is the color of its flame; - the symbol of perpetual youth, the grass-blade, like a long green ribbon, streams from the sod into the summer, checked indeed by the frost, but anon pushing on again, lifting its spear of last year's hay with the fresh life below. It grows as steadily as the rill oozes out of the ground. It is almost identical with that, for in the growing days of June, when the rills are dry, the grass-blades are their channels, and from year to year the herds drink at this pernnial green stream, and the mower draws from it betimes their winter supply.

在所有的谷中，听得到融雪的滴答之声，而湖上的冰在迅速地溶化。小草像春火在山腰燃烧起来了，—— "et primitus oritur herba imbribus primoribus evocata" ——好像大地上送上了一个内在的热力来迎接太阳的归来;而火焰的颜色，不是黄的，是绿的，——永远的青春的象征，那草叶，像一根长长的绿色缎带，从草地上流出来流向夏季。是的，它给霜雪阻拦过，可是它不久又在向前推进，举起了去年的干草的长茎，让新的生命从下面升起来。它像小泉源的水从地下淙淙的冒出来一样。它与小溪几乎是一体的，因为在六月那些长日之中，小溪已经干涸了，这些草叶成了它的小道，多少个年代来，牛羊从这永恒的青色的溪流上饮水，到了时候，刈草的人把它们割去供给冬天的需要。

So our human life but dies down to its root, and still puts forth its green blade to eternity.

我们人类的生命即使绝灭，只是绝灭不了根，那根上仍能茁生绿色的草叶，至于永恒。

英语词汇整理：

1. queer adj. 古怪的，奇怪的

eg: What a queer story!

一个多么离奇的故事!

相关短语：

be queer for [美国俚语]对……着了迷的，迷上了……的

on the queer [俚语]形迹可疑;不老实

queer fish 怪人;没人要的鱼

queer theory 酷儿理论

queer bird 古怪的家伙

2. pirouette vi. 用脚尖旋转

eg: The ballet-dancer pirouetted continuously.

芭蕾舞演员连续用脚尖旋转。

3. gurgle vi. 汩汩地流

eg: The water gurgled as it ran down the plug-hole.

水汨汨地从塞孔中流下去。

相关短语：

drink gurgle 喝水

4. defy vt. 藐视，挑衅，反抗

eg: They believe it is essential to defy convention.

他们认为对抗流俗是绝对必要的。

相关短语:

defy someone to do something 激某人做某事

defy sb's will 违反某人的意志

defy one's superior 违抗上司

5. invective n. 恶言谩骂，痛骂

eg: He retorted the invective on her.

他用恶言讽刺还击她。

6. moist adj. 潮湿的，湿润的

eg: The soil is reasonably moist after the September rain.

9月的雨水之后，土壤适度湿润。

相关短语:

moist air 湿空气

moist soil 湿地

moist heat 温湿

moist climate 湿润气候

7. flake n. 薄片，小片

eg: Large flakes of snow began swiftly to fall.

大片大片的雪花开始飞快地落下。

相关短语：

flake off 剥落

flake ice 冰屑;薄片冰

snow flake 雪花;雪片

8. chronology n. 年代学;年表

eg: Now, this chronology doesn't prove that politics drives changes in inequality.

现在这个年表并不能证明政治主导着不平等变化。

同近义词：

fasti n.[图情]年表;年代学

9. brook n. 小河，溪

eg: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.

去融化爱，就像一条正在奔流的小溪哼唱着自己的旋律直到晚上。

P.S.：用作动词时，解释为“容许，容忍”

eg: I will brook no interference.

我决不容许任何干涉行径。

10. carol n. 颂歌，欢乐的歌

eg: The singing of Christmas carols is a custom derived from early dance routines of pagan origin.

唱圣诞歌这一传统源自异教早期的舞蹈仪式。

相关短语：

christmas carol [基督教]圣诞颂歌

11. glee n. 欢喜，高兴

eg: He was a charming mixture of glum and glee.

他是一个很有魅力的人，时而忧伤时而欢笑。

相关短语：

glee club 合唱团

12. marsh n. 沼泽，湿地

eg: He led them away from a marsh.

他把他们带离沼泽。

相关短语：

marsh gas 甲烷，沼气

salt marsh 盐沼;盐碱滩

13. slimy adj. 粘滑的

eg: His feet slipped in the slimy mud.

他因脚下黏糊糊的泥而滑倒了。

相关短语：

slimy milk 粘乳

slimy ground 泥泞地

14. dissolve vt. 使溶解，解散，消除

eg: Heat gently until the sugar dissolves.

微微加热直到糖溶解。

相关短语：

dissolve away 消失;消散

dissolve in 溶入

dissolve in tears (使)痛哭流涕

dissolve into tears 痛哭流涕

dissolve into 溶化成(某物)

15. perpetual adj. 永久的，永恒的

eg: It is the secret of perpetual youth.

它是青春永驻的秘诀。

16. rill n. 小河

eg: Flowed like a rill in the morning beam.

像晨光中的溪流一样流淌。

相关短语：

rill erosion 细沟侵蚀;细流冲蚀

17. perennial adj. 永久的，反复出现的，多年生的

eg: Politics provides a perennial subject for argument.

政治是一种长期争论不休的话题。

相关短语：

perennial plant 多年生植物

perennial grasses 多年生牧草

perennial ryegrass 黑麦草

perennial root 宿根

18. eternity n. 永恒，无穷

eg: I have always found the thought of eternity terrifying.

我总觉得永生的想法很可怕。

相关短语：

launch into eternity 一命归阴

send someone to eternity 使某人死去

through all eternity 永远

佳句采摘：

The brooks sing carols and glees to the spring. The marsh hawk, sailing low over the meadow, is already seeking the first slimy life and awakes. The sinking sound of melting snow is heard in all dells, and the ice dissolves apace in the ponds.

小溪向春天唱赞美诗和四部曲。沼泽上的鹰隼低低地飞翔在草地上，已经在寻觅那初醒的脆弱的生物了。在所有的谷中，听得到融雪的嘀嗒之声，而湖上的冰在迅速地融化。

So our human life but dies down to its root, and still puts forth its green blade to eternity.

我们人类的生命即使绝灭，只是绝灭不了根，那根上仍能茁生绿色的草叶，至于永恒。
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