評論
打印
LESSON 44 The brave little hollander
第四十四課 勇敢的荷蘭小孩
In some parts of Holland the land lies so low, that the people have to build great walls of sand and earth, to keep out the sea. These walls are called dykes.
荷蘭的某些地區海拔很低，所以當地居民必須筑高大的沙土墻來抵擋海浪。這些墻就叫做水利堤防。
Sometimes the waves break down these walls, and then the sea rushes in through the breach, and spreads over the land.
有時候海浪會把墻催倒，然后海水肆虐，淹沒土地。
Houses and trees, cattle and sheep, have thus been washed away, and many people drowned.
房屋樹木，牛群羊群都被沖走，很多居民溺亡。
Once, when a little boy was going home in the evening, he saw a hole in one of the dykes, through which the water was trickling.
有一次，一個小男孩在晚上回家時看見了防浪堤上的一個洞，海水正順著洞流入。
His father had often told him that when this happened, unless the water was stopped it would soon make the hole so big that the sea would flow over the land.
他的父親曾告訴他，如果遇到這種情況，除非水不再流入，否則這個小洞會越來越大，直到海水淹沒土地。
At first, he thought he would run home and tell his father. But then he said to himself, "It may be dark before father can come, and we shall not be able to find the hole again. Or it may get so large that it will be too late to stop it. I must stay now, and do the best I can alone."
他的第一反應就是想跑回家告訴父親。但是他隨后自言自語道：“等把爸爸找來天已經黑了，到時候就找不到洞口了。又或者到時候這個洞已經來不及堵上了。我要留下來，盡力堵住這個洞。”
The brave little boy sat down, and put his hand in the hole, to keep back the water. There he stayed, hour after hour, in the cold and the dark, all through the night!
這個勇敢的小男孩坐下來，用手堵住洞口，不讓水流入。一個又一個小時過去了，他在那度過了一整個寒冷的黑夜。
In the morning, a man came past and saw him. He could not think what the boy was doing there. So he called out to him,—
早晨有個人經過，發現了他。這個人不明白小男孩在干嘛。所以他向小男孩喊道，——
"What are you doing there, my boy?"
“孩子，你在那里做什么？”
"There is a hole in the dyke," said the boy, "and I am keeping back the water."
“堤上有個洞，”小男孩答道，“我正用手堵住呢。”
Poor little boy! he was so cold and tired that he could scarcely speak.
可憐的小男孩！又冷又累的他幾乎說不出話來了。
The man came quickly and set him free. He got the hole closed up, and thus the land was saved,—thanks to the brave little Hollander!
很快，這個人走了過來，讓小男孩離開。他堵上了洞口，挽救了這片土地——多虧了這個勇敢的小男孩！
QUESTIONS
問題
What are dykes? What happens when they are broken down? What did a little boy once notice on his way home? What had his father told him? What did he at first think of doing? Why did he not do this? What did he do? How long did he remain there? Who found him there in the morning? In what state was he? What had the brave little Hollander done?
防浪堤是什么？堤倒了之后會怎樣？在一次回家的路上小男孩發現了什么？他的父親是怎么告誡他的？他的第一反應是什么？他為什么沒有按照第一反應去做？他是怎么做的？他在那待了多久？早上是誰發現了他？他是哪個國家的人？這個勇敢的荷蘭小男孩做了什么？
