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LESSON 21
第21課
West Indies
西印度群島
adorn
裝飾
approach
靠近
motion
運動
attached
附加
sugar plum
小糖果
cotton
棉花
instinct
本能
object
對象
defending
捍衛(wèi)
necessary
必要的
rapid
速度
brilliant
才華橫溢的
fibers
纖維
severely
嚴重地
HUMMING BIRDS
蜂 鳥
The most beautiful humming birds are found in the West Indies and South America.
世界上最美麗的蜂鳥僅僅在西印度群島和南美洲發(fā)現(xiàn)過。
The crest of the tiny head of one of these shines like a sparkling crown of colored light.
其中一只小鳥很特別，它的小腦袋上有一個閃爍著耀眼光芒的頂冠，就像色彩斑斕的璀璨皇冠一樣。
The shades of color that adorn its breast, are equally brilliant.
頂冠也同樣照亮了它的胸脯，如同點綴的光影一樣。
As the bird flits from one object to another, it looks more like a bright flash of sunlight than it does like a living being.
當(dāng)小鳥從一個地方飛到另一個地方，它看起來就像一道亮閃閃的光，而不是一個活生生的小生命。
But, you ask, why are they called humming birds?
然而，您可能會問，它們?yōu)楹伪环Q為蜂鳥呢？
It is because they make a soft, hum-ming noise by the rapid motion of their wings
正是因為它們在飛翔時急速扇動翅膀，從而制造出嗡嗡的蜂鳴聲，才由此而得名。
—a motion so rapid, that as they fly you can onlysee that they have wings.
蜂鳥顫動翅膀的速度極其快，以至于人們只能看到空中翱翔而過的翅膀，反而看不到它的身體。
One day when walking in the woods, I found the nest of one of the smallest humming birds.
有一天，當(dāng)我在林中漫步時，發(fā)現(xiàn)了一只小蜂鳥的鳥巢。
It was about half the size of a very small hen's egg, and was attached to a twig no thicker than a steel knitting needle.
這個小巢穴大概只有半個雞蛋大，附著在一根還不如鋼針粗的小樹枝上。
It seemed to have been made of cotton fibers, and was covered with the softest bits of leaf and bark.
它看上去就像是用棉線編織成的，上面覆蓋著柔軟的葉子和樹皮。
It had two eggsin it, quite white, and each about as large as a small sugarplum.
里面有兩只小卵，純白色的，每個卵都像一粒小糖果似的。
When you approach the spot where one of these birds has built its nest, it is necessary to be careful.
當(dāng)你靠近這類鳥巢時，一定要非常小心。
The mother bird will dart at you and try to peck your eyes.
鳥媽媽會向你撲來，試圖啄食你的眼睛。
Its sharp beak may hurt your eyes most severely, and even destroy the sight.
它那尖尖的鳥嘴或許會重傷您的眼睛，甚至可能會讓您失明。
The poor little thing knows no other way of defending its young, and instinct teaches it that you might carry off its nest if you could find it.
這個可憐的小東西并不知道除此之外還有什么可以保護幼子的方法，它只會本能地認為，如果您能找到鳥巢，就會奪走它。
