評論
打印
LESSON 1 Scenes in the tropics
第一課 熱帶地區的景象
I．THE FOREST
I.森林
In hot countries the woods are not like our woods.
熱帶地區的森林不像我們這的森林。
They are great dark forests, where the trees grow so closely together, and are so tall, that if you looked up you could hardly see the sky.
它們很隱秘，那里的樹長得很靠近，很高大，如果你抬頭看幾乎看不到天空。
Then there are a great many climbing plants, that twist themselves round and round the trunks and branches of the trees.
有很多攀緣植物，一圈一圈的纏繞著樹干和樹枝。它們被稱為植物電纜，因為看起來很像繩子。
They are called vegetable cables, because they are so much like ropes. They reach from one tree to another, and almost fill up the spaces between.
它們從一顆樹上纏繞到另一棵樹上，幾乎把兩棵樹間的空隙占滿了。
Thewhite man has to carve out his way with his hatchet, or else burn a passage for himself through the dense mass.
這些白人不得不用短斧開創出一條路，或者用火在這些密集的雜草中燒出一條通道。
Dangers of every kind lurk in the forest. The quick subtle Indian dare not venture there without his poisoned arrows, nor the white man without the thunder and lightning of his gun.
森林中潛伏著種種危險。身手敏捷的印第安人沒帶毒箭就不敢去那里冒險，白人沒帶電閃雷鳴的槍支也不敢去那里。
The venomous snake may lie coiled among the bushes, or traces of the savage jaguar may be seen upon the path.
毒蛇可能會蜷縮在灌木叢中，小路上可能會看到兇猛的美洲豹的蹤跡。
Birds, beasts, and insects live there, for the most part, undisturbed.
鳥、野獸、昆蟲都居住在那兒，它們中的大多數從未被打擾。
It is their home; and on every side they are at work, hunting their prey, or escaping from danger.
那里是它們的家，它們總是在勞作、捕食，或者逃離危險。
For though man seldom wages war upon them, these wild creatures of the forest are engaged in constant warfare with each other;
盡管人類很少主動向它們發起戰爭，這些森林中的生物互相之間會不斷地戰斗，
and the weak are always using some contrivance to protect themselves from the strong.
弱的一方總是使用一些小工具來保護自己。
There are a great many curious things to be seen in these South American forests.
在南美的森林里有很多奇怪的事情。
