LESSON 15 The cat and the canary
第十五课 猫和金丝雀
Here is a cat with a poor little bird in its mouth. Perhaps you think it is
一只小猫嘴里叼着一只可怜的小鸟。或许你会觉得这是一只麻雀,
a sparrow, that had flown down on the road to pick up a few crumbs, and was seized by this cruel cat.
飞到路边捡些面包屑吃,然后被这只凶猛的猫抓了。
You are wrong. This cat is the little bird's friend; and the bird is not a sparrow at all, but a pretty canary.
你错了,这只猫是这只鸟的朋友,这只鸟并不是一只麻雀,而是一只漂亮的金丝雀。
Come and I shall tell you the story of this picture.
过来我将会告诉你这张图画的故事。
A lady had a canary, so tame that it would fly about her room,
一位女士养了一只金丝雀,因为被驯服所有会在房间里面飞,
perch on her chair, hop on her finger, and eat crumbs out of her hand.
停在椅子上栖息,跳来跳去,吃它手上的面包屑。
The lady had also a cat, which often came into the room where the bird's cage hung.
这位女士还有一只猫,经常进入悬挂这只鸟笼子的房间。
But the bird was in no danger from it. The cat had been taught,
但是鸟儿却没有危险。这只猫已经被教成了一只Hellokitty,
when quite a little kitten, to be kind to the bird; and the two were very good friends.
对鸟儿很和善,他们两个是好朋友。
One day the lady went into the kitchen. Her bird was on her shoulder, and the cat came running after her.
一天这位女士进了厨房,这只鸟在她肩膀上,猫跟在她身后。
The canary flew down from the lady's shoulder, to pick up a crumb from the floor.
这只金丝雀从她肩膀上飞到地板上捡面包屑吃。
What was the lady's surprise, when in a moment the cat seized the bird in its mouth, and jumped upon the kitchen table with it!
令女士惊喜的是,这只猫把鸟叼在了嘴里,跳到了厨房饭桌上。
The lady was in terror at first, for the safety of her bird; but she soon saw the cause of the strange conduct of her cat.
起初女士很担心鸟儿的安全,但是不久她就知道了猫奇怪举动的原因。
Another cat was at the kitchen door, and her own cat had seized the bird to save it from danger!
厨房门边有另外一只猫,她的猫就把鸟儿抓起来脱离危险。
No sooner was the stranger driven out of the house, than the lady's cat let the canary go; and away it flew to its mistress quite unhurt.
很快危险救不存在了,女士的猫就把金丝雀放走了。它安全无事的飞向了女主人那里。
问题
What kind of bird is that in the cat's mouth? Does it mean to hurt it?
猫嘴中的鸟是什么鸟?猫是要伤害它吗?
Why has it carried it off? What cat is that at the door?
猫为什么要抓它?门边的猫干什么的?
When did the cat let the bird go again? When had the cat been taught to be kind to the canary?
什么时候这只猫放走了这只鸟儿?这只猫什么时候被教要友好对待这只金丝雀?