第二十三课 小棕熊
The Brown Bear lives in the woods.
小棕熊生活在树林之中。
He is a good climber, and likes to make his home in a hollow tree.
他尤擅攀爬,并喜爱在空心树上建屋造舍。
He is very fond of wild fruits of which he finds plenty in the forest.
他非常喜欢吃那些在林子里生长的野生果子。
He is also fond of honey and robs the hives of the wild bees.
除此之外,蜂蜜也是他的最爱,为此他经常会掏野生蜜蜂的蜂窝。
The wild bees make their hives in hollow trees and the brown bear finds them out by the smell of the honey.
野生蜜蜂将他们的蜂巢建在空心树上,而棕熊正是通过蜂蜜散发的味道发现它们的巢穴的。
When he finds a hive, he climbs the tree and for hours and hours he gnaws the bark and the wood till he makes a hole large enough to let his paw in.
每当发现一个蜂巢,棕熊就会爬上树,接下来的几个小时他开始啃咬树皮,直到洞口足以容纳他的爪子。
Then in spite of the stings of the bees, he thrusts in his paw, and scoops out lumps of the comb with the honey in it. Nor does he stop till he has robbed the poor bees of all their store.
之后,在蜜蜂的群起攻击中,他将他的爪子伸进洞口并将蜂蜜掏出来,直到他将可怜的蜜蜂的巢穴洗劫一空。
When winter comes, the bear creeps into a hole or cave under the thick trees.
当冬天来临的时候,棕熊会选一棵茂密的大树并爬进树孔或洞穴中以树叶和树枝为床;
There he makes for himself a bed of leaves and twigs and when the snow comes it covers him and he lies snugly hid beneath it.
当大雪袭来时,他便可以安然地躲在下面。
He closes his eyes, and sleeps during the rest of the winter.
就这样,他闭上眼睛开始冬眠。
In spring he wakens up again and begins once more to roam about the woods.
春天来临时,他苏醒过来并开始又一次的森林流浪之旅。
Men go to the forest to hunt the bear.
此时的人类开始到森林去猎杀棕熊。
They wish to get his skin to make coats and blankets and muffs.
他们想用棕熊的皮毛做大衣、毯子还有耳罩。
They also eat his flesh and make oil from his fat.
他们也想吃他的肉,并从棕熊的脂肪中提炼出油供人类使用。