第四十六课 狮子
The lion is called the "king of beasts." He is fierce and bold, very noble-looking, and of great strength.
狮子号称“百兽之王”,因为狮子凶猛英勇,长相威武,力量强大。
The home of the largest lions is far away in the wild mountains and great plains of Africa.
最大的狮子生活在非洲的大山里和大草原上。
The lion lives also in Asia; but there he is not so large and strong as the lion of Africa.
亚洲也有狮子;但是亚洲狮子比不上非洲狮子的体型和力量。
He is seldom seen abroad during the day; but when the sun is going down, the lion leaves his den and goes forth to hunt. He steals along softly, and makes no sound as he treads.
狮子白天很少外出,但一到太阳下山,它们就会出动去捕猎。它们悄无声息地跟随猎物,在准备攻击时也不会发出声音。
When all is still, his terrible voice is heard. In the silence of the night it sounds like thunder.
当捕猎结束,狮子就会发出让人战栗的叫声。在寂静的夜晚,狮子的吼叫声极似惊雷。
If he is near a village, the dogs bark, and the horses, oxen, and camels rush about in terror; for they know the voice of the lion. The men light fires all around, and toss about flaming torches, to scare him away.
如果周围有村落,村里的狗也会不安的狂吠,马,牛和骆驼都会受到惊吓,因为这些动物都能认出狮子的叫声。村民们会在四周点起火把,挥动火把将狮子赶走。
But he minds them very little. He goes on to the place where the cattle are kept, and in a few minutes a horse or a cow falls beneath his terrible paw. In this way the natives of the north of Africa often lose a great part of their flocks and herds.
但是狮子啊并不害怕,它会继续往牛圈去,仅仅几分钟就会有马或牛惨死于它的爪下。这使北非的村民经常损失大量的家禽牲畜。
Although the lion seldom leaves his den before evening, yet, when he is hungry, he may even in the day-time be found roaming over the plains.
虽然狮子在夜幕降临前很少离窝,但如果它饿了,那么即使在白天也能看到它在草原上晃荡。
There, large herds of wild asses and antelopes go trooping along.
那里会有大量成群结队的野马河羚羊。
They scent the lion at a great distance; and when they hear his voice, they scour away over the desert like the wind.
它们很远就能嗅到狮子的气味;一旦它们听到叫声,就会在荒漠四散奔逃。
In their terror, some of them come near the place where the lion lies hid. Then he couches, his eye glares, and with one bound he springs on his prey.
有些猎物会靠近狮子的住处,随后狮子会躺下,眼盯着猎物,跳起发动攻击。
The lion has a long, shaggy mane, and his skin is of a dull yellow colour.
狮子有长长地蓬松的鬃毛,肤色暗黄。
LION
雄狮
LIONESS
雌狮
The lioness is much smaller than the lion, and she has no mane.
雌狮比雄狮小许多,并且身上没有鬃毛。
She makes her home in the deepest part of the forest, and there she lives with her young ones. Woe to him, whether man or beast, that comes near the lioness in her den!
雌狮在森林最深处安家,和小狮子们住在一起。接近雌狮住处的不管是人类还是野兽都不会有好下场。
What is the lion called? For what is he remarkable? Where is the home of the largest lions? Where else is the lion found? When does he go forth to hunt? How are the other animals then alarmed? How do men try to scare him away? Where do flocks and herds suffer greatly from his attacks? What sometimes makes him come out in the day-time? What animals does he then prey upon? How does he catch them? In what does the lioness differ from the lion?
狮子被称为什么?狮子以什么著称?最大的狮子分布在哪?其它哪些地区还有狮子?狮子什么时候外出捕猎?其它东如何堤防狮子的攻击?人类如何吓走狮子?哪个地区受到狮子的攻击而家禽牲畜损失惨重?在什么情况下狮子会在白天出来捕猎?捕哪些猎物?狮子如何捕住这些猎物?雌狮和雄狮有什么不同?