🔊 Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.

当我六岁的时候,我在一本名为自然界的真实故事的书中看到一幅壮丽的图画,描绘的是原始森林。那是一幅蟒蛇正在吞食动物的图画。这是那幅画的副本。

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magnificent /mæɡˈnɪfɪs(ə)nt/

adj. 壮丽的,宏伟的,极好的

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primeval /praɪˈmiːv(ə)l/

adj. 原始的,远古的

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boa constrictor /ˈbəʊə kənˈstrɪktə(r)/

n. 蟒蛇（一种大蛇）

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swallowing /ˈswɒləʊɪŋ/

v. 吞咽,吞下（现在分词形式）

🔊 In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion."

书中说:"蟒蛇会整个吞下猎物,不加咀嚼。之后它们无法动弹,需要睡眠六个月来消化。"

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prey /preɪ/

n. 猎物,捕食对象

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digestion /daɪˈdʒestʃən/

n. 消化,消化过程

🔊 I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My Drawing Number One. It looked something like this:

于是,我深深地思考了丛林中的冒险。经过一番用彩色铅笔的努力,我成功画出了我的第一幅画。我的第一号画作。它看起来像这样:

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pondered /ˈpɒndəd/

v. 沉思,仔细考虑（过去式）

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adventures /ədˈventʃəz/

n. 冒险,奇遇（复数形式）

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jungle /ˈdʒʌŋɡ(ə)l/

n. 丛林,热带雨林

🔊 I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened them. But they answered: "Frighten? Why should any one be frightened by a hat?"

我把我的杰作展示给大人们看,问他们这幅画是否吓到了他们。但他们回答:"吓到？为什么会有人被一顶帽子吓到？"

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masterpiece /ˈmɑːstəpiːs/

n. 杰作,代表作

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grown-ups /ˈɡrəʊn ʌps/

n. 成年人（复数形式）

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frightened /ˈfraɪt(ə)nd/

adj. 受惊吓的,害怕的

🔊 My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of a boa constrictor, so that the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this:

我的画不是一顶帽子的图画。那是一幅蟒蛇正在消化大象的图画。但既然大人们无法理解,我又画了一幅:我画了蟒蛇的内部,以便大人们能清楚看到。他们总是需要别人解释事情。我的第二号画作看起来像这样:

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digesting /daɪˈdʒestɪŋ/

v. 消化,理解（现在分词形式）

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elephant /ˈelɪfənt/

n. 大象

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inside /ˌɪnˈsaɪd/

n. 内部,里面

🔊 The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside, and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar. That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

大人们这次的反应是建议我放下画蟒蛇的画,无论是内部还是外部,转而专心学习地理、历史、算术和语法。这就是为什么,在六岁时,我放弃了可能成为一位杰出画家的生涯。我被我的第一号画作和第二号画作的失败所打击。大人们从不自己理解任何事,对孩子们来说,总是向他们解释事情是令人厌烦的。

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response /rɪˈspɒns/

n. 回答,反应

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advise /ədˈvaɪz/

v. 建议,劝告

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lay aside /leɪ əˈsaɪd/

phr.v. 把...放在一边,搁置

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devote /dɪˈvəʊt/

v. 奉献,致力于

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arithmetic /əˈrɪθmətɪk/

n. 算术,计算

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disheartened /dɪsˈhɑːt(ə)nd/

adj. 灰心的,沮丧的

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tiresome /ˈtaɪəsəm/

adj. 令人厌倦的,烦人的

🔊 So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes. I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me. At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona. If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.

于是我选择了另一个职业,学会了驾驶飞机。我飞遍了世界各地；地理确实对我很有用。一眼我就能区分中国和亚利桑那州。如果在夜晚迷路,这种知识很有价值。

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pilot /ˈpaɪlət/

v. 驾驶（飞机等）,引导

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distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/

v. 区分,辨别

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at a glance /æt ə ɡlɑːns/

adv. phr. 看一眼就,立刻

🔊 In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.

在我的一生中,我遇到了很多关心重要事务的人。我在大人们中间生活了很久。我亲密地、近距离地观察过他们。这并没有多少改善我对他们的看法。

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encounters /ɪnˈkaʊntəz/

n. 遭遇,相遇（复数形式）

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concerned /kənˈsɜːnd/

adj. 关心的,担忧的；相关的,涉及的

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consequence /ˈkɒnsɪkwəns/

n. 后果,结果；重要性

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intimately /ˈɪntɪmətli/

adv. 亲密地,密切地；详细地

🔊 Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:

每当我遇到一个在我看来眼光清晰的人,我就会试验性地给他看我一直保留的第一号画作。我想试试看,这个人是否真的有理解力。但无论谁,他或她总是会说:

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clear-sighted /ˌklɪə ˈsaɪtɪd/

adj. 目光敏锐的,有洞察力的

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experiment /ɪkˈsperɪmənt/

n. 实验,试验

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understanding /ˌʌndəˈstændɪŋ/

n. 理解,谅解

🔊 "That is a hat."

"那是一顶帽子。"

🔊 Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

然后我就永远不会和那个人谈论蟒蛇、原始森林或星星。我会降低自己到他的水平。我会和他谈论桥牌、高尔夫、政治和领带。而大人会很高兴遇到这样一个通情达理的人。

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sensible /ˈsensəb(ə)l/

adj. 明智的,合理的；实用的

Chapter I (第一章)