第56课

旁白 neutral

The river which forms the eastern boundary of our farm has always played an important part in our lives.

构成了我们农场东部边界的河流，在我们的生活中一直扮演着重要的角色。

旁白 neutral

Without it we could not make a living.

没有它，我们就无法谋生。

旁白 neutral

There is only enough spring water to supply the needs of the house so we have to pump from the river for farm use.

泉水仅够供应房屋使用，所以农场用水必须从河里抽。

旁白 neutral

We tell the river all our secrets.

我们向河流倾诉我们所有的秘密。

旁白 neutral

We know instinctively, just as beekeepers with their bees,

我们本能地知道，就像养蜂人对他们的蜜蜂一样，

旁白 neutral

that misfortune might overtake us if the important events of our lives were not related to it.

如果我们生活中的重要事件不与河流相关，不幸可能会降临到我们身上。

旁白 neutral

We have special river birthday parties in the summer.

夏天我们会在河边举行特别的生日派对。

旁白 neutral

Sometimes we go upstream to a favourite backwater,

有时我们逆流而上到我们最喜欢的一个回水湾，

旁白 neutral

sometimes we have our party at the boathouse,

有时我们会在船屋举行派对，

旁白 neutral

which a predecessor of ours at the farm built in the meadow hard by the deepest pool for swimming and diving.

那是我们在农场的前任在草地边上，紧邻最深的游泳和跳水池建造的。

旁白 neutral

In a heat wave we choose a midnight birthday party and that is the most exciting of all.

在热浪来袭时，我们选择举行午夜生日派对，那是所有派对中最令人兴奋的。

旁白 neutral

We welcome the seasons by the riverside, crowning the youngest girl with flowers in the spring,

我们在河边迎接季节，春天给最小的女孩戴上花冠，

旁白 neutral

holding a summer festival on Midsummer Eve, giving thanks for the harvest in the autumn, and throwing a holly wreath into the current in the winter.

在仲夏夜举行夏季节庆，秋天感谢丰收，冬天则将冬青花环抛入水流中。

旁白 neutral

After a long period of rain the river may overflow its banks.

经过长时间的降雨，河流可能会泛滥。

旁白 neutral

This is a rare occurrence as our climate seldom goes to extremes.

这很少发生，因为我们这里的气候很少出现极端情况。

旁白 neutral

We are lucky in that only the lower fields,

我们很幸运，只有较低的田地，

旁白 neutral

which make up a very small proportion of our farm, are affected by flooding,

这只占我们农场很小的一部分，会受到洪水的影响，

旁白 neutral

but other farms are less favourably sited, and flooding can sometimes spell disaster for their owners.

但其他农场的位置不太好，洪水有时会给他们的主人带来灾难。

旁白 neutral

One bad winter we watched the river creep up the lower meadows.

一个糟糕的冬天，我们看着河水悄悄漫上了低洼的草地。

旁白 neutral

All the cattle had been moved into stalls and we stood to lose little.

所有的牛都已移入畜栏，我们几乎没什么损失。

旁白 neutral

We were, however, worried about our nearest neighbours, whose farm was low lying and who were newcomers to the district.

然而，我们担心我们最近的邻居，他们的农场地势低洼，而且他们是这个地区的新来者。

旁白 neutral

As the floods had put the telephone out of order, we could not find out how they were managing.

由于洪水导致电话失灵，我们无法了解他们的情况。

旁白 neutral

From an attic window we could get a sweeping view of the river where their land joined ours,

从阁楼窗户，我们可以俯瞰河流，看到他们的土地与我们农场相接之处，

旁白 neutral

and at the most critical juncture we took turns in watching that point.

在最关键的时刻，我们轮流守望那个地方。

旁白 neutral

The first sign of disaster was a dead sheep floating down.

灾难的第一个迹象是一只死羊顺流而下。

旁白 neutral

Next came a horse, swimming bravely,

接着来了一匹马，勇敢地游着，

旁白 neutral

but we were afraid that the strength of the current would prevent its landing anywhere before it became exhausted.

但我们担心水流太急，它在筋疲力尽之前无法靠岸。

旁白 neutral

Suddenly a raft appeared, looking rather like Noah's ark, carrying the whole family, a few hens, the dogs, a cat, and a bird in a cage.

突然，一个木筏出现了，看起来很像诺亚方舟，上面载着全家人、几只母鸡、狗、猫和一只笼子里的鸟。

旁白 neutral

We realized that they must have become unduly frightened by the rising flood,

我们意识到他们一定是过度被上涨的洪水吓到了，

旁白 neutral

for their house, which had sound foundations, would have stood stoutly even if it had been almost submerged.

因为他们的房子地基牢固，即使几乎被淹没，也能坚固地屹立不倒。

旁白 neutral

The men of our family waded down through our flooded meadows with boat hooks,

我们家的男人们带着船钩，趟过被淹没的草地，

旁白 neutral

in the hope of being able to grapple a corner of the raft and pull it out of the current towrds our bank.

希望能钩住木筏的一角，把它从水流中拉到我们这边的岸边。

旁白 neutral

We still think it a miracle that they were able to do so.

我们仍然认为他们能做到这一点是个奇迹。