072 父亲节

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Ian stood at the window

伊恩站在窗边。

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Right outside a noisy robin fluttered about, but Ian scarcely noticed it

窗外有只喧闹的知更鸟飞来飞去，但伊恩几乎没有注意到。

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His eyes were focused instead on the backyard garden

他的目光反而紧盯着后院的菜园。

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Normally by Father's Day, strawberries that Dad had planted were ripening

and green beans were coiling up their poles.

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But this year the garden was just an ugly patch of dirt and weeds

但今年菜园只是一块难看的泥地，杂草丛生。

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Ian and Mom hadn't planted a thing

伊恩和妈妈什么也没种。

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Ian closed his eyes, remembering last year's Father's Day celebration

伊恩闭上眼睛，回忆着去年的父亲节庆祝活动。

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They'd gone to a baseball game, and later Dad had grilled hamburgers

他们去看了一场棒球赛，之后爸爸还烤了汉堡。

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" Today is definitely going to be different," Ian thought glumly

“今天肯定会大不一样。”伊恩闷闷不乐地想。

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It was the first Father's Day since Dad had died. And —

这是爸爸去世后的第一个父亲节。而且——

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" Ian! Breakfast!" Mom called

“伊恩！吃早饭啦！”妈妈喊道。

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Downstairs, Ian poured syrup on his pancakes

楼下，伊恩正往煎饼上倒糖浆。

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" Are we doing anything today?" he asked blankly

“我们今天有什么安排吗？”他茫然地问。

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Mom looked up from her plate, quickly brushing away a few tears

妈妈从盘子上抬起头，飞快地擦掉几滴眼泪。

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" Yes," she said briskly

“有，”她轻快地说。

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" We're going to Meadow Bird Sanctuary

“我们去草地鸟类保护区。

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It's a beautiful day, and there's a nice trail around the pond

今天天气很好，池塘边有条漂亮的小路。

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We'll see lots of birds." She paused

会看到好多鸟。”她顿了顿。

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" Dad loved watching birds."

“爸爸以前很喜欢观鸟。”

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Ian sighed." I remember."

伊恩叹了口气。“我记得。”

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" What's a sanctuary anyway?"

“保护区到底是什么？”伊恩问。

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Ian asked as Mom parked in a gravel lot

妈妈把车停在一片碎石停车场时，伊恩问道。

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" I guess you could call it a place of refuge," Mom said

妈妈说：“我想你可以管它叫避难所吧。”

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" It's land preserved for plants and wildlife, to keep them safe

and help them thrive."

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Ian saw some dense woods with trails forking off in different directions

伊恩看到一片茂密的树林，小径分岔通向不同的方向。

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A few people stood near a Welcome sign — a mother and a little girl

and an older man with binoculars.

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" Looks like a tour's about to start," Mom said." Good."

妈妈说：“看来导览要开始了，太好了。”

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A guide introduced herself as Beth, and the group set off

一位导游自我介绍说她叫贝丝，然后大家就出发了。

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As they wandered through the woods, Beth pointed out

various plants and trees.

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Ian couldn't keep track of any of the plants ' names — except for

the poison ivy creeping along the trail.

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Suddenly Beth halted and pointed upward." Look."

突然，贝丝停下脚步，指向天空。"看。"

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Ian gazed up at the branches of a tall tree

伊恩抬头望向一棵大树的枝头。

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He saw a brown bird near a nest

他看见鸟巢边站着一只棕色的鸟。

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" A mommy bird!" the little girl cried

"一只鸟妈妈！" 小女孩喊道。

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" She's feeding her babies!"

"她在喂鸟宝宝呢！"

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" Actually, that's a daddy bird," Beth said

"其实，那是一只爸爸鸟。"贝丝说。

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" And since today is Father's Day, it's the perfect time to tell you

that many birds make great fathers!"

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The man with the binoculars nodded eagerly

那个拿望远镜的男士热切地点了点头。

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" Birds actually make much better fathers than mammals do."

"鸟类实际上比哺乳动物更称职的父亲。"

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" That's true, Mr. Avery," Beth said

"说得对，艾弗里先生。"贝丝说。

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" While male mammals rarely feed their young, some male birds

bring food to their babies.

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Plus, village weavers build nests, and emperor penguins keep eggs warm

而且，乡村织布鸟会筑巢，帝企鹅会给蛋保暖。

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Did you know that some male songbirds teach

their sons how to sing?"

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" Yes!" Mr. Avery burst out

“对！”艾弗里先生突然大声说道。

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" The white-throated sparrow does that!"

“白喉带鹀就是那样的！”

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Ian and Mom exchanged grins

伊恩和妈妈相视一笑。

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Mr. Avery was certainly very enthusiastic about birds

艾弗里先生对鸟类的确是非常热情。

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" Dad would love this guy!" Ian thought

“爸爸会喜欢这个人的！”伊恩心想。

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As they circled the pond, Beth showed them some wading birds

他们绕着池塘走时，贝丝指给他们看一些涉水鸟。

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Ian stopped to watch a great blue heron

伊恩停下来看一只大蓝鹭。

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The tall bird stood silently in shallow water, waiting for fish to swim by

那只高大的鸟静静地站在浅水中，等着鱼儿游过。

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Its legs were so skinny and long, they made Ian think of brittle sticks

它的腿又细又长，让伊恩想起了易断的细树枝。

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Mr. Avery was watching too

艾弗里先生也在看。

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" Bird-watching requires stillness and patience," he said quietly

“观鸟需要安静和耐心，”他轻声说道。

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" But it always brings me delight — and peace."

“但它总能带给我快乐——还有平静。”

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After the tour Ian and Mom bought some lunch

and sat outside on a bench.

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The sun felt warm, and the air inside the sanctuary rang

with birds' clear voices.

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" This is Dad's kind of place," Ian said

“这是爸爸会喜欢的地方，”伊恩说。

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Mom smiled." It sure is."

妈妈笑了。“确实是。”

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" I know what we should do when we get home," Ian said enthusiastically

“我知道我们回家后该做什么了，”伊恩热情地说。

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Mom looked at him." What?"

妈妈看着他。“做什么？”

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" Plant some vegetables! Dad would have liked that too."

“种些蔬菜！爸爸也会喜欢的。”