爱华网When I take a walk around Washington Square Park, I often see a lot of people walking with dogs. It is still true that a dog is the most useful and faithful animal in the world, but people have changed the reasons why they keep a dog. Of course, they keep dogs in order to keep safe. But the most important reason is that they can have friends, because the city can be a lonely place. For a child, a dog is his best friend when he has no friends to play with. For young couples, a dog is also their child when their real children have grown up. Now can you see the reason why people keep dogs?
当我绕着华盛顿广场公园散步时，我经常看到很多人在与溜狗。说实话，狗是世界上最有用和最忠实的动物，但是人们已经改变了他们养狗的理由。当然，他们养狗为了安全。但最重要的原因是他们能有朋友，因为城市是一个寂寞的地方。对于一个孩子而言，他没有朋友一起玩的时候，狗是他最好的朋友。对于年轻夫妇而言，当他们自己的孩子长大成人了，狗也是他们的孩子。现在你可以了解人们之所以养狗的原因了？
P129 (2)
The most famous vegetable in the world is the potato. It grows in many places and does not need as rich soil as many other crops need. But until four hundred years ago the potato was not known to Europeans. But today it is one of the main foods in Europe. About a half of the world’s potatoes are grown in Europe.
In France the potato was not grown for food a long time ago. A story is told about Houis. In 1778, he saw some potato flowers for the first time. He likes them so much that he picked one and put it in his buttonhole. He was interested in nineteenth century, the potato was eaten in almost all the countries of the world.
世界上最有名的菜是马铃薯。它生长在许多地方，它并不需要象其他许多农作物所需的肥沃土壤。但是直到400年以前，欧洲人并不知道马铃薯。但今天马铃薯是欧洲的主要食品之一。世界上大约一半的马铃薯种植在欧洲。
在法国，很久以前马铃薯并不作为食物来种植。有一个关于Houis的故事。1778年，Houis第一次看到了一些马铃薯花。他非常喜欢它们，所以他摘了一朵，把它插在他的扣眼里。19世纪时马铃薯深受欢迎，世界上几乎所有国家都食用马铃薯
P130 (3)
We often think of insects as being harmful. This is not quite true. Many insects are harmful. Flies carry disease. Other insects carry disease, too.
Farmers are at war with insects most of the time. Hungry insects kill plants in the fields. Farmers spray the fields to get rid of these insects.
Does this mean that all insects are harmful? No. many are of great help to man. Bees make honey. Without bees and other insects, many trees would have no fruit. Silkworms make silk, some insects eat other insects that kill fruit trees.
Have you ever seen a praying mantis? People who do not know about the praying mantis sometimes kill it. They think it is harmful. But this insect is of great help to farmers and gardeners. It eats insects that kill plants.
Long ago, many people thought of most insects as enemies. Today we know the difference between harmful insects and those that help us.
我们往往认为昆虫是有害的。这是不完全正确的。许多昆虫是有害的。苍蝇携带疾病。其他昆虫也携带疾病的。
农民们大多数时间里是与昆虫作斗争。饥饿的昆虫杀死田间的农作物。农民们喷洒除虫剂以驱散这些昆虫。
这是否意味着所有的昆虫都有害吗？不是的，许多昆虫对人类有很大益处。蜜蜂制造蜂蜜。如果没有蜜蜂和其他昆虫，许多树木就没有果实。蚕吐丝，一些昆虫吃杀其他蛀果树的昆虫。
你见过螳螂吗？不了解螳螂的人有时会杀死它。他们认为螳螂是有害的。但是，螳螂对农民和园丁有很大的帮助。螳螂食用导致植物死亡的昆虫。
很久以前，许多人把大多数昆虫当作敌人看待。今天，我们知道了益虫和害虫之间的区别。
P131 (4)
Some animals sleep in winter time because the weather can be very cold and it is difficult for them to find food. They can sleep for a long time (from autumn to spring). This kind of winter sleep is called “hibernation”.
If an animal moves about a lot, it needs food. Hibernating animals do not need to eat much because they are not moving about. Their hearts beat very slowly and they also breathe weather and where they are out of danger. Their body fat keeps them alive and warm.
Some animals, such as bears, may wake up from their hibernation on warm winter days and then quickly go back to sleep again when they see the snow is still thick on the ground. When the weather becomes warmer is spring, the animals start to wake up and look for good.
有些动物在冬季睡眠，因为冬季天气非常寒冷，并且他们难以找到食物。他们可以睡很长的时间（从秋季到春季）。这种在冬季的睡眠称作“冬眠”。
如果一只动物到处活动，它需要食物。冬眠动物不需要吃太多，因为他们没有到处活动。他们的心跳很慢，他们仅做呼吸，而且他们远离生命危险。他们体内脂肪保持他们的温暖得以生存。
有些动物如熊，可能在温暖的冬天从冬眠中醒来，然后当他们看到地面积雪仍厚时又迅速回去睡觉了。当春天来临天气变暖时，动物们开始苏醒，寻找食物了。
P132 (5)
A seeing-eye dog is a special dog. It helps blind people walk along the streets and do many other things. We call these dogs “seeing-eye” dogs because the dogs are the “eyes” of the blind men and they help them to see. These dogs go to special schools for several years to learn to help blind people.
One day a seeing-eye dog and a blind man got on a bus together. The bus was full of people and there were no spare seats. One man, however, soon got up and left. The dog took the blind man to the seat but there was very little space. The dog began to push the people on each side with his nose. He pushed and pushed until the people moved down and finally there was enough space for two. The blind man then sat down and the dog got upon the seat at the side of the blind man. He lay and soon fell asleep. Everyone on the bus had to smile at the cleverness of the dog in making space for the blind man and, at the same time, making a place for himself.
导盲犬是一种特殊的狗。它可以帮助盲人沿着街道行走和做很多其他的事情。我们称呼这些狗为“导盲”犬是因为，这种狗是盲人的“眼睛”，他们帮助盲人去'看’。这些狗进入特殊学校经过几年训练，以帮助失明人士。
一天，一位盲人和一条导盲犬一起登上一辆巴士。巴士里挤满了人，没有多余的座位。有个人，不久起身离开。导盲犬带领盲人挤向座位，但是空间太小。狗开始用他的鼻子推开人们到一边。他推啊推直到人们移开后，终于留下足够有两个人的空间。然后盲人坐下来，狗跳到盲人的一边。狗躺着，很快就睡着了。巴士上的每个人都微笑地看着聪明狗为盲人找空位，并在同一时间，也为自己找了位子。
P133 (6)
Millions of years ago, there were lots of trees on the earth, because summer lasted all year round. A forest covered the earth like a green carpet.
What was that forest like? It is not difficult to find out, because parts of that ancient forest still stand. It is known as the rain forest. Here, even in fine weather water drips through the leaves.
The largest of today’s rain forests is in South America. It covers about a million square miles. All the trees are very tall. The young trees are up to 60 feet high. But it is not easy for some to grow taller, because very little sunlight reaches them.
The grown-up trees are about 60 to 120 feet high. Some are even taller. The tallest trees can be 200 or more feet high.
In this forest of tall trees, not only plant life is rich but also animal life. At different heights live different animals. By the many noises they make you know they are there.
几百万年前，地球上有大片森林，因为夏天持续全年。一个森林覆盖的地球像一个绿色的地毯。
那时的森林象什么样呢？答案不难找到，因为这种古老森林的一部分仍然存在。它被称为热带雨林。在这里，即使是在晴朗的天气，雨滴也撒向树叶。
当今最大的雨林是在南美洲。它占地约1万平方公里。所有的树木都非常高。年轻的树高达60英尺高。但是它们不易于长高，因为很少阳光照到它们。
成年树木约60至120英尺高。有些甚至更高。最高的树能有200多英尺高。
在这高大树木的森林里，不仅植物物种丰富，而且动物物种也丰富。在不同高度有不同的动物生活。通过很多的噪音它们让你知道它们在哪儿。
P133 (7)
The crow is an ordinary bird. It is about twenty inches long and black all over. Crows are dirty birds because they live on old bad food. Crows eat a lot of waste food. In this way they are more useful to us than any other birds. They look for food all day long, and in the evening you can see them in large numbers flying back to their nests in the trees. They sleep there at night.
Crows are much noisier than other bird. Very often a large number of crows will get together on one house and talk. Sometimes they talk together, and sometimes they do it by turns like human beings. It is easy to tell from crows’ sounds whether they are pleased or angry. Perhaps crows talk to lot because they are friendly birds. A pair of crows will live together all their lives, and if one of them dies, the other one becomes very sad and quiet for the rest of its life and sometimes it dies too.
乌鸦是一种普通的鸟。它大约20英寸长全身通黑。乌鸦因为以陈腐食物为生而成为脏兮兮的鸟。乌鸦食用很多废弃的食物。这样，对我们而言他们比任何其他鸟类更有用。他们整天寻找食物，在晚上你可以看到成群的乌鸦飞回在树上的巢穴。夜间他们睡在那里。
乌鸦比其他鸟喧闹得多。很多时候，成群的乌鸦聚在一家一起讨论。有时他们一起交谈，有时他们象人一样轮流说话。无论乌鸦是高兴还是生气，很容易从乌鸦的声音来分辨。或许因为乌鸦是友善的鸟类，它们交谈很多。一对乌鸦将共同生活一辈子，如果其中一个死去，另一个的余生会变得非常伤心，非常寂寞，有时也一同死去。
P134 (8)
When we think of plants, most of us will think of things that grow from the ground and have green leaves, but there are plants that do not look of act like other plants. Some of these belong to a special class of plants called fungi.
Fungi may appear almost everywhere. They usually grow in damp places where they can get food and water easily. Because fungi do not have green leaves, they can not make food for themselves. Green plants use their leaves to make their own food, but fungi must take their food from animals, other plants or waste matter. Some fungi live on rotting wood, while others grow on living trees or in dirt or moss.
Mushrooms are the best-known fungi. There are many kinds of mushrooms appearing in all shapes and sizes. For example, cauliflower mushrooms are found in forests from July to October. They can grow to be as heavy as fifty pounds! They grow at the foot of trees.
Squirrel’s bread is another kind of wild mushroom. Its appearance and use explain the origin of its name. These fungi, look like small golden cakes, grow on short, fat stems. Squirrels can easily nibble them or carry them off to their nests to eat later.
The mushrooms found in food stores are carefully grown by people who know they are safe to eat. Mushrooms experts warn people never to touch or taste wild mushrooms because some of them are deadly. Even less dangerous ones can still make a person very sick.
当我们谈起植物，我们大多数人会想到的东西是，从地面生长，有绿叶子，但也有看起来不像其他植物生长样式的。其中一些属于一类特殊的植物称为真菌。
真菌可能几乎无处不在。它们通常生长在潮湿的地方，它们可以很容易得到养料和水。由于真菌没有绿叶，它们不能为自己提供食物。绿色植物通过叶子提供给自己所需的养料，但真菌必须从动物，植物或其他废物获取养料。有些真菌生活在腐烂的木材上，而另一些长在树上或生活在泥土中或生活在苔藓上。
蘑菇是最著名的真菌。有各种形状和大小的许多种蘑菇。例如，在7?10月的森林中可以找到花椰菜蘑菇。它们可以长到 五十磅 重！它们长在树脚边。
松鼠的面包是另一种野生蘑菇。它们的外观和用途说明了其名称的由来。这些真菌，看上去像小黄金蛋糕，长有短短的，肥肥的茎干。松鼠可以很容易地蚕食它们或将它们运回自己的巢穴以后吃。
？[The mushrooms found in food stores are carefully grown by people who know they are safe to eat.]？由懂得可以安全食用的行家发现的蘑菇品种在食品店谨慎地增加。蘑菇专家警告人们千万不要触摸或品尝野蘑菇，因为其中有些是致命的。即使不致命的也能使人病得很重。
P136 (9)
In Canada you can find dogs, cats, horses, etc, in almost every family. These are their pets. People love these pets and have them as their good friends. Before they keep them in their houses, they take them to animal hospitals to give them needles so that they won’t carry disease. They have special animal food stores. Some people spend around two hundred Canadian dollars a month on animal food. When you visit people’s homes, they would be very glad to show you their pets and they are very proud of them. You will also find that almost every family has a bird feeder in their garden. All kinds of birds are welcomed to come and have a good meal. They are free to come and go and nobody is allowed to kill any animal in Canada. They have a law against killing wild animals. If you killed an animal, you would be punished. If an animal happened to get run over by a car people would be very sad about it.
People in Canada have many reasons to like animals. One of them might be: their family tie is not as close as ours. When children grow up they leave their parents and start their own life. Then the old will feel lonely. But pets can solve this problem. They can be good friends and never leave them alone.
在加拿大几乎每个家庭你可以找到狗，猫，马等。这些都是他们的宠物。人们喜欢这些宠物，并当它们的好朋友。在他们自己家里饲养之前，他们带它们去动物医院给动物注射疫苗以预防疾病。他们有专门的动物性食品的商店。有些人1个月的动物食物花费约200加元。当你拜访加人的家园，他们会很乐意告诉你他们的宠物，他们很为它们感到骄傲。你还会发现，几乎每个家庭的花园里都有鸟儿的喂食器。欢迎各种鸟类来美餐，它们可以自由地来来去去，在加拿大没有人可以杀死任何动物。他们立法禁止捕杀野生动物。如果你杀死一个动物，你会受到惩罚。如果一个动物碰巧被车辗过，人们会很难过的。
加拿大人喜欢动物有很多理由。其中之一可能是：他们的亲属关系并非如我们那样地接近。当孩子长大后，他们离开父母，开始自己的生活。然后，年老的会觉得孤独。但宠物可以解决这个问题。他们可以成为好朋友，从来没有离开他们。
P137 (10)
To find out whether bees can see colours, the following experiment is made. A table is put in a garden, and on the table is a blue card with some syrup on it. As soon as one bee finds the syrup, many more come to it one after another in a short tome. It seems that one bee is able to tell the news of food to the other bees in their “home”. After a moment, the blue card with syrup on it is taken away. Instead of this card, a blue card is now put on the left side of the first feeding place and a red card to its right. Nothing can be seen on the two cards. Very soon bees arrive again, and fly straight to the blue card. None go to the red one.
要了解蜜蜂是否可以辨别颜色，进行下面的实验。花园里摆上一张桌子，桌上放着一块涂了糖浆的蓝色卡片。只要一只蜜蜂发现糖浆，短时间里就会有更多的蜜蜂一个接一个到来。看来，一个蜜蜂能把食物信息传递给“家”中的其他蜜蜂。过一会儿，拿走涂有糖浆的蓝色卡片。现在把替换了的蓝色卡片放在第一次喂食地点的左侧，再放一块红色卡片到蓝色的右侧。两张卡片上看不到任何东西。很快蜜蜂再次到来，直接飞向蓝色卡片，没有一只飞向红色卡片。
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*【英译中练习 欢迎指正】
