第23课

Lesson Twenty-Three

The Cradle of Our Ancestors

Grandpa said

that the primeval forest is the cradle of our ancestors.

That's really interesting.

What a large cradle!

The dark green foliage

extends endlessly,

covering the blue sky.

I wonder—

did our ancestors

ever pick wild fruit or find magpie eggs

on these big trees?

Was it on this grass

that they raced the hares and watched the mushrooms form umbrellas?

At that time,

were kids here also,

playing with little squirrels

and picking wild roses?

Did they ever catch red dragonflies

or grasshoppers here?

The wind blows, 

the leaves rustle.

The memory

is so wonderful,

and yet so remote….

Oh!

The vast primeval forest,

the cradle of our ancestors!

生词表：

cradle    摇篮

ancestors   祖先(复数)

grandpa   爷爷

primeval   原始的

cradle    摇篮

interesting   有意思的

large   大的

dark green 浓绿的

foliage   树荫

extending   延伸

endlessly   不断地

covering    遮住

wonder   想知道

ancestors   祖先(复数)

had ever picked 曾摘过

wild fruit   野果

stolen   偷

magpie   喜鹊

eggs   蛋(复数)

these   这些

grass   草地

raced    赛跑(过去式)

hares   野兔(复数 )

watched   看(过去式)

mushrooms    蘑菇(复数)

form umbrellas 打伞

children    孩子们(复数)

squirrels   松鼠(复数)

picking   采摘

wild roses   野蔷薇

catch   捉

dragonflies   蜻蜓(复数)

grasshoppers    绿蝈蝈(复数)

blows   吹(第三人称单数)

leaves   树叶(复数)

rustle   沙沙声

memory   回忆

wonderful   美好的

remote   遥远……

vast    苍苍茫茫的

primeval forest   原始森林

is the cradle 摇篮

ancestors   祖先(复数)

祖先的摇篮

爷爷说：

那原始森林是我们祖先的摇篮。

真有意思，

这是多大的摇篮啊!

那浓绿的树荫

一望无边，

遮住了蓝天。

我想——

我们的祖先，

可曾在这些大树上

摘野果，掏鹊蛋?

可曾在那片草地上

和野兔赛跑，看蘑菇打伞?

那时候，

孩子们也在这里

逗小松鼠，

采野蔷薇吗?

也曾在这里捉红蜻蜓，

逮绿蝈蝈吗?

风儿吹动树叶

“沙沙，沙沙!”

那回忆

多么美好，

又那么遥远……啊!

苍苍茫茫的原始森林，

我们祖先的摇篮!