12.4 Snow House

MT英语（ID:mtkouyu）
专辑：【英文原版童话故事】
文本整理：Doris

The dogsled skimmed silently over the frozen tundra. The seal hunter ran alongside it. Sometimes he cracked his whip against the ice.

狗拉的雪橇静静地在冻土带上滑行。海豹猎人跟着它跑。有时他会用鞭子抽冰。

The snowdrifts looked like giant white sculptures as the sun slipped behind the frozen hills. Then a full orange moon rose in the sky.

当太阳从冰封的山后滑落时，雪堆看起来就像巨大的白色雕塑。一轮橘黄色的满月升上天空。

The moonlight lit a small, rounded igloo in of them.

月光照亮了他们中间一个圆形的小冰屋。

The dogs slowed, then stopped.

狗放慢了速度，然后停了下来。

Jack stepped off the sled. Annie went to help unhitch the dogs. Jack took his book out and read about igloos:

杰克从雪橇上下来。安妮去帮忙把狗解开。杰克拿出他的书，读了关于冰屋的故事:

The word "igloo" means "house" in the language of native Arctic people. The house is built with blocks of snow. Dry snow is good wall material because it keeps in the heat. The temperature inside an igloo can be 65 degrees warmer than the temperature outside.

在北极原住民的语言中，“冰屋”的意思是“房子”。这房子是用几块雪盖的。干雪是很好的墙体材料，因为它可以保持热量。冰屋里面的温度比外面的温度高65度。

Jack took out his notebook. He pulled off his mitten just long enough to write:

杰克拿出他的笔记本。他摘下手套，只写了几行字:

Igloo means house"Come on, Jack!" said Annie.

“来吧，杰克!”安妮说。

She and the seal hunter were waiting for him in front of the igloo. The dogs were leashed together outside.

她和海豹猎人在冰屋前等着他。狗被拴在外面。

Jack hurried to join them. The hunter pushed aside animal skins covering the entrance. They stepped inside.

杰克赶紧加入他们。猎人把盖在入口处的兽皮推开。他们走进去。

A fat candle burned brightly. Shadows danced on walls of ice and snow.

一根粗蜡烛明亮地燃烧着。阴影在冰和雪的墙上跳舞。

Jack and Annie sat on a fur-covered plat-form.

杰克和安妮坐在一张铺着毛皮的台子上。

They watched as the seal hunter moved about.

他们看着海豹猎人走来走去。

First he lit a small stove. Then he slipped outside.

首先，他点燃了一个小火炉。然后他溜了出去。

He came back with a snowball and chunks of frozen meat.

他拿着一个雪球和几块冻肉回来了。

He put the snowball in a pot over the stove. Then he added the meat.

他把雪球放在炉子上的一个罐子里。然后他把肉加进去。

"What's he making?" asked Annie. Jack pulled out his book and found a picture of the hunter cooking.

“他在做什么?”安妮问。杰克拿出他的书，发现了一张猎人做饭的照片。

He and Annie read the words silently:

他和安妮默默地念着:

There was a time when nearly all of the Arctic people's food and clothing and tools came from Arctic animals, especially the seal. Nearly every part of the seal could be eaten. Lamps were fueled with seal fat.

曾几何时，北极人民的食物、衣服和工具几乎都来自北极动物，尤其是海豹。几乎海豹的每一部分都可以被吃掉。油灯的燃料是海豹油。

Clothing was made from sealskin. And knives and needles were carved from seal bones.

衣服是用海豹皮做的。刀和针都是用海豹的骨头雕刻的。

"He must be boiling seal meat," said Jack. "The poor seals," said Annie.

“他一定是在煮海豹肉。”杰克说。“可怜的海豹，”安妮说。

The seal hunter looked up.

海豹猎人抬起头。

"They are not poor," he said. "They help us because they know we would die without them.""Oh " said Annie.

“他们并不可怜，”他说。“他们帮助我们，因为他们知道没有他们我们会死。”“哦，”安妮说。

"In return, we always thank the animal spirits," said the seal hunter.

“作为回报，我们总是感谢动物的精神，”海豹猎人说。

"How do you do that?" said Jack.

“你是怎么做到的?”杰克问。

"We have many special ceremonies," said the seal hunter.

“我们有很多特殊的仪式，”海豹猎人说。

He reached under the fur-covered plat-form and took out two wooden masks.

他伸手到铺着毛皮的台子下，拿出两个木制面具。

"Soon there will be a ceremony to honor the spirit of the polar bear," he said. "I carved these masks for the ceremony.""Polar bears?" said Annie.

“不久将会有一个仪式来纪念北极熊的精神，”他说。“这些面具是我为婚礼雕刻的。”“北极熊?”安妮说。

"Yes," said the seal hunter. "Just as the seal has given us many gifts, so has the polar bear.""Like what?" said Jack.

“是的。”海豹猎人说。“就像海豹给了我们很多礼物一样，北极熊也给了我们很多礼物。”“比如什么?”杰克说。

"Long ago the polar bear taught us how to live in the ice and snow," said the seal hunter.

“很久以前，北极熊教我们如何在冰雪中生活，”海豹猎人说。

"Taught you?" said Jack. "I mean, can you give us some facts?"The seal hunter smiled.

“教你?”杰克说。“我的意思是，你能告诉我们一些事实吗?”海豹猎人笑了。

"Yes," he said. "A polar bear catches a seal when the seal comes up to breathe through a hole in the ice.

“是的,”他说。“当海豹从冰面上的一个洞里钻出来呼吸时，北极熊就会抓住它。

The oldest seal hunters watched the polar bear and learned. This is how my father taught me to hunt seal, as his father taught him.""That's a good fact," said Jack.

最老的海豹猎人观察北极熊并学习。这就是我父亲教我如何捕猎海豹的方式，就像他父亲教他的那样。”“这是一个很好的事实，”杰克说。

"The very first of my people learned to make igloos from polar bears," said the hunter. "Polar bears build snow houses by digging caves in the drifts.""Another good fact," said Jack.

“我们的第一批人就是从北极熊那里学会建造冰屋的。”猎人说。“北极熊通过在雪堆上挖洞来建造雪屋。”“另一个好事实。”杰克说。

"Sometimes the polar bear can even teach people to fly," said the seal hunter.

“有时北极熊甚至可以教人们飞行，”海豹猎人说。

"That's an amazing fact," said Annie.

“这是一个惊人的事实，”安妮说。

Jack smiled. "The rest sounded like true facts," he said. "But I know that's pretend."The hunter just laughed, then turned back to his cooking.

杰克笑了笑。“其余的听起来像是真实的事实，”他说。“但我知道那是假装的。”猎人只是笑了笑，然后继续做饭。

That's why he wasn't surprised to hear about the tree house, Jack thought. If he believes polar bears can fly, he probably would believe anything.

这就是为什么他听到树屋的消息并不感到惊讶，杰克想。如果他相信北极熊能飞，他可能会相信任何事情。

The seal hunter lifted the chunks of boiled seal out of his pot. He dropped them into a wooden bucket and gave it to Annie.

海豹猎人把煮熟的海豹块从罐子里拿出来，扔进一个木桶里，交给了安妮。

"Let's feed the dogs," he said.

“我们去喂狗吧，”他说。

"Oh, boy!" said Annie. She followed the hunter outside, swinging the bucket.

“哦，孩子!”安妮说。她跟着猎人走到外面，摇晃着水桶。

Jack quickly threw his notebook and the Arctic book into his pack. He started to follow them. Then his gaze fell on the two bear masks.

杰克迅速地把他的笔记本和北极地区的书扔进包里。他开始跟着他们。然后他的目光落在了两个熊面具上。

He picked them up to get a better look.

他把它们捡起来以便看得更清楚些。

Each was carved in the shape of a polar bear's face with a blunt nose and roundish ears. There were two holes for eyes and a strap to hold it on your head.

每一个都被雕刻成一个有着钝鼻子和圆圆的耳朵的北极熊的脸的形状。有两个孔的眼睛和一个带子把它固定在你的头上。

Suddenly howls split the air. The dogs were barking and growling. Annie squealed.

突然，号声划破了空气。狗在狂吠。安妮叫苦不迭。

Are the dogs attacking her? Jack wondered.

狗在攻击她吗?杰克想知道。

"Annie!"Still holding the bear masks, Jack charged out of the igloo.

“安妮!”杰克仍然拿着熊面具，冲出了冰屋。