丑小鸭—- The ugly duckling之一（破壳而出）

Once upon a time in a summer long ago, the wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and the hay was stacked high in the meadows. A magnificent old manor house stood surrounded by woods and ponds. The reeds had grown so high that summer they nearly hid the water from view.
很久以前的一个夏天，田里的小麦一片金黄而燕麦依然青绿，草地里的干草堆得高高的。一栋老旧的大宅邸被树林和池塘包围着，到了夏天，池塘里的芦苇长得很高，几乎连水面都看不见。


Hidden in the reeds, a mother duck had made her nest, safe from weasels and the wily fox. She sat on her eggs, getting rather bored, for they took their time to hatch. Finally she felt a “Tap! Tap! Tap! ” and cracks started to appear in the smooth shells. With a “Pop!” and a “Peep! Peep!”, a bunch of golden ducklings appeared.
鸭妈妈把窝搭在隐蔽的芦苇丛里，以免被黄鼠狼和狡猾的狐狸发现。她趴在她的蛋上，感到十分无聊，因为孵蛋是一个漫长的过程。终于，她听到“嗒-嗒-嗒”的声响，光滑的蛋壳上开始出现裂纹，伴着蛋壳碎裂声和小鸭子“叽-叽”的叫声，一群金黄色的小鸭子破壳而出。


Their mother gave a delighted “Quack!” as she counted each fluffy gold head. But wait! The largest egg in the nest, her secret pride, was still there. Never before could she remember laying such a huge and splendid egg. How much longer would it take?
鸭妈妈一边数着毛绒绒金黄色的小鸭子，一边高兴地“嘎-嘎”叫。等等，那个最大的、让她暗暗自豪的蛋依旧还在那儿。她都差点忘了她下过一个如此大的蛋。这个蛋还要孵多久呢？


Suddenly there was a “Tap!” and a crack and a “Pop!”. The ducklings and their mother excitedly awaited the arrival of their final sibling. But they quacked with horror at the baby bird who emerged. For he was big and grey and ugly. He had huge feet and a broad beak, and looked nothing like his brothers and sisters.
突然又传来“嗒-嗒”声，蛋壳上出现了一条裂缝，然后“啪”的一声，蛋壳破了。小鸭子和他们的母亲兴奋地等待着他们最后一位家人的到来。但是他们被这个新生的小鸭子吓得大叫，因为他体型庞大，全身灰暗，非常难看。他的脚大嘴宽，看上去和他的兄弟姐妹们完全不一样。


The next day the weather was perfectly splendid and the ducklings went for their first swim. One by one they plunged into the water, bobbing along in a golden line. Even the big grey duckling could swim. Despite his ungainly size, he held himself upright in a graceful style.
第二天，天气好极了，小鸭子们开始第一次游泳。他们一个接一个地跳入水中，像一条金黄的线向前摆动。尽管丑小鸭的身体笨拙，他依然可以游泳，但他还是优雅地挺直了身子。