LESSON 21 HUMMING BIRDS 蜂鸟

1.The most beautiful humming birds are found in the West Indies and South America.The crest of the tiny head of one of these shines like a sparkling crown of colored light.

2.The shades of color that adorn its breast, are equally brilliant.As the bird flits from one object to another, it looks more like a bright fl ash of sunlight than it does like a living being.

3.But, you ask, why are they called humming birds? It is because they make a soft, humming noise by the rapid motion of their wings—a motion so rapid, that as they fly you can only see that they have wings.

4.One day when walking in the woods, I found the nest of one of the smallest humming birds.It was about half the size of a very small hen’s egg, and was attached to a twig no thicker than a steel knitting needle.

5.It seemed to have been made of cotton fi bers, and was covered with the softest bits of leaf and bark.It had two eggs in it, quite white, and each about as large as a small sugarplum.

6.When you approach the spot where one of these birds has built its nest, it is necessary to be careful.The mother bird will dart at you and try to peck your eyes.Its sharp beak may hurt your eyes most severely, and even destroy the sight.

7.The poor little thing knows no other way of defending its young, and instinct teaches it that you might carry off its nest if you could fi nd it.

【中文阅读】

1.世界上最美丽的蜂鸟仅仅在西印度群岛和南美洲发现过。其中一只小鸟很特别，它的小脑袋上有一个闪烁着耀眼光芒的顶冠，如同色彩斑斓的璀璨皇冠一样。

2.装饰它胸脯的色彩，也同样光彩夺目。当蜂鸟从一个地方飞到另一个地方，它看上去更像是一道亮闪闪的光，而不仅仅是一个小生命。

3.只是，你可能会问，它们为何被称为蜂鸟呢？那是因为它们在飞行时急速扇动翅膀而发出细微的嗡嗡声。蜂鸟颤动翅膀的速度极快，以至于当它们飞过时，人们只能看到空中翱翔而过的翅膀。

4.有一天，我在林中漫步时，发现了一只小蜂鸟的巢，它大概只有半个鸡蛋大，附着在一根细如钢针的小树枝上。

5.它看上去就像是棉线织成的，上面覆盖着柔软的叶子和树皮。里面有两只小卵，纯白色的，每个卵都像个小糖豆一样大小。

6.当你靠近这些蜂鸟的巢时，一定要非常小心。因为鸟妈妈会向你扑过来，试图啄你的眼睛。它那尖尖的鸟嘴或许会重伤你的眼睛，甚至可能会让你失明。

7.这个可怜的小东西并不知道除此之外还有什么办法可以保护它的小宝宝。它只本能地以为，一旦你找到鸟巢，就会夺走它的幼子。