上一段說Wilbur 是baby,這段說他是infant, 在Fern 的眼中,Wilbur 就是她的心肝寶貝啊!主人玩水,寵物在旁邊自得其樂,多麼溫馨的畫面。難怪作者接著說:Every day was a happy day, and every night was peaceful.
🐶 3)p.11、12 Wilbur was what farmers call a spring pig, which simply means that he was born in springtime. 從這段到這章最後,都在說Wilbur 是如何被賣給Uncle Homer (Mr. Zuckerman)。
👍 片語(以下都是Kelly特別為你學習片語所準備簡單實用的例句)
tag along (通常指未經邀請) 跟隨
Wherever Mike goes, his little brother Charles always tagged along.
for one’s liking (因某物太⋯而)不合某人的意
The meal was too spicy for John’s liking, so he didn’t finish it.
at someone’s heels 緊緊跟著
The dog kept biting away at Doug’s heels, chasing him from the park to Doug’s home.
根據Macmillan 字典的英文解釋:to keep someone interested or entertained, so that they do not get bored. 中文並沒有把“以免他們無聊”翻出來。鼓勵想對英文有更深入研究的人或高中要寫作文的學生,應該要看英文解釋,才能分辨出看似相同中文解釋的英文單字,其中的差別在哪裡。
比較這兩句話:
Wilbur played happily in the mud along the edge of the brook.
Wilbur amused himself in the mud along the edge of the brook.
第二句是不是顯得更生動?
🐶 2)英文ㄧ句話裡,只能有一個動詞。試著翻譯以下兩句,看看你會挑哪個動詞放在英文句子裡?
她用嬰兒車帶著自己的玩具娃娃去散步。(用,帶,去?)
Fern 和Avery 穿上他們的游泳衣去小河裡游泳。(穿上,去,游泳?)
對照第十頁的句子:
”If she took her doll for a walk in the doll carriage….” ;
“Fern and Avery put on bathing suits and went down to the brook for a swim.” 你會發現,我們很早就學過的walk 和 swim,也可以當名詞用。去散個步,去游個泳的說法就是這麼簡單!
從這章挑一句最喜歡的話,學起來!
我喜歡 It relieved her mind to know that her baby would sleep covered up, and would stay warm.
🐶 2)p.14 Wilbur’s new home was in…. 和 Fern came almost every day… 兩段
Mr. Zuckerman很懂得如何飼養小豬,他給了Wilbur ㄧ個溫暖舒適的新家。儘管這裡環境不錯,Fern也幾乎天天都來看他,但Wilbur的生活比不上從前。這段結束在:But he never had any fun——no walks, no rides, no swims. 好辛酸啊!
無論是 Fern的爸爸Mr. Arable 或是 Mr. Zuckerman這些大人,甚至整本書裡的人物,都把Wilbur 當作一隻養大了好作食物的豬仔(從p.23 “He’s quite a pig,” said Lurvy. 和p.24 “Yes, he’ll make a good pig,” said Mr. Zuckerman. 就可看出),只有Fern 把他當作一個嬰兒般疼愛,有空就去看他陪他。從這裡開始,我們會慢慢看到Wilbur的感覺,看到他跟其他動物間的對話。
🐶 3)p.16 One afternoon in June…. 到 p.19 ………I’ll go and get a bucket of slops.”
“You don‘t have to stay in that dirty-little dirty-little dirty-little yard.” 好有趣啊!看作者這樣描述鵝媽媽的講話方式,讀者是不是也彷彿聽到鵝呱呱呱的聲音?其實作者真的曾經把一隻鵝當作寵物來養,還給他取名叫Felicity,我猜這應該是他在小說中會特別突顯這群鵝家族的原因吧!(後面故事會提到這隻鵝媽媽生了一窩寶寶,全家講話都是一個樣子,超搞笑的!)
👍 片語
catch it (非正式) 被處罰或被責罵
Ricky will catch it if he doesn’t turn in his homework again.
🐶 4)p.19 The news of Wilbur’s escape…. 到 p.24 …. he thought as he lay down.
1)講到穀倉:It was the kind of barn that swallows like to build their nests in. It was the kind of barn that children like to play in. And the whole thing was owned by Fern’s uncle, Mr. Homer L. Zuckerman.
2) 講到在新家的生活:But he never had any fun—-no walks, no rides, no swims.
3)講到無聊:“When I‘m out here,” he said, “there’s no place to go but in. When I’m indoors, there’s no place to go but out in the yard.”
4)講到外面的世界:”The world is a wonderful place when you’re young.” (鵝媽媽)
“I can see that,” replied Wilbur.
5)講到動物們你一言我一語指揮Wilbur逃跑:Poor Wilbur was dazed and frightened by this hullabaloo (喧鬧). He didn’t like being the center of all this fuss.
6)對整件事的總結:”I’m really too young to go out into the world alone,” he thought as he lay down.
好的文章沒有一個贅字,好的故事也沒有多餘的事件,總是環環相扣,吸引讀者一頁一頁看下去。
從這章挑一句最喜歡的話,學起來
我最喜歡Don’t fall for it, don’t fall for it!
當Mr. Zuckerman拿著食物引誘Wilbur走回穀倉時,鵝媽媽就這樣大喊著。
“fall for something” 是信以為真、受騙上當的意思,它總讓我想到森林裡的陷阱,ㄧ不小心就會掉下去。這個片語好傳神啊!