阅读建议
利用“联想对比法”将文章中出现过的，自己学过的那些意思类似，拼写类似，读音类似的单词和表达放在一起，好好看看
充分利用自己的想象力，去脑补那些有趣的画面和动作
在上一个章节中我们看到了作者用优美且极具画面感的文字向我们描绘了一幅冬末春初的景色。同时，我们也看到了很多和天鹅有关的动作描写。这一切都将我们带到了这样一个宁静悠远的荒野，仿佛身临其境，乐在其中。
在今天的章节中，我们将看到两只天鹅如何为了抚育下一代而做出准备，我们也将看到两只天鹅和Sam的第一次的亲密接触。具体情况是怎么样呢？我们一起往下看。
One day, almost a week later, the swan slipped quietly into her nest and laid an egg. Each day she tried to deposit one egg in the nest.
slipped (slip) quietly into - 这个描写天鹅进到窝里的动词 slip 极其形象，且自然。就是那种顺势溜进窝里，悄无声息。
laid (lay) an egg - 下蛋 用 lay
deposit - 原意有“储存，存款”的意思，在这里指的就是“往窝里多下一个蛋”。这也提醒我们，在记单词的时候，光背一个意思而不尝试理解，是没有任何用处的。对，说的就是你！
雌天鹅好像感受到了异样的情况：
As she sat there, with her husband, the cob, floating gracefully nearby, she had a strange feeling that she was being watched. It made her uneasy. Birds don’t like to
be stared at. They particularly dislike being stared at when they are on a nest. So the swan twisted and turned and peered everywhere. She gazed intently at the point of
land that jutted out into the pond near the nest.
-这里的"a strange feeling" 其实后后面的 “uneasy” 有点类似的意思，就是指一种不太舒服的感觉。
- 在这几句话里，出现了好几种表示“看”的动词：watch/ stare/ peer/ gaze，包括上次课我们讲到一个 snoop，后面要出现的 observe 大家都可以去查查，感受一下
- twist and turn 就是指 扭了扭身子，左顾右盼
看下这下面三句话：
“We are deep in the wilds of Canada.
“I didn’t fly all the way north into Canada to get involved with a boy,” he said.
“I did not travel all this immense distance into the heart of Canada to be observed.
- deep in the wilds of Canad/ all the way north into Canada/ travel all this immense distance in to the heart of Canada 这几组短语都是在告诉我们“这个地方多么的荒芜，偏僻”
- get involved with - 原意是“卷入，插手”...在这里可以理解成：我可不想和这个小男孩有什么瓜葛
“But if that isn’t a boy over there on that log, my name isn’t Cygnus Buccinator.”
Cygnus Buccinator - 这个短语是西班牙语，其实就是 Trumpeter swan的意思
他们在说这句话有点类似我们说：要不是..我就不姓啥啥。“如果那不是个小男孩，我就不叫Trumpeter Swan了。”
“We came here to this idyllic spot, this remote little hideaway, so we could enjoy some well-deserved privacy.”
You’re laying an egg—that is, I hope you are—and you are entitled to privacy.
enjoy some well-deserved privacy/ you are entitled to privacy 这两个句子里的 deserve 表示“值得,配得”，be entitled to 表示“被给予，被授予...的权利”，这两个短语的主要意思就是：我就是希望咱们（你）你享受更多的私人空间
“Well,” said his wife, “I’m sorry to see the boy, too, but I must say he’s behaving himself. He sees us, but he’s not throwing stones. He’s not throwing sticks. He’s not messing around. He’s simply observing.
he’s behaving himself - 他很乖！如果我们生气了，对我们的孩子说：你给我乖点！也可以说：Behave yourself.
mess around - 捣乱
天鹅秀恩爱句子：
“Furthermore, I don’t want you to be observed—except by me.”
我可不许别人看你，只能我看你。
“I shall be here at your side to defend you if anything happens.“
无论发生什么，我都会在你身旁！
The cob cruised around close by, to keep her company and protect her from enemies.
雄天鹅寸步不离地陪伴着雌天鹅，保护着她免受恶人攻击。
furthermore -更何况，甚至
defend- protect, guard (在上一章里用的是guard）
看到这个cruise around 你是不是可以想到其他几个词？比如：paddle slowly round
keep company - 陪伴
雄天鹅对雌天鹅的关心：
“My dear,” said her husband, the cob, one afternoon, “do you never find your duties onerous or irksome?
老婆，你会不会觉得烦呀累呀？
Do you never tire of sitting in one place and in one position, covering the eggs, with no diversions, no pleasures, no escapades, or capers? Do you never suffer from boredom?
你这样一直保持一个姿势孵蛋，没有什么娱乐的活动，又不能玩耍，会不会无聊呀？
diversions - 娱乐活动
pleasures - 乐趣
escapades/ capers - 有恶作剧的意思，这里可以理解成玩耍
雌天鹅说：
“Yes, it is,” replied the wife. “But I can put up with a certain amount of discomfort for the sake of bringing young swans into the world.“
虽然很累很烦很无聊很不舒服，但是为了我们的小崽们，还是值得的嘛！
put up with - 忍受
It has been my experience that all boys throw stones and sticks—it is their nature. I’m going over and strike that boy with my powerful wing, and he’ll think he has been hit with a billy club. I’ll knock him cold!
it is their nature - 这些小崽子，天性就是这样！nature - 天性，本能
a billy club- 警棍
I’ll knock him cold! - knock someone cold - 打晕...
Sam sat on his log, hardly moving a muscle. He was spellbound at the sight of the swans.
hardly moving a muscle - 一动不动
be spellbound - 被惊呆了，被深深吸引了
He had heard their trumpeting and had searched the woods and swamps until he had found the pond and located the nest.
此处的locate - 有“找到”的意思，和find类似；locate 有“定位”，“追踪”等意思。
Sitting on his log, watching the swans, he had the same good feeling some people get when they are sitting in church.
- 这个句子是一个“现在分词作状语的句子”，此处开头的第一个动词sitting 和主语 he 一定要是主动关系，才可以用sitting。
- 在此处作者说Sam此时的感觉就和人们坐在教堂里的感觉一样！我是一个基督徒，这个感觉我知道，哈哈。坐在教堂首先会带着一颗敬畏上帝的心，然后感觉非常的平安喜乐。我想Sam看到天鹅的时候也是被造物主这神奇的创造给惊呆了，同时有感到一股平静安详的力量。
He walked slowly and quietly away, putting one foot straight ahead of the other, Indian-fashion, hardly making a sound.
大家可以脑补一下这个小伙子为了不惊扰到天鹅而蹑手蹑脚走路的样子。
Indian-fashion - 印第安式的，大家可以造下其他的词，比如：Chinese-fashion 中国式的
hardly making a sound - 悄无声息地（还记得前面那个一动不动地吗？）
几个倒装句：
There, lying safely in the soft feathers at the bottom of the nest, was the fourth egg.
正常顺序：There was the fourth egg lying safely in the soft feathers at the bottom of the nest.
Out stepped Sam Beaver, the boy who had visited them a month ago.
正常顺序：Sam Beaver, the boy who had visited them a month ago, stepped out.
A swan’s egg will open and out will come a little swan.
正常顺序：A swan's egg will open and a little swan will come out.
在这几个倒装句子里，作者都在强调那几个动作 lying safely，out... 倒装的目的主要是为了侧重作者要表达的重点。好好感受下上面几个句子！
He knew that a fox prowled somewhere in the woods; he had heard him barking on nights when the hunting was good.
when the hunting was good - 这一句呢其实是在说“狐狸吼叫的那个夜晚”，hunting是打猎的意思，所以就是说：他在那个月黑风高（适合捕猎）的夜晚听到了狐狸的尖叫声。
雄天鹅继续嘘寒问暖：
“Don’t you ever feel the pangs of hunger or suffer the tortures of thirst?” asked the cob.
你饿不饿，渴不渴呀？
pang - 痛苦
suffer - 遭受，忍受
tortures - 痛苦，折磨
“Yes, I do,” said his mate. “As a matter of fact, I could use a drink right now.”
as a matter of fact - 事实上
use a drink - 喝口水
She took several quick drinks.
quick drinks - 快速地喝了几口！可以学学这种表达。
First she pushed some loose feathers around the eggs, hiding them from view and giving them a warm covering in her absence.
in her absence - 她不在的情况下
还记得我们说过：in her presence 这种表达吗？表示：她在的情况下！absence - presence
这一点雌天鹅离开窝去河里喝水，嬉戏的画面，可以脑补脑补：
The afternoon was warm; the sun was bright. The swan decided she could safely leave her eggs for a few minutes. She stood up. First she pushed some loose feathers around the eggs, hiding them from view and giving them a warm covering in her absence. Then she stepped off the nest and entered the water. She took several
quick drinks. Then she glided over to a shallow place, thrust her head underwater, and pulled up tender greens from the bottom. She next took a bath by tossing water
over herself. Then she waddled out onto a grassy bank and stood there, preening her feathers.
He spied the fox first.
这里这个spy 是动词，表示 发现，看见；而且有一种他看到了狐狸，狐狸没看到他的意思
看下下面两个句子里关于狐狸动作的描写：
Her back was turned, so he began creeping slowly toward her.
“Look out!” he trumpeted. “Look out for the fox, who is creeping toward you even as I speak, his eyes bright, his bushy tail out straight, his mind lusting for blood, his belly almost touching the ground! You are in grave danger, and we must act immediately.”
大家主要来对比一个动词和一个短句：creep / his belly almost touching the ground... 看到了吗？如果遇到不认识的词，就往后看，然后你就会发现它的同义词或者解释。
in grave danger - 处于极度危险中（grave有坟墓的意思，大家自己理解下grave danger)
请自己脑补一下狐狸捕猎前的状态...
While the cob was making this elegant speech of warning, something happened that surprised everybody.
这里用了 elegant, 之前有用 majestically, 还有 graceful 等这类的词，大家先记着这些描述雄天鹅的词，你们会慢慢发现他独特有趣的性格。
Just as the fox was about to spring and sink his teeth in the swan’s neck,a stick came hurtling through the air.
be about to - 正准备要做某事
spring - 跳跃
sink his teeth in the swan's neck - sink本意思 下沉的意思，大家可以理解一下狐狸的嘴巴咬到天鹅脖子的时候，牙齿是怎么样的状态，就知道这个sink是有多狠了。
a stick came hurtling through the air - 横空一棒（hurtle 有猛烈撞击的意思）
It struck the fox full on the nose, and he turned and ran away.
这里的 full - 表示”正中”的意思，强调"准确无误地，全部力量集中地"击中了狐狸的鼻子
But the fox was in no mood to return. He had a very sore nose, and he had lost his appetite for fresh swan.
in no mood to - 没心情做某事
loose(lost) his appetite for - 没胃口了
Sam was thrilled at the noise of swans, which some people say is like the sound of a French horn.
thrilled - 和前面的spellbound意思类似，大家在看到一个词的时候，可以去联想那些看起来类似的词，这样可以帮助理解和记忆。
French horn
He had been in the right place at the right time and with the right ammunition.
他在正确的时间，正确的地点，拿着正确的武器...
ammunition 本意是 火药，弹药，在这里指那根棍子，哈哈
天鹅和Sam第一次接触的画面：鼓励大家脑补，不懂问我！
The cob swam over toward Sam, climbed out of the pond, and stood close to the boy, looking at him in a friendly way and arching his neck gracefully. Once, he ran his neck far out, cautiously, and almost touched the boy. Sam never moved a muscle. His heart thumped from excitement and joy.
