Dogs are amazing creatures and Lilica, a Brazilian stray, is a perfect example of that. She lives in a junkyard, hangs out with a motley crew, and she makes sure her friends never go hungry. Every night, Lilica walks four miles in the dark, braving the rush hour traffic, just to bring food back to the other animals in her ‘family’ – a dog, a cat, a few chickens and a mule1.
狗是一种神奇的动物,巴西流浪犬莉莉卡就是一个很好的例子。它生活在垃圾场,在这里它交了一群动物朋友,而它永远都不会让它的朋友们挨饿。每个晚上,莉莉卡都会走4英里的夜路,在交通高峰时间穿过马路,为它的“家人”——一只狗、几只小鸡和一只骡子带回食物。
Lilica was abandoned at a junkyard in San Carlos, Brazil, when she was just a puppy. Neile Vaina Antonio, the junkyard caretaker, took her in and cared for her. As she grew, she became friends with all the other animals in the junkyard. It appears that they offer each other warmth, companionship and solidarity2.
莉莉卡还小的时候就被抛弃在巴西圣卡洛斯的一个垃圾场。垃圾场管理员尼尔·瓦伊纳·安东尼奥把它带了回去并照顾它。长大之后,它与垃圾场的其他动物成了朋友。它们给予彼此温暖,相互陪伴,团结一致。
Three years ago, Lilica was pregnant and had eight puppies. As her responsibilities grew, she knew she had to find a way to provide food for her cubs3, as there was little to be found at the junkyard. That’s when she started going out at night, walking for miles, in search of scraps4. During one of her nightly travels, Lilica was lucky enough to meet dog-lover Lucia, who took pity on her.
三年前,莉莉卡怀孕了,生下了8只小狗。它的责任变大了,它知道自己必须想办法给它们喂食,因为垃圾场里找不到什么食物。那时它开始晚上出去,走上几英里,寻找人们吃剩下来的食物。有一次,莉莉卡非常幸运地碰见了露西亚,露西亚十分喜欢狗,很可怜它。
Lucia, a teacher by profession said she noticed Lilica roaming the streets and realized the poor dog was looking for food. “She walked and sniffed5 the garbage bins6 – that called my attention,” Lucia said. “I thought she was homeless because she was searching for food. It was then that I offered her some food.”
露西亚是一名教师,她注意到莉莉卡在街上逛来逛去,于是知道这只可怜的小狗正在寻找食物。露西亚说,“它一边走一边嗅垃圾桶,这引起了我的注意。它在找食物,所以我想它可能无家可归。那时我决定给它一些食物。”
“One day, she stopped eating, grabbed the open food bag and ran away with it. And the food was dropping from the bag along the way. Then, the following day when she finished eating I tied the bag. And she took it. From there on, that’s how we do it. I tie the bag and she carries it.”
“一天,它吃完后拉过开口的食物袋跑走了,食物撒了一路。第二天它吃完后,我就把袋子给扎上了。它叼着袋子走了。这后来成了我们的惯例。我把袋子扎上,它把袋子叼走。”
One day, Lucia followed Lilica, and discovered why she took the bag every night. It turns out that she was carrying the food back to the junkyard. “In the beginning, she brought food to her puppies, but in time she began bringing food for the other animals here in the junkyard as well,” said Neile. “Her attitude is different, the look of her eyes is different.”
有一天,露西亚跟在莉莉卡后面,发现了它每晚把袋子叼回家的原因。原来它是把食物带回垃圾场。“一开始,它把食物给它的孩子吃,但它很快开始把食物分给了垃圾场的其他动物”垃圾场管理员尼尔说,“它的态度不大一样,你可以从它的眼睛里看出来。”
The puppies were eventually adopted but Lilica didn’t stop. For the past three years, she has been walking the four-mile distance from the junkyard to Lucia’s home every night. Lucia follows her daily routine as well – she leaves home precisely7 at 9pm and waits for Lilica at an empty lot nearby. The dog arrives promptly8 to eat and collect her take away.
它的孩子最终被人收养了,但莉莉卡并没有停止找食。在过去的三年间,它每晚都会走上4英里路,从垃圾场来到露西亚的家。露西亚也遵循着她每日的惯例,每晚9点准时出门,走到附近的一块空地等莉莉卡。莉莉卡马上就会出现,吃完自己的食物后再打包带走一些食物。
“I don’t travel, I don’t go to places and stay for too long because of her,” said Lucia. Because I know she relies on me, so it’s a commitment that I have with her, and a commitment she has with me too ‘cause she comes every day.”
露西亚说,“我不怎么旅行。因为它,我就算出门也不会在别处呆很久。因为我知道它依靠着我,所以这是我对它的承诺,这也是它对我的承诺,因为它每天都会来。”
“We as human beings barely share things with others,” Neile said . “But an animal sharing things with other animals is a lesson for us.”
尼尔说,“我们人类并不常与人分享。但一只动物却会和别的动物分享,这给我们上了一课。”
1 mule [mju:l] 第8级 | |
n.骡子,杂种,执拗的人 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 solidarity [ˌsɒlɪˈdærəti] 第7级 | |
n.团结;休戚相关 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 cubs ['kʌbz] 第9级 | |
n.幼小的兽,不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 scraps [skræps] 第7级 | |
油渣 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 sniffed [snift] 第7级 | |
v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 bins [binz] 第7级 | |
n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 );宽口箱(如面包箱,垃圾箱等)v.扔掉,丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|