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初级英语:小熊维尼(7)
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  • CHAPTER VII

    IN WHICH KANGA AND BABY ROO COME TO THE FOREST, AND PIGLET HAS A BATH

    Nobody seemed to know where they came from, but there they were in the Forest: Kanga and Baby Roo. When Pooh asked Christopher Robin1, "How did they come here?" Christopher Robin said, "In the Usual Way, if you know what I mean, Pooh," and Pooh, who didn't, said "Oh!" Then he nodded his head twice and said, "In the Usual Way. Ah!" Then he went to call upon his friend Piglet to see what he thought about it. And at Piglet's house he found Rabbit. So they all talked about it together.

    "What I don't like about it is this," said Rabbit. "Here are we—you, Pooh, and you, Piglet, and Me—and suddenly——"

    "And Eeyore," said Pooh.

    "And Eeyore—and then suddenly——"

    "And Owl," said Pooh.

    "And Owl—and then all of a sudden——"

    "Oh, and Eeyore," said Pooh. "I was forgetting him."

    "Here—we—are," said Rabbit very slowly and carefully, "all—of—us, and then, suddenly, we wake up one morning and, what do we find? We find a Strange Animal among us. An animal of whom we have never even heard before! An animal who carries her family about with her in her pocket! Suppose I carried my family about with me in my pocket, how many pockets should I want?"

    "Sixteen," said Piglet.

    "Seventeen, isn't it?" said Rabbit. "And one more for a handkerchief—that's eighteen. Eighteen pockets in one suit! I haven't time."

    There was a long and thoughtful silence ... and then Pooh, who had been frowning very hard for some minutes, said: "I make it fifteen."

    "What?" said Rabbit.

    "Fifteen."

    "Fifteen what?"

    "Your family."

    "What about them?"

    Pooh rubbed his nose and said that he thought Rabbit had been talking about his family.

    "Did I?" said Rabbit carelessly.

    "Yes, you said——"

    "Never mind, Pooh," said Piglet impatiently.

    "The question is, What are we to do about Kanga?"

    "Oh, I see," said Pooh.

    "The best way," said Rabbit, "would be this. The best way would be to steal Baby Roo and hide him, and then when Kanga says, 'Where's Baby Roo?' we say, 'Aha!'"

    "Aha!" said Pooh, practising. "Aha! Aha! ... Of course," he went on, "we could say 'Aha!' even if we hadn't stolen Baby Roo."

    "Pooh," said Rabbit kindly2, "you haven't any brain."

    "I know," said Pooh humbly3.

    "We say 'Aha!' so that Kanga knows that we know where Baby Roo is. 'Aha!' means 'We'll tell you where Baby Roo is, if you promise to go away from the Forest and never come back.' Now don't talk while I think."

    Pooh went into a corner and tried saying 'Aha!' in that sort of voice. Sometimes it seemed to him that it did mean what Rabbit said, and sometimes it seemed to him that it didn't. "I suppose it's just practice," he thought. "I wonder if Kanga will have to practise too so as to understand it."

    "There's just one thing," said Piglet, fidgeting a bit. "I was talking to Christopher Robin, and he said that a Kanga was Generally Regarded as One of the Fiercer Animals. I am not frightened of Fierce Animals in the ordinary way, but it is well known that, if One of the Fiercer Animals is Deprived of Its Young, it becomes as fierce as Two of the Fiercer Animals. In which case 'Aha!' is perhaps a foolish thing to say."

    "Piglet," said Rabbit, taking out a pencil, and licking the end of it, "you haven't any pluck."

    "It is hard to be brave," said Piglet, sniffing4 slightly, "when you're only a Very Small Animal."

    Rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said:

    "It is because you are a very small animal that you will be Useful in the adventure before us."

    Piglet was so excited at the idea of being Useful, that he forgot to be frightened any more, and when Rabbit went on to say that Kangas were only Fierce during the winter months, being at other times of an Affectionate Disposition5, he could hardly sit still, he was so eager to begin being useful at once.

    "What about me?" said Pooh sadly. "I suppose I shan't be useful?"

    "Never mind, Pooh," said Piglet comfortingly. "Another time perhaps."

    "Without Pooh," said Rabbit solemnly as he sharpened his pencil, "the adventure would be impossible."

    "Oh!" said Piglet, and tried not to look disappointed. But Pooh went into a corner of the room and said proudly to himself, "Impossible without Me! That sort of Bear."

    "Now listen all of you," said Rabbit when he had finished writing, and Pooh and Piglet sat listening very eagerly with their mouths open. This was what Rabbit read out:

    PLAN TO CAPTURE BABY ROO

    1. General Remarks. Kanga runs faster than any of Us, even Me.

    2. More General Remarks. Kanga never takes her eye off Baby Roo, except when he's safely buttoned up in her pocket.

    3. Therefore. If we are to capture Baby Roo, we must get a Long Start, because Kanga runs faster than any of Us, even Me. (See 1.)

    4. A Thought. If Roo had jumped out of Kanga's pocket and Piglet had jumped in, Kanga wouldn't know the difference, because Piglet is a Very Small Animal.

    5. Like Roo.

    6. But Kanga would have to be looking the other way first, so as not to see Piglet jumping in.

    7. See 2.

    8. Another Thought. But if Pooh was talking to her very excitedly, she might look the other way for a moment.

    9. And then I could run away with Roo.

    10. Quickly.

    11. And Kanga wouldn't discover the difference until Afterwards.

    Well, Rabbit read this out proudly, and for a little while after he had read it nobody said anything. And then Piglet, who had been opening and shutting his mouth without making any noise, managed to say very huskily:

    "And—Afterwards?"

    "How do you mean?"

    "When Kanga does Discover the Difference?"

    "Then we all say 'Aha!'"

    "All three of us?"

    "Yes."

    "Oh!"

    "Why, what's the trouble, Piglet?"

    "Nothing," said Piglet, "as long as we all three say it. As long as we all three say it," said Piglet, "I don't mind," he said, "but I shouldn't care to say 'Aha!' by myself. It wouldn't sound nearly so well. By the way," he said, "you are quite sure about what you said about the winter months?"

    "The winter months?"

    "Yes, only being Fierce in the Winter Months."

    "Oh, yes, yes, that's all right. Well, Pooh? You see what you have to do?"

    "No," said Pooh Bear. "Not yet," he said. "What do I do?"

    "Well, you just have to talk very hard to Kanga so as she doesn't notice anything."

    "Oh! What about?"

    "Anything you like."

    "You mean like telling her a little bit of poetry or something?"

    "That's it," said Rabbit. "Splendid. Now come along."

    So they all went out to look for Kanga.

    Kanga and Roo were spending a quiet afternoon in a sandy part of the Forest. Baby Roo was practising very small jumps in the sand, and falling down mouse-holes and climbing out of them, and Kanga was fidgeting about and saying "Just one more jump, dear, and then we must go home." And at that moment who should come stumping6 up the hill but Pooh.

    "Good afternoon, Kanga."

    "Good afternoon, Pooh."

    "Look at me jumping," squeaked7 Roo, and fell into another mouse-hole.

    "Hallo, Roo, my little fellow!"

    "We were just going home," said Kanga. "Good afternoon, Rabbit. Good afternoon, Piglet."

    Rabbit and Piglet, who had now come up from the other side of the hill, said "Good afternoon," and "Hallo, Roo," and Roo asked them to look at him jumping, so they stayed and looked.

    And Kanga looked too....

    "Oh, Kanga," said Pooh, after Rabbit had winked8 at him twice, "I don't know if you are interested in Poetry at all?"

    "Hardly at all," said Kanga.

    "Oh!" said Pooh.

    "Roo, dear, just one more jump and then we must go home."

    There was a short silence while Roo fell down another mouse-hole.

    "Go on," said Rabbit in a loud whisper behind his paw.

    "Talking of Poetry," said Pooh, "I made up a little piece as I was coming along. It went like this. Er—now let me see——"

    "Fancy!" said Kanga. "Now Roo, dear——"

    "You'll like this piece of poetry," said Rabbit.

    "You'll love it," said Piglet.

    "You must listen very carefully," said Rabbit.

    "So as not to miss any of it," said Piglet.

    "Oh, yes," said Kanga, but she still looked at Baby Roo.

    "How did it go, Pooh?" said Rabbit.

    Pooh gave a little cough and began.

    LINES WRITTEN BY A BEAR OF VERY LITTLE BRAIN

    On Monday, when the sun is hot

    I wonder to myself a lot:

    "Now is it true, or is it not,

    "That what is which and which is what?"

    On Tuesday, when it hails and snows,

    The feeling on me grows and grows

    That hardly anybody knows

    If those are these or these are those.

    On Wednesday, when the sky is blue,

    And I have nothing else to do,

    I sometimes wonder if it's true

    That who is what and what is who.

    On Thursday, when it starts to freeze

    And hoar-frost twinkles on the trees,

    How very readily one sees

    That these are whose—but whose are these?

    On Friday——

    "Yes, it is, isn't it?" said Kanga, not waiting to hear what happened on Friday. "Just one more jump, Roo, dear, and then we really must be going."

    Rabbit gave Pooh a hurrying-up sort of nudge.

    "Talking of Poetry," said Pooh quickly, "have you ever noticed that tree right over there?"

    "Where?" said Kanga. "Now, Roo——"

    "Right over there," said Pooh, pointing behind Kanga's back.

    "No," said Kanga. "Now jump in, Roo, dear, and we'll go home."

    "You ought to look at that tree right over there," said Rabbit. "Shall I lift you in, Roo?" And he picked up Roo in his paws.

    "I can see a bird in it from here," said Pooh. "Or is it a fish?"

    "You ought to see that bird from here," said Rabbit. "Unless it's a fish."

    "It isn't a fish, it's a bird," said Piglet.

    "So it is," said Rabbit.

    "Is it a starling or a blackbird?" said Pooh.

    "That's the whole question," said Rabbit. "Is it a blackbird or a starling?"

    And then at last Kanga did turn her head to look. And the moment that her head was turned, Rabbit said in a loud voice "In you go, Roo!" and in jumped Piglet into Kanga's pocket, and off scampered9 Rabbit, with Roo in his paws, as fast as he could.

    "Why, where's Rabbit?" said Kanga, turning round again. "Are you all right, Roo, dear?"

    Piglet made a squeaky Roo-noise from the bottom of Kanga's pocket.

    "Rabbit had to go away," said Pooh. "I think he thought of something he had to go and see about suddenly."

    "And Piglet?"

    "I think Piglet thought of something at the same time. Suddenly."

    "Well, we must be getting home," said Kanga. "Good-bye, Pooh." And in three large jumps she was gone.

    Pooh looked after her as she went.

    "I wish I could jump like that," he thought. "Some can and some can't. That's how it is."

    But there were moments when Piglet wished that Kanga couldn't. Often, when he had had a long walk home through the Forest, he had wished that he were a bird; but now he thought jerkily to himself at the bottom of Kanga's pocket,

    this take

    "If is shall really to

    flying I never it."

    And as he went up in the air he said, "Ooooooo!" and as he came down he said, "Ow!" And he was saying, "Ooooooo-ow, Ooooooo-ow, Ooooooo-ow" all the way to Kanga's house.

    Of course as soon as Kanga unbuttoned her pocket, she saw what had happened. Just for a moment, she thought she was frightened, and then she knew she wasn't; for she felt quite sure that Christopher Robin would never let any harm happen to Roo. So she said to herself, "If they are having a joke with me, I will have a joke with them."

    "Now then, Roo, dear," she said, as she took Piglet out of her pocket. "Bed-time."

    "Aha!" said Piglet, as well as he could after his Terrifying Journey. But it wasn't a very good "Aha!" and Kanga didn't seem to understand what it meant.

    "Bath first," said Kanga in a cheerful voice.

    "Aha!" said Piglet again, looking round anxiously for the others. But the others weren't there. Rabbit was playing with Baby Roo in his own house, and feeling more fond of him every minute, and Pooh, who had decided10 to be a Kanga, was still at the sandy place on the top of the Forest, practising jumps.

    "I am not at all sure," said Kanga in a thoughtful voice, "that it wouldn't be a good idea to have a cold bath this evening. Would you like that, Roo, dear?"

    Piglet, who had never been really fond of baths, shuddered11 a long indignant shudder12, and said in as brave a voice as he could:

    "Kanga, I see that the time has come to spleak painly."

    "Funny little Roo," said Kanga, as she got the bath-water ready.

    "I am not Roo," said Piglet loudly. "I am Piglet!"

    "Yes, dear, yes," said Kanga soothingly13. "And imitating Piglet's voice too! So clever of him," she went on, as she took a large bar of yellow soap out of the cupboard. "What will he be doing next?"

    "Can't you see?" shouted Piglet. "Haven't you got eyes? Look at me!"

    "I am looking, Roo, dear," said Kanga rather severely14. "And you know what I told you yesterday about making faces. If you go on making faces like Piglet's, you will grow up to look like Piglet—and then think how sorry you will be. Now then, into the bath, and don't let me have to speak to you about it again."

    Before he knew where he was, Piglet was in the bath, and Kanga was scrubbing him firmly with a large lathery15 flannel16.

    "Ow!" cried Piglet. "Let me out! I'm Piglet!"

    "Don't open the mouth, dear, or the soap goes in," said Kanga. "There! What did I tell you?"

    "You—you—you did it on purpose," spluttered Piglet, as soon as he could speak again ... and then accidentally had another mouthful of lathery flannel.

    "That's right, dear, don't say anything," said Kanga, and in another minute Piglet was out of the bath, and being rubbed dry with a towel.

    "Now," said Kanga, "there's your medicine, and then bed."

    "W-w-what medicine?" said Piglet.

    "To make you grow big and strong, dear. You don't want to grow up small and weak like Piglet, do you? Well, then!"

    At that moment there was a knock at the door.

    "Come in," said Kanga, and in came Christopher Robin.

    "Christopher Robin, Christopher Robin!" cried Piglet. "Tell Kanga who I am! She keeps saying I'm Roo. I'm not Roo, am I?"

    Christopher Robin looked at him very carefully, and shook his head.

    "You can't be Roo," he said, "because I've just seen Roo playing in Rabbit's house."

    "Well!" said Kanga. "Fancy that! Fancy my making a mistake like that."

    "There you are!" said Piglet. "I told you so. I'm Piglet."

    Christopher Robin shook his head again.

    "Oh, you're not Piglet," he said. "I know Piglet well, and he's quite a different colour."

    Piglet began to say that this was because he had just had a bath, and then he thought that perhaps he wouldn't say that, and as he opened his mouth to say something else, Kanga slipped the medicine spoon in, and then patted him on the back and told him that it was really quite a nice taste when you got used to it.

    "I knew it wasn't Piglet," said Kanga. "I wonder who it can be."

    "Perhaps it's some relation of Pooh's," said Christopher Robin. "What about a nephew or an uncle or something?"

    Kanga agreed that this was probably what it was, and said that they would have to call it by some name.

    "I shall call it Pootel," said Christopher Robin. "Henry Pootel for short."

    And just when it was decided, Henry Pootel wriggled17 out of Kanga's arms and jumped to the ground. To his great joy Christopher Robin had left the door open. Never had Henry Pootel Piglet run so fast as he ran then, and he didn't stop running until he had got quite close to his house. But when he was a hundred yards away he stopped running, and rolled the rest of the way home, so as to get his own nice comfortable colour again....

    So Kanga and Roo stayed in the Forest. And every Tuesday Roo spent the day with his great friend Rabbit, and every Tuesday Kanga spent the day with her great friend Pooh, teaching him to jump, and every Tuesday Piglet spent the day with his great friend Christopher Robin. So they were all happy again.



    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 robin [ˈrɒbɪn] Oj7zme   第10级
    n.知更鸟,红襟鸟
    参考例句:
    • The robin is the messenger of spring. 知更鸟是报春的使者。
    • We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin. 我们看见了一只知更鸟,知道春天要到了。
    2 kindly [ˈkaɪndli] tpUzhQ   第8级
    adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
    参考例句:
    • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable. 她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
    • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman. 一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
    3 humbly ['hʌmblɪ] humbly   第7级
    adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地
    参考例句:
    • We humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy. 我们恳请陛下发发慈悲。
    • "You must be right, Sir,'said John humbly. “你一定是对的,先生,”约翰恭顺地说道。
    4 sniffing [ˈsnifiŋ] 50b6416c50a7d3793e6172a8514a0576   第7级
    n.探查法v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的现在分词 );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:
    • We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了,一个劲地抽鼻子,打喷嚏。
    • They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了,呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    5 disposition [ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃn] GljzO   第7级
    n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署
    参考例句:
    • He has made a good disposition of his property. 他已对财产作了妥善处理。
    • He has a cheerful disposition. 他性情开朗。
    6 stumping [s'tʌmpɪŋ] d2271b7b899995e88f7cb8a3a0704172   第8级
    僵直地行走,跺步行走( stump的现在分词 ); 把(某人)难住; 使为难; (选举前)在某一地区作政治性巡回演说
    参考例句:
    • She's tired of stumping up for school fees, books and uniform. 她讨厌为学费、课本和校服掏腰包。
    • But Democrats and Republicans are still dumping stumping for the young. 但是民主党和共和党依然向年轻人发表演说以争取他们的支持。
    7 squeaked [skwi:kt] edcf2299d227f1137981c7570482c7f7   第9级
    v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 );吱吱叫;告密;充当告密者
    参考例句:
    • The radio squeaked five. 收音机里嘟嘟地发出五点钟报时讯号。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    • Amy's shoes squeaked on the tiles as she walked down the corridor. 埃米走过走廊时,鞋子踩在地砖上嘎吱作响。 来自辞典例句
    8 winked [wiŋkt] af6ada503978fa80fce7e5d109333278   第7级
    v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮
    参考例句:
    • He winked at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing that she was. 他冲她眨了眨眼,她便知道他的想法和她一样。
    • He winked his eyes at her and left the classroom. 他向她眨巴一下眼睛走出了教室。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    9 scampered [ˈskæmpəd] fe23b65cda78638ec721dec982b982df   第11级
    v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑,惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • The cat scampered away. 猫刺棱一下跑了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    • The rabbIt'scampered off. 兔子迅速跑掉了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    10 decided [dɪˈsaɪdɪd] lvqzZd   第7级
    adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
    参考例句:
    • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents. 这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
    • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting. 英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
    11 shuddered [ˈʃʌdəd] 70137c95ff493fbfede89987ee46ab86   第8级
    v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动
    参考例句:
    • He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车,车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    12 shudder [ˈʃʌdə(r)] JEqy8   第8级
    vi.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动
    参考例句:
    • The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him. 看到那副棺材,他浑身一阵战栗。
    • We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place. 我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。
    13 soothingly [su:ðɪŋlɪ] soothingly   第7级
    adv.抚慰地,安慰地;镇痛地
    参考例句:
    • The mother talked soothingly to her child. 母亲对自己的孩子安慰地说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • He continued to talk quietly and soothingly to the girl until her frightened grip on his arm was relaxed. 他继续柔声安慰那姑娘,她那因恐惧而紧抓住他的手终于放松了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    14 severely [sə'vɪrlɪ] SiCzmk   第7级
    adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
    参考例句:
    • He was severely criticized and removed from his post. 他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
    • He is severely put down for his careless work. 他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
    15 lathery ['læðərɪ] 45e91e6356e010cfe540cc0ce9d59b76   第11级
    adj.肥皂泡的,充满泡沫的
    参考例句:
    16 flannel [ˈflænl] S7dyQ   第9级
    n.法兰绒;法兰绒衣服
    参考例句:
    • She always wears a grey flannel trousers. 她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。
    • She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt. 她穿着法兰绒裙子,看上去楚楚动人。
    17 wriggled [ˈrɪgəld] cd018a1c3280e9fe7b0169cdb5687c29   第10级
    v.扭动,蠕动,蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 );(使身体某一部位)扭动;耍滑不做,逃避(应做的事等)
    参考例句:
    • He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

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