(英音版)新概念英語第四冊(cè)第23課：Birdflight

1、23 課： Bird flightLesson 23Bird flight鳥的飛行方法First listen and then answer the following question.聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。What are the two main types of bird flight described by the author?No two sorts of birds practise quite the same sort of flight; the varieties are infinite; but two classes may be roughly seen

2、. Any shi that crosses the Pacific is accompanied for many days by the smaller albatross, Which may keep company with the vessel for an hour without visible or more than occasional movement of wing. The currents of air that the walls of the ship direct upwards, as well as in the line of its course,

3、are enough to give the great bird with its immense wings sufficient sustenance and progress. The albatross is the king of the gliders, the class of fliers which harness the air to their purpose, but must yield to its opposition. In the contrary school, the duck is supreme. It comes nearer to the eng

4、ines with which man has 'conquered' the air, as he boasts. Duck, and like them the pigeons, are endowed with such-like muscles, that are a good part of the weight of the bird, and these will ply the short wings with such irresistible power that they can bore for long distances through an opp

5、osing gale before exhaustion follows. Their humbler followers, such as partridges, have a like power ofstrong propulsion, but soon tire. You may pick them up in utter exhaustion, if wind over the sea has driven them to a long journey. The swallow shares the virtues of both schools in highest measure

6、. It tires not, nor does it boast of its power; but belongs to the air, travelling it may be six thousand miles to and from its northern nesting home, feeding its flown young as it flies, and slipping through we no longer take omens from their flight on this side and that; and even the most supersti

7、tious villagers no longer take off their hats to the magpie and wish it good-morning.WILLIAM BEACH THOMAS A Countryman's CreedNew words and expressions 生詞和短語albatrossn. 信天翁sustenancen. 支撐力glidern. 滑翔者h(yuǎn)arnessv. 利用endowv. 賦有plyv. 持續(xù)地供給galen. 大風(fēng) partridge n. 鷓鴣 likeadj. 類似的 propulsion n. 推動(dòng)力 uttera

8、dj. 完全的 slipv. 滑行 adverse adj. 逆的，相反的 omen n. 預(yù)兆 參考譯文 沒有任何兩種鳥的飛行方式是相同的。鳥的飛行方式千差萬別，但大體上可分為兩類。任何一艘橫度太平洋的輪船都會(huì)有一種小信天 翁伴隨飛行很多天。它們隨船飛行一小時(shí)也難得見其扇動(dòng)一下翅膀。沿船體的上升的氣流和沿航線向前的氣流給這種巨翼大鳥以充足的浮 力和推力。信天翁是滑翔飛行的鳥類，它能自如地駕馭空氣，但必須 順氣流飛行。與滑翔鳥相對(duì)的另一類鳥中，數(shù)野鴨本領(lǐng)。它更近乎于人類自夸的“征服”了空氣的發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)。野鴨及它們相似的鴿子有天賦的鋼鐵般的肌肉，占了體重的很大一部分。這些肌肉以巨大的力量扇動(dòng)短小的翅膀，使這類鳥能頂著大風(fēng)飛行很遠(yuǎn)的路才會(huì)疲勞。次于野鴨和鴿子的鳥，如鷓鴣，有相似的巨大推動(dòng)力，但很快會(huì)疲勞。如果海風(fēng)驅(qū)使它們飛行很長距離，你能夠撿到一些因筋疲力盡而摔下來的鷓鴣。燕子充分兼有這兩類鳥的長處，它既不疲勞，也不炫耀自己的飛翔力；在空