美国的小学语文教材

来源：《用美国小孩的方法学英语最有效》

(3rd Grade)

The Pony Express

Long ago, there were no telephones or radios. There were no televisions or computers. There were no airplanes or cars. It was hard to get news all the way to California。

People who lived in California needed a quick way to get mail and news from the East. People wanted news about their friends and families. They also wanted to know what was happening in other places in the country。

Three people started a company called the Pony Express. The Pony Express carried mail and news throughout the West. On April 3, 1860, one Pony Express rider rode west from St. Joseph, Missouri. St. Joseph was the last stop for trains coming from the East. On the same day, another rider rode east from Sacramento, California. Both young men carried four bags of mail. The Pony Express was much faster than the stagecoach. A stagecoach took one month to deliver mail. A Pony Express rider could do it in ten days。

The Pony Express hired young men. They were often younger than 18 years old. They were skinny, too. No rider could weigh more than 120 pounds. That helped their ponies run longer and faster。

The Pony Express ponies were mustangs. These were small, wild horses. The horses were less than five feet tall. They galloped almost twelve miles an hour. The horses were smart. They learned their routes fast。

Besides riders, other people helped run the Pony Express. Some people worked at stations. One of their jobs was to take care of the company's horses. Riders picked up fresh horses when they stopped at stations。

The riders and the people who worked at the stations faced many dangers. One was the weather. Snowstorms slowed riders crossing the high mountains. Sandstorms slowed riders crossing the long, dry deserts. Wild animals like wolves were another danger. The riders also had to protect themselves from bandits. Bandits tried to steal horses. They also took whatever money the riders were carrying。

Still, there were young men willing to ride for the Pony Express. Together, they covered 2,000 miles of land. A rider would leave one station and gallop to another. At his first stop, he slipped the mail cover off the saddle. He threw it on the saddle

of a new horse. Then he was off again. This took about two minutes. Each rider rode 60 to 80 miles. He stopped every 15 to 25 miles to get a fresh horse. At the end of his trip, a fresh rider on a fresh horse took his place. The first rider stayed at his last station until it was time for his next job。

The Pony Express was successful. It delivered the mail faster than stagecoaches. But it only lasted about one and one-half years. It stopped running when telegraph wires reached California. By October 1861, the Pony Express closed its doors. Its riders and horses were no longer needed。

Words and Phrases 单词和短语

Pony Express 驿马快信

St. Jopseph 圣约瑟

Missouri [mi'zu?ri] n. 密苏里州(美国州名)

Sacramento [?s?kr?'ment?u] n. 萨克拉曼多(美国加州首府)

California [k?li'f?:nj?] n. 加利福尼亚，加州

stagecoach ['steid?k?ut?] n. 驿马车；公共马车

deliver [di'liv?] v. 递送，交付

skinny ['skini] adj. 极瘦的，皮包骨的

mustang ['m?st??] n. 野马

gallop ['g?l?p] v. (使马)飞奔，奔驰

snowstorm ['sn?ust?:m] n. 暴风雪

sandstorm ['s?ndst?:m] n. 沙暴，沙漠地带的暴风沙

bandit ['b?ndit] n. 土匪，强盗

mail cover 邮袋，邮封

saddle ['s?dl] n. 马鞍

译文

驿马快信

很久以前没有电话和收音机，更没有电视机和电脑。当时的人们也没有飞机或者汽车。加利福尼亚想得到外界的信息很困难。

住在加利福尼亚的人们需要一种方法，一种能够快速收到邮件和美国东部信息的方法。人们想得到朋友和家人的信息，也想知道美国其他各地发生的事件。

当时有三个人组建了一个名叫“驿马快信”的公司，负责在美国西部运送邮件和新闻。1860年4月3日，驿马快信公司的一个骑士从密苏里州的圣约瑟向西驶去。圣约瑟是从美国东部驶来的火车的最后一站。同一天，另一个骑士从加利福尼亚的萨克拉曼向东急速驶来。两个年轻人各自携带四袋信件。驿马快信要比当时的公共马车快多了。公共马车送信历时一月之久，而驿马快信则能在十日之内送到。

驿马快信公司雇佣的都是年轻人，他们通常都在18岁以下，且身材极瘦。所有的骑士均不得超过120英磅。这样有助于他们的马匹跑得距离更长，时速更快。

驿马快公司的马匹都是体形小的野马，它们身高不过五英尺，奔跑时时速可达12英里。这些马很聪明，它们很快就能识途。

除了骑士，经营驿马快信公司还需要其他的人手。一些人在驿站工作。他们的工作之一就是照料公司的马匹，以便骑士们赶到驿站时有精力充沛的马匹可骑。

骑士和驿站工作人员都面临许多危险，恶劣天气就是其中之一。暴风雪会减慢骑士越过高山的速度。沙尘暴也会减慢骑士们穿越漫长干旱的沙漠的速度。狼等野生动物也是一大危险。此外，骑士们还得保护自己以防强盗的袭击。强盗们不仅企图偷马，还会抢劫骑士们身上的钱财。

尽管如此，仍然有年轻男士愿意在驿马快信公司当差。他们的足迹遍布2000英里的土地。骑士离开一个驿站快马飞奔驶向下一个。在第一站时，他会把把邮袋从马鞍上卸下，继而把它扔到一匹新马的马鞍上继续前行，中间的停顿仅有两分钟。每个骑士要骑60英里到80英里不等。每15到20英里会在驿站上做短暂地停留以换取新马。当一个骑士旅程结束后，会有一个新的骑士和一匹新的马来接替他。第一个骑手则在他最终到达的驿站上等待下一次出征。

驿马快信当时很成功。它送信的速度比公共马车快。然而它只维持了大约一年到一年半的光景。当电报线在加利福尼亚设立后，驿马快信就停止了营运。1861年10月，驿马快信公司彻底停业。至此，骑士和马匹就再也不需要了。

Practice

1.What was the Pony Express?

________________________________

________________________________

2.Why did the Pony Express start?

________________________________

________________________________

3.What dangers did Pony Express riders face?

______________________________________

______________________________________

练习

1. 什么是驿马快信？

2. 为什么驿马快信会建立？

3. 驿马快信的骑士们会面临什么危险？

答案

1. The Pony Express was a service started in 1860 that carried mail and news throughtout the West。

驿马信使是建于1860年的一个服务机构，它向西部地区送去信件和新闻。

2. People who lived in California needed a quick way to get mail and news from the East. A stagecoach took one month to deliver mail. A Pony Express rider could do it in ten days。

生活在加利福尼亚的人们需要更快地得到来自美国东部的信件和新闻，而公共马车送信要历时一个月之久。驿马信使在十日之内就能把信送到。

3. Pony Express riders had to ride through dangerous weather, such as snowstorms and sandstorms. They also faced wild animals and bandits。

驿马信使的邮差骑士员面临恶劣的天气，比如暴风雪和沙尘暴，还有野生动物和强盗的袭击。

【注】

驿马快信又称快马邮递或小马快递，是美国近代一项快马接力，用于加利福尼亚州和密苏里州际间传递邮件。

驿马快信创立于1860年4月，东起密苏里州圣约瑟夫，西至加利福尼亚州加缅度，全长2900公里，共设有157个驿站。1861年10月，驿马快信停业。虽然只历时1年半时间，但它却在美国历史上留下了一段传奇。

如今，“快马邮递”被用作快递商标，美国和俄罗斯均有以此命名的公司。

来源：《用美国小孩的方法学英语最有效》

Tales of Tail 动物尾巴的作用

睡眠

(4th Grade)

Tales of Tail

Many animals have tails. They use their tails for many different purposes. For instance, some animals use their tails as flyswatters. Have you ever seen a cow flicking its tail back and forth? It's getting rid of bugs. Horses use their tails in this way, too。

Some animals hang by their tails. Monkeys often do this. Then they can use all four of their paws for other things, such as eating. Another animal that uses its tail as a "hanger" is the opossum. The opossum also uses its tail to help it climb trees。

Animals that live in the water use their tails to help them swim. A fish moves its tail from side to side. The rest of its body curves in the opposite direction from its tail. Alligators and crocodiles also swing their tails as they swim. Their large tails give them power and speed。

The kangaroo has a large, useful tail. It is like a chair. The kangaroo leans on its tail to rest. The tail is also good for leaping and landing. It helps the kangaroo to keep its balance. This is important because an adult kangaroo can leap as far as 15 feet at a time。

A fox has a big, bushy tail. This is a good tail to have on cold nights. The fox can put its tail over its nose and paws while it sleeps. The tails is a blanket that keeps the fox warm。

Some animals don't keep their tails with them at all times. One example is the lizard. If an enemy pulls the lizard's tail in a struggle, the tail breaks off. The lizard leaves its tail and runs to safety. Don't worry! The lizard will soon grow a new tail。

Words and Phrases 单词和短语

for instance 例如，比如

flyswatter ['flai?sw?t?] n. 苍蝇拍

flick [flik] vt. 轻拍，轻弹

back and forth 来回地

get rid of 除掉，去除

opossum [?'p?s?m] n. 负鼠

from side to side 左右(摇摆)

curve [k?:v] v. (使)弯成弧形

alligator ['?li?geit?] n. 短吻鳄

crocodile ['kr?k?dail] n. 鳄鱼

kangaroo [?k??g?'ru:] n. 袋鼠

bushy ['bu?i] adj. 浓密的

lizard ['liz?d] n. 蜥蜴

break off (使)分离；(使)脱离

译文

动物尾巴的作用

很多动物都有尾巴，它们的尾巴有不同的用途。比如，有些动物把它们的尾巴当苍蝇拍。你是否见过一头牛来回不停地轻弹着尾巴以驱赶蚊虫？马的尾巴也有这样的用途。

有些动物的尾巴用来悬挂自己。悬挂是猴子最常做的事情。这样，它们就可以腾出四肢去做其他的事情，比如吃东西。负鼠也是一种把尾巴当挂钩使的动物，除此之外，负鼠的尾巴还有助于它攀爬树木。

居住在水里的动物，它们用尾巴来帮助自己在水里游来游去。鱼就是通过用尾巴左右摇摆，身体呈与尾巴相反方向的弯曲来游动的。短吻鳄与鳄鱼也是通过摆动尾巴来游动，此外尾巴还能为它们提供力量和速度。

袋鼠也有一条大的、有用的尾巴。尾巴对它们来说就像一把椅子，它可以倚靠在上面休息。此外，尾巴还有助于袋鼠跳跃、着陆和保持身体的平衡，这点很重要，因为袋鼠一跳就高达15英尺。

狐狸也有一条大的、绒毛浓密的尾巴，这条尾巴在寒冷的夜晚真是有用极了。狐狸睡觉时，尾巴能够遮盖其鼻子和四肢，这时候尾巴就如同一条毛毯，起到御寒的作用。

还有一些动物，它们的尾巴可以脱离身体。蜥蜴就是这种动物之一，当敌人扯起蜥蜴的尾巴时，它就会自行断尾，逃生。不过不用担心，不久它还会长出一条新的尾巴。

Practice

1. Animals use their tails for different ___________ 。

A. periods

B. purposes

C. seasons

D. lengths

2. The monkey uses its tail to ___________ 。

A. swim

B. climb

C. hang

D. talk

3. Alligators and crocodiles use their tails for ___________ 。

A. fishing

B. flying

C. power

D. curves

4. A kangaroo's tail is also helpful for ___________ 。

A. jumping

B. swimming

C. walking

D. crying

练习

1. 动物的尾巴有不同的 ___________ 。

A. 时期

B. 用途

C. 季节

D. 长度

2. 猴子用它的尾巴来 ___________ 。

A. 游泳

B. 攀爬

C. 悬挂

D. 交谈

3. 短吻鳄和鳄鱼用它们的尾巴来 ___________。

A. 钓鱼

B. 飞翔

C. 力量

D. 弯曲

4. 袋鼠的尾巴对 ___________ 也很有用。

A. 跳跃

B. 游泳

C. 行走

D. 哭泣

答案

1. B 2。 C 3。D 4。 A

(4th Grade)

How the Mail is Delivered

Read the paragraphs below to learn how the mail is delivered. The paragraphs are not in the correct order. Read the texts carefully and decide which should be first, second, third, fourth and fifth. Write the order in the boxes below。

A. Thursday morning the mail carrier for Main Street picked up her pile of letters. She sorted all of them by street address. The people at 1 Main Street got their mail first. Dave lived at 221 Main Street. He got his letter before lunch。

B. Juan lives in New York. He wrote a letter to Dave. Dave lives in Oregon. Juan put the letter in the mailbox on Monday night. On Tuesday morning a truck stopped at the mailbox. The mail carrier put the letters into a large bag and took the bag to a post office in New York。

C. By noon the letters were in an airport in Oregon. Mail trucks then took them to post offices. One of these was in Dave's town. Wednesday night people in Dave's town sorted the letters by street name。

D. The post office has plenty of work to do. It handles thousands of letters per day. Let's follow a letter all the way across America。

E. Tuesday afternoon the letters were sorted. Zip codes were used to sort the mail. A machine picked up a letter and held it. A worker read the Zip code. Then

Words and Phrases 单词和短语

post office 邮局

Oregon ['?rig?n] n. 俄勒冈州(美国州名)

mailbox ['meilb?ks] n. 邮筒，信箱

mail carrier 邮递员

zip code 邮递区号；邮政编码

button ['b?tn] n. 按钮；纽扣

take off ( 飞机 ) 起飞

译文

信件的流程

读下列段落了解信的流程。下列段落并不是按正确顺序排列的，仔细阅读全文，按1、2、3、4、5的顺序正确排列文章，并把答案写到下面的表格中。

A. 星期四早上，街道信差拿起一撂信件，把它们按街道地址一一分类。住在街道的第一户人家最先收到他们的信。戴夫住在街道221号，那么在中午前就可以收到胡安写给他的信。

B。胡安住在纽约，他给住在俄勒冈州的的戴夫写了一封信。星期一晚上，胡安把信放进了邮筒。星期二一早，一辆卡车停在邮筒旁。信差把邮筒里的信件放进了一个大袋子里，把它们带回了纽约邮局。

C. 当天中午这些信件就抵达了俄勒冈的机场，然后邮政车把它们运往当地邮局，其中一些信就是发往戴夫所在的城市。当天晚上戴夫所在城市的邮局工作人员把这些信件按照街名分类。

D. 邮局有大量的工作要做，他们每天都

要处理数千封邮件。让我们看看一封信在美国的流程。

E. 星期二下午，工作人员开始给这些信件

分类。邮政编码是信件分类的依据。一台机器捡起一封信并握住它。一名工作人员读信上的邮政编码，然后按另一个机器上的五个按钮，这个动作只需一秒钟的时间。

按完按钮后，机器把信件放到一个盒子里。星期二晚上，这个盛着信件的盒子就会被放到卡车上，继而卡车载着它前往机场。星期三早上一架飞机起飞前往俄勒冈州，胡安的信件就在这架飞机上。

答案

1 D

2 B

3 E

4 C

5 A

来源：《用美国小孩的方法学英语最有效》

(2nd Grade)

King of the Worms

Jody Gerard was 10 years old when he decided he needed a job. He thought it might be fun to raise worms. He could sell them to farmers and people who fished. So in the spring, he bought many worms. Jody put the worms in clean dirt. He gave them water, leaves, and corn all summer. The worms got fat, and Jody sold many of them. But that winter he did not put them in a warm place. The cold weather killed all the worms。

The next spring Jody tried again. He bought more worms. He took good care of them. Many people bought Jody's worms. When winter came Jody took the worms inside so they would stay warm。

One day when Jody was 12, he got a letter. It was from the state of New York, where he lived. The letter said, "Everyone who sells things has to pay taxes!" Jody made only 50 cents per day selling worms. But he still had to pay part of that money to the state. Jody told many people in his town what had happened. Soon some people from a television station came to Jody's house. He told them about his problem. They showed a film on television of their talk with Jody. Many people saw it. The people began to write letters to the state. The letters said that the law was unfair. Finally the law was changed. Children like Jody can now sell things without paying money to the state。

Words and Phrases 单词和短语

worm [w?:m] n. 虫，蠕虫

take care of 照料，照顾

tax [t?ks] n. 税，税额；vt. 向……征税

Television station 电视台

译文

蠕虫之王

乔迪?杰勒德在十岁的时候决定要找一份工作。他认为养虫子或许会比较有趣。他可以把这些虫子卖给农场主或者需要钓鱼的人们。春天的时候，他买了很多虫子。他把这些虫子放进干净的泥土里，整个夏天一直给它们喂水、树叶和谷物。虫子们长势很好，个个都很胖，所以销量很好。但是那年冬天乔迪没有把它们转移到一个温暖的地方，寒冬里虫子都冻死了。

第二年春天，乔迪继续养虫子。这次他买了更多的虫苗，并且细心地照料它们。有很多人买乔迪的虫子。冬天又来临的时候，乔迪把虫子移进屋里，这样它们就安然地过冬了。

乔迪12岁的时候，他收到了一封信，信来自他的居住地——纽约。信上说：“任何出售商品的人都要交税。”乔迪每天卖虫子只有50美分的收入，但他仍然要上交一部分钱给政府。乔迪把发生在自己身上的这件事告诉了很多人。不久电视台派人到乔迪家。乔迪向他们诉说了自己的问题。电视台把与乔迪的谈话放在电视上播映，很多人都知道了此事。人们纷纷向政府写信，信上说法律不公平，不应该对孩子收税。最后法律做了更改。像乔迪一样销售商品的孩子可以免税。

Practice

1. When did Jody first sell worms? ___________

A. when he was 10

B. when he was 14

C. when he was 12

2. When did all of Jody's worms die? ___________

A. i n the summer

B. in the spring

C. in the winter

3. When did the state try to get money from Jody? ___________

A. right after he started selling worms

B. when he was 12 years old

C. after the law was changed to help children

练习

1. 乔迪是什么时候开始卖虫子的？

A. 他10岁的时候

B. 他14岁的时候

C. 他12岁的时候

2. 乔迪的虫子是什么时间死的？

A. 夏季

B. 春季

C. 冬季

3. 什么时候政府开始向乔迪征税的？

A. 在他刚开始卖虫子的时候

B. 当他12岁的时候

C. 当为了帮助孩子们改变法律后

答案

1. A

2. C

3. B

来源：《用美国小孩的方法学英语最有效》

(2nd Grade)

How to Box the Gnat

All over the country, many Americans are learning to "dip for the oyster", "box and gnat", and "wring the dishrag" . These are special names for different movements in square dances。

A square-dance party may be called by many names. Such a party may be called a hog wrassle, a hoedown, a barndance, or shindig. All square dances are alike in certain ways. Four couples line up and face each other. A caller chants or sings directions. The dancers shuffle, glide, or run while people clap。

Pioneers in New England started these dances. As people moved westward and southward, new movements were added. In the Midwest, dancers created the "grand right and left". In the far West, cowboys lifted their partners off the ground during "the swing"。

Square dancing comes from dances done long ago in England. People there did country dances. In one country dance, dancers formed a circle. This dance was called a round. Another country dance was the longways. In this one, two long lines of dancers faced one another. A popular longways is called the Virginia reel。

Around the year 1900, square dancing was dying out. Dancers liked the new couple dancing better. In the 1940s, people became interested in the songs and dances the pioneers enjoyed. Square dancing became popular again. The interest in square dancing is still growing, but it's not easy to learn some of those movements! Square-dance contests award ribbons or badges to the winners. If you're invited to a hog wrassle, get ready for music, action, and fun。

Words and Phrases 单词和短语

oyster ['?ist?] n. 牡蛎

gnat [n?t] n. 叮人小虫；小昆虫

wring [ri?] vt. 拧，扭；把(湿衣服)拧干；绞掉(水)

dishrag ['di?r?g] n. 洗碟布，抹布

square dance 方块舞

hog [h?g] n. 猪

hoedown ['h?udaun] n. 方形舞；活泼的土风舞

barndance 谷仓舞；

shindig ['?indig] n. 狂欢会

line up 排成一队

chant [t?ɑ:nt] vt. 吟颂，咏唱

shuffle ['??fl] v. 跳曳步；拖着脚步走

clap [kl?p] v. 拍手，鼓掌

pioneer [?pai?'ni?] n. 先驱者，创始者

New England [nju:'i?gl?nd] n. 新英格兰(位于美国大陆东北角)

Midwest [?mid'west] n. (美国)中西部

far west 西部偏远地区；美国远西区

cowboy ['kaub?i] n. 牛仔

swing [sw??] n. 摇摆，秋千

country dance 乡村舞

longways ['l??weiz] adv. 纵长的

Virginia [v?(：)'d?inj?] n. 弗吉尼亚州

Virginia reel 弗吉尼亚里尔舞；维吉侣尔舞

die out 绝迹，消失

couple dancing 双人舞

badge [b?d?] n. 徽章；奖章

译文

怎样跳“棒打小昆虫”舞步

在美国，很多人学跳“洗牡蛎”、“棒打小昆虫”、“拧抹布”等舞步。这些特殊的名字是方块舞里不同的舞步动作。

方块舞会有很多不同的名字。比如可以叫“小猪摔跤”、“土风舞”、“谷仓舞”或“狂欢会”。所有的方块舞在某些方式上是相似的。比如四对跳舞者面对面排成两行，一个号令者以吟诵或唱的形式指挥。跳舞者跳曳步、滑步，并在人们拍手时在舞池上跑动。

新英格兰的舞者先驱们最先开始跳这些舞。当人们向西部和西部迁徙时，新的动作就加入到舞蹈中。在中西部，跳舞者新创了“美妙的左右转”动作。在西部偏远地区，在跳“荡秋千”舞步时，牛仔们会把他们的舞伴举离地面。

方块舞起源于很久以前的英格兰。当地的人们跳乡村舞。其中一种乡村舞叫圆周舞，要求所有的跳舞者组成一个圆圈。另一种乡村舞叫纵队舞，在纵队舞里，跳舞者要两两相对排成两个长队。其中一种流行的纵队舞叫维吉尼亚里尔舞。

大约在20世纪初期，方块舞几近绝迹。当时的人们更喜欢跳新兴起的双人舞。直到20世纪40年代，人们才开始对这种古老的歌舞又有了兴趣，就这样方块舞再次风行。如今人们对方块舞的兴趣仍在持续增长，但是方块舞的某些舞步学起来可不那么容易。方块舞比赛

中胜利者会获得奖章或缓带。如果你有幸被邀请参加方块舞，那么就准备好跟着音乐好好跳吧，祝你玩得愉快。

Practice

1. The dance movements have special ___________ 。

A. squares

B. names

C. shindigs

D. boxes

2. Square dancing started in ___________ 。

A. the Far West

B. the South

C. New England

D. the Midwest

3. In " the swing" , men lifted their partners ___________ 。

A. to the right

B. to the left

C. off the ground

D. grand right and left

4. The Virginia reel is a ___________ 。

A. longways

B. square

C. couple dance

D. new name

练习

1. 方块舞的动作有特殊的 ___________ 。

A. 方块

B. 名字

C. 狂欢会

D. 盒子

2. ___________ 最先跳方块舞。

A. 在西部偏远地区

B. 在南部地区

C. 新英格兰

D. 中西部地区

3. 在“荡秋千”舞步中，男人们会把他们的舞伴举起 ___________ 。

A. 到右边

B. 到左边

C. 离开地面

D. 美妙的左右转

4. 维吉尼亚里尔舞是一种 ___________ 。

A. 纵队舞

B. 方块舞

C. 双人舞

D. 新名字

答案

1. B

2. C

3. C

4. A

【注】

方块舞是最古老的美国民族舞蹈之一，其起源与美国历史同步。方块舞由几种不同的旧世界团体舞蹈演变而来，主要源自于英国的舞蹈。

早期的方块舞仅为地区性活动，且舞步跳法各不相同。二战后，由于交通发展，美国国内人口流动性大，各地区不同门派间彼此相互影响，逐渐促进了方块舞舞步的统一。

目前，方块舞在美国仍旧很受欢迎，已发展成为每一社区都具备的日常交易活动。Stop That Pacing, Fido 费兜，安静！

麦兜安静

Stop That Pacing, Fido

If you are planning a picnic, watch your pets. If your dog paces and your cat twitches, make other plans. It may rain that day. If you want to wash your car, go outside early in the day and look for a spider. If you see a spider spinning a web, get out your soap and bucket. There will most likely be fair weather。

If you would rather fly a kite, look at the stars the night before. If they are bright, find your kite and string. It will be windy the next day. But if you are more in the mood for a swim, listen to the crickets. By counting their chirps, you can tell if it is warm enough。

What do animals know about weather? Dampness collects in the air before rain. It makes each hair in an animal's fur swell. That is why your pets move about restlessly. Spiders do not like dampness in the air, either. A spiderweb will not stick to a damp surface. So if a spider is spinning a web, the air must be dry。

How can stars help you plan your fun? Stars are most easily seen when winds high in the air blow dust and clouds away. These winds will drop to the ground the next day, making it windy. What about those crickets? Count the number of times a cricket chirps in 15 seconds. Then add 37 to find out how warm it is. If you hear 35 chirps, it is 72 degrees。

Words and Phrases 单词和短语

picnic ['piknik] n. 郊游，野餐

twitch [twit?] v. 抽动，颤动，抽搐

spider ['spaid?] n. 蜘蛛

spin [spin] v. 纺织，结网

cricket ['krikit] n. 蟋蟀

chirp [t??:p] n. 唧唧声，喳喳声；v. 鸟叫；虫鸣

dampness ['d?mpnis] n. 潮湿，湿气

swell [swel] v. 肿胀，膨胀，鼓起

restlessly ['restlisli] adv. 不安地，慌张地

spiderweb ['spaid?web] n. 蛛网

译文

费兜，安静！

如果你计划去野餐，请事先观察你的宠物。如果你的宠物狗来回不停地踱步，或者你的宠物猫不停地抽搐，那么请你改变计划吧。如果你想给爱车洗个澡，你还是先出门观察一只蜘蛛吧，如果这只蜘蛛正在织网，那么拿起你的肥皂和水桶去给你的爱车洗澡去吧，因为今天一定是一个好天气。

如果明天你想去放风筝，请在头一天晚上先观察星相，如果星星明亮可见，那么就准备好你的风筝和线吧，因为明天一定是一个风和日丽的日子。如果你心血来潮想去游泳，那么去之前，先留心倾听蟋蟀的叫声吧。通过数蟋蟀的叫声，你能判断气温是否适宜游泳。

是什么让动物们知道天气呢？通常下雨前空气中会聚集潮气，这些潮气让动物们的皮毛膨胀，这就是你的宠物们坐立不安的原因。蜘蛛也不喜欢潮湿的空气，蛛网表面如果潮湿的话，根本粘不到猎物。因此如果你看见一只蜘蛛在织网，那么空气一定是干燥的。

星星又是怎样帮你判断天气呢？通常如果高空中有风的话，它会把高空中的灰尘与云层吹散，这样星星就能清晰可见。这些风在次日会下落到地面，那么第二天就是一个起风的日子。蟋蟀又是怎样判断气温的呢？通过数蟋蟀的叫声，然后把十五秒钟内蟋蟀叫声的数量加上三十七，你就会得知当天的气温。比如蟋蟀十五秒内叫三十五声，那么那天的气温就是七十二华氏度。

《哈利·波特与死亡圣器》是哈利·波特探险之旅的终结篇(上部)，已在全国各大影院上映。今天学几个哈利·波特咒语吧。

哈利波特全家福

电影中的常见名词

1、阿尼马格斯(Animagi) ——变形为动物的魔法。本世纪已有100种这类魔法，仅7人注册，4人未注册，他们是：丽塔·斯基特、小天狼星布莱克、詹姆·波特、小矮星彼得

2、傲罗(Aurors) ——抓捕邪恶之物。英国的巨人为傲罗所杀。搜寻食死徒。

3、布斯巴顿(Beauxbatons) ——魔法学校。Coat of arms。标志为两根交叉的魔杖，每根点缀着3颗星。马克西姆夫人从那儿来，他们坐着巨大的银鬃马车。

4、博格特(Boggarts) ——像一个封闭的空间，形状会变。它会变成你最害怕的东西。笑声能击退博格特。

5、加隆(Galleons)——金币

西可(Sickles)——银币，17银西可=1金加隆

纳特(Knutes)——铜币，29铜纳特=1银西可

6、食死徒(Death Eaters)——伏地魔的支持者

常用咒语

1、飞来咒 Accio：把东西招来

2、幻影移形 Apparate：让自己在瞬间移动到别的地方

3、阿拉霍洞开 Alobomora ：打开某东西

4、塔朗泰拉舞 Colloportus ：使对手疯狂地跳起踢踏舞

5、消隐无踪 Deletrius ：使东西消失

6、门牙赛大棒 Densaugeo ：使门牙失去控制地疯长