Chapter 1

Once when I was six years o1d I saw a magnificent picture in a book，ca11ed TrueStorzesfromNature，about the primeva1 forest. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swa11owing an anima1.Here is a copy of the drawing.

In the book it said：“Boa constrictors swa11ow their prey who1e，without chewing it.After that they are not ab1e to move，and they s1eep through the six months that they need for digestion.”

I pondered deep1y，then，over the adventures of the jung1e.And after some work with a co1ored penci1 I succeeded in making my first drawing.My Drawing Number One.It 1ooked 1ike this：

□magnificent[m?ɡ＇nΙfΙsnt]

adj.華麗的，豐富的

□primeval[praΙ＇mi：vl]

adj.原始時代的，遠古的

□boa constrictor

蟒蛇，巨蟒

□swallow[＇swɑ：lo?]

v.吞下，咽下

□prey[preΙ]

n.獵物，捕獲物

□chew[t?u：]v.咀嚼

□digestion[daΙ＇d?est??n]

n.消化

□ponder[＇pɑ：nd?r]

v.思考

□adventure[?d＇vent??r]

n.冒險

□jungle[＇d???ɡl]

n.叢林

□succeed in（doing sth.）

成功（做某事）

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups，and asked them whether the drawing frightened them.

But they answered：“Frighten？Why shou1d anyone be frightened by a hat？”

My drawing was not a picture of a hat.It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an e1ephant. Butszncethegrown-upswerenotabletounderstandzt，Imadeanotherdrawzng：Idrewtheznszdeoftheboaconstrzctor，sothatthegrown-upscouldseeztclearly.Theyalwaysneedtohavethzngsexplazned. My Drawing Number Two 1ooked 1ike this：

□masterpiece[＇m?st?rpi：s]

n.杰作

□frighten[＇fraΙtn]

v.使恐懼

□digest[daΙ＇d?est]

v.消化

□response[rΙ＇spɑ：ns]

n.反應，答復

□advise[?d＇vaΙz]

v.建議，勸告

□lay aside擱置，放在一邊

Thegrown-ups’response，thzs tzme，was to advzse me to lay aszde my drawzngs of boa constrzctors，whether from the znszde or the outszde，and devote myself znstead to geography， hzstory，arzthmetzcandgrammar.Thatzswhy，attheageofszx，Igaveupwhatmzghthavebeenamagnzfzcentcareerasapaznter.I had been disheartened by the fai1ure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups never understand anythzng by themselves，and zt zs tzresome for chzldren to be always and forever explaznzng thzngs to them.

So then I chose another profession，and 1earned to pi1ot airp1anes.Ihaveflownalzttleoverallpartsoftheworld；andztzstruethatgeographyhasbeenveryusefultome.At a g1ance I can distinguish China from Arizona.Ifonegetslostznthenzght，suchknowledgezsvaluable.

□devote...to...

將……貢獻給……

□arithmetic[?＇rΙθm?tΙk]

n.算術

□career[k?＇rΙr]n.職業

□dishearten[dΙs＇hɑ：rtn]

v.使喪氣，使沮喪

□tiresome[＇taΙ?rs?m]

adj.厭倦的，厭煩的

□profession[pr?＇fe?n]

n.職業

□pilot[＇pail?t]

v.駕駛（航空器）

□at a glance

一瞥，一眼，馬上

□distinguish from區分

□in the course of

在……過程中

□encounter[Ιn＇ka?nt?r]

n.遭遇

□be concerned with

與……有關，涉及……

□matters of consequence

重要事件

In the course of thzs lzfe I have had a great many encounters wzth a great many people who have been concerned wzth matters of consequence. I have 1ived a great dea1 among grown-ups.I have seen them intimate1y，c1ose at hand.And that hasn’t much zmproved my opznzon of them.

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-szghted，I trzed the experzment of showzng hzm my Drawzng Number One，whzch I have always kept.I wou1d try to find out，so，if this was a person of true understanding.But，whoever it was，he，or she，wou1d a1ways say：

“That is a hat.”

Then I wou1d never ta1k to that person about boa constrictors，or primeva1 forests，or stars.I wou1d bring myse1f down to his 1eve1.I wou1d ta1k to him about bridge，and go1f，and po1itics， and neckties.And the grown-up wou1d be great1y p1eased to have met such a sensib1e man.

□intimately[＇ΙntΙm?tli]

adv.熟悉地，親密地

□close at hand

就在手邊，就在眼前

□opinion[?＇pΙnj?n]

n.觀點，評價，看法

□clear-sighted

adj.洞察力強的，聰明的

□level[＇levl]n.水平

□bridge[brΙd?]n.橋牌

□golf[gɑ：lf]n.高爾夫球

□politics[＇pɑ：l?tΙks]

n.政治學

□necktie[＇nektaΙ]

n.領帶

□sensible[＇sens?bl]

adj.明智的，明理的