勤勞的蚯蚓 The Earthworm

佚名/Anonymous

Earthworms are found in all parts of the world. They help to build the world. They help to prepare the earth to bring forth the food of man. Do you think that very strange?

Now let us see how this is done. The worms live underground. They make long, winding halls, like streets, some inches below the top soil. The halls or little tunnels help to keep the earth loose, so that the fine roots of the plants can grow well in it.

These tunnels also serve to help the air move more easily through the soil. By their constant motion below the surface the worms till the earth, as rakes, spades, or ploughs till it above.

The chief work of the earthworms is to enrich the soil. When they make their houses, they fill their long bodies with the earth, and carry it to the top of the ground. There they pile it in heaps, called worm-casts. Early in the day or after a rain you can find these worm-casts over all the garden paths.

There are so many worms busy all the time that each year they bring up tons of earth. They make the earth fine and loose by pinching it off with their mouths. Fields once stony and hard have become rich and fine.

世界各地都有蚯蚓，它們有助于建造世界，它們有助于土地里長出人類所需的糧食。你覺得這種說法很奇怪嗎？

現在，讓我們來看看蚯蚓是怎么做到這些的吧。蚯蚓在地下生存，它們在地下鉆來鉆去，把泥土鉆成一條條蜿蜒綿長的孔道，如同街道一般。那些“長廊”或者“隧道”可以使泥土疏松，從而有利于植物的根部生長。

這些孔道也有助于空氣輕易地進入泥土。蚯蚓在泥土里不停地鉆來鉆去，就如同人們在土地上用耙子、鏟或犁松土一樣。

蚯蚓主要的工作是使土壤更加肥沃。當它們建造房子的時候，總是讓自己長長的身體里裝滿泥土，并把它帶到地上，堆成小堆，這就是人們所稱的蚯蚓糞。每天早上或下雨之后，你都可以在花園的小徑上發現蚯蚓糞。

時時刻刻都有成千上萬的蚯蚓在忙碌著，它們每年可以挖動數以噸計的泥土。它們用嘴疏松泥土并使之變得肥沃。那些本來硬如堅石的土壤，經它們鉆動之后就變得肥沃而精細了。

詞匯筆記

earthworm [??:θw?:m] n. 蚯蚓

例 The oral opening in an earthworm is small.

蚯蚓的口是很小的。

plough [plau] n. 犁；耕地

例 He yoked the oxen to the plough.

他用軛把牛套上犁。

enrich [in?rit?] v. 使富足；使肥沃

例 By reading we enrich the mind, by conversation we polish it.

閱讀使我們的思想充實，談話使其更臻完美。

stony [?st?uni] adj. 石頭的；石質的

例 The old bus rattled along over the stony road.

那輛舊公共汽車在石子路上嘎嘎地往前行駛。

小試身手

那些“長廊”或者“隧道”可以使泥土疏松，從而有利于植物的根部生長。

譯_______________

蚯蚓主要的工作是使土壤更加肥沃。

譯_______________

時時刻刻都有成千上萬的蚯蚓在忙碌著，它們每年可以挖動數以噸計的泥土。

譯_______________

短語家族

These tunnels also serve to help the air move more easily through the soil.

serve to：適用；有用；足夠

造_______________

There are so many worms busy all the time that each year they bring up tons of earth.

bring up：提出；教育；養育

造_______________