動(dòng)物農(nóng)場(chǎng)Animal Farm 第3章(2)

For instance, later in the year, when they harvested the corn,

比如，這年年底，收完玉米后，因?yàn)榍f園里沒有打谷機(jī)和脫粒機(jī)，

they had to tread it out in the ancient style and blow away the chaff with their breath, since the farm possessed no threshing machine.

他們就有那種古老的方式，踩來(lái)踩去地把玉米粒弄下來(lái)，再靠嘴巴把秣殼吹掉。

But the pigs with their cleverness and Boxer with his tremendous muscles always pulled them through.

但是豬的機(jī)靈和鮑克瑟的力大無(wú)比總能使他們順利度過(guò)難關(guān)。

Boxer was the admiration of everybody.

動(dòng)物們對(duì)鮑克瑟贊嘆不已。

He had been a hard worker even in Jones's time, but now he seemed more like three horses than one.

即使在瓊斯時(shí)期，鮑克瑟就一直是個(gè)勤勞而持之以恒的好勞力，而今，他更是一個(gè)頂三個(gè)。

There were days when the entire work of the farm seemed to rest on his mightyshoulders.

那一雙強(qiáng)勁的肩膀，常常象是承擔(dān)了莊園里所有的活計(jì)。

From morning to night he was pushing and pulling, always at the spot where the work was hardest.

從早到晚，他不停地拉呀推呀，總是出現(xiàn)在工作最艱苦的地方。

He had made an arrangement with one of the cockerels to call him in the mornings half an hour earlier than anyone else,

他早就和一只小公雞約好，每天早晨，小公雞提前半小時(shí)叫醒他，

and would put in some volunteer labour at whatever seemed to be most needed, before the regular day's work began.

他就在正式上工之前先干一些志愿活，而這些活看起來(lái)也是最急需的。

His answer to every problem, every setback, was "I will work harder!"--which he had adopted as his personal motto.

無(wú)論遇到什么困難和挫折，鮑克瑟的回答總是：“我要更加努力工作”，這句話也是他一直引用的座右銘。

But everyone worked according to his capacity.

但是，每個(gè)動(dòng)物都只能量力而行。

The hens and ducks, for instance, saved five bushels of corn at the harvest by gatheringup the stray grains.

比如雞和鴨子，收獲時(shí)單靠他們撿拾零落的谷粒，就節(jié)約了五蒲式耳的玉米。

Nobody stole, nobody grumbled over his rations.

沒有誰(shuí)偷吃，也沒有誰(shuí)為自己的口糧抱怨。

The quarrelling and biting and jealousy which had been normal features of life in the old days had almost disappeared.

那些過(guò)去習(xí)以為常的爭(zhēng)吵、咬斗和嫉妒也幾乎一掃而光。

Nobody shirked--or almost nobody.

沒有或者說(shuō)幾乎沒有動(dòng)物開小差逃工。

Mollie, it was true, was not good at getting up in the mornings, and had a way of leaving work early on the ground that there was a stone in her hoof.

不過(guò)，倒真有這樣的事：莫麗不太習(xí)慣早晨起來(lái)，她還有一個(gè)壞毛病，常常借故蹄子里夾了個(gè)石子，便丟下地里的活，早早溜走了。

And the behaviour of the cat was somewhat peculiar.

貓的表現(xiàn)也多少與眾不同。

It was soon noticed that when there was work to be done the cat could never be found.

每當(dāng)有活干的時(shí)候，大家就發(fā)現(xiàn)怎么也找不到貓了。

She would vanish for hours on end, and then reappear at meal-times, or in the evening after work was over, as though nothing had happened.

她會(huì)連續(xù)幾小時(shí)不見蹤影，直到吃飯時(shí)，或者收工后，才若無(wú)其事一般重新露面。

But she always made such excellent excuses, and purred so affectionately, that it was impossible not to believe in her good intentions.

可是她總有絕妙的理由，咕咕嚕嚕地說(shuō)著，簡(jiǎn)直真誠(chéng)得叫誰(shuí)也沒法懷疑她動(dòng)機(jī)良好。