All the Difference in The World
整个世界因你而改变
Every Sunday morning I take a light
jog
around a park near my home.
There’s a lake located in one corner of the park. Each time I jog by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting at the water’s edge with a small metal cage sitting beside her.
每个星期日的早晨我都会绕着我家附近的公园轻松地慢跑。公园的一角有一片湖。每当我慢跑经过这片湖,都会看到同一个老妇人,身边放着一个金属笼子坐在湖边。
This past Sunday my
curiosity
got the best of me, so I stopped jogging and walked over to her.
上个星期日我终于忍不住好奇,停止了慢跑,走到她身边。
As I got closer, I realized that the metal cage was in fact a small trap.
走近时我发现金属笼子其实是一个小陷阱。
There were three turtles,
unharmed, slowly walking around the base of the trap.
三只乌龟安然无恙,绕着陷阱底部慢悠悠地爬着。
[ls]She had a fourth turtle in her lap that she was carefully scrubbing with a spongy brush.[/ls]
她正认真地用海绵刷擦拭着第四只趴在她膝盖上的乌龟。
“Hello,” I said. “If you don’t mind my
nosiness, I’d love to know what you’re doing with these turtles.”
“你好啊,”我说。“如果你不介意我多管闲事的话,我很想知道你在对这些乌龟做什么呢。”
She smiled. “I’m cleaning off their shells ,” she replied.
“我在清洗他们的壳,”她笑着回答说。
“Anything on a turtle’s shell, like
algae
or
scum, reduces the turtle’s ability to absorb heat and
impedes
its ability to swim. It can also
corrode
and weaken the shell over time.”
任何乌龟壳上,像海藻、泡沫浮渣这些东西,都会减弱乌龟的吸热能力并且阻碍他们游动,时间长了还会腐蚀龟壳,让龟壳变得脆弱。
She went on: “I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out. It’s my own strange way of making a difference.
”
她继续说道:“每个星期天早晨我都会花几个小时待在湖边,边放松自己,边帮这些小家伙摆脱困难。这就是我奇怪的制造改变的方式。”
“But don’t most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with
algae
and scum hanging from their shells?” I asked.
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