按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
t Britain。）
首都堪培拉（Canberra），有一千五百万以上的树，它的议会大厦（Parliament House），尤其漂亮。
墨尔本（Melbourne）的名字是一个英国首相的名字，也是拍马屁来的。它的植物园、美术馆，都很有名，有三座大学。本来是首都，一九二七年迁都到堪培拉去了。
澳洲南部有两个有名的岛：
一个是塔斯曼尼亚（Tasmania）岛，也曾是英国关prisoners的地方，用了五十年。岛上有一种塔斯曼尼亚狼，母的也有袋鼠一样的袋，不过是装在背上，不在肚皮上。The Tasmanian wolf's genus name； Thylacinus； means “pouched dog”。 The female has a pouch which opens backwards and contains four teats。 The pouch is large enough to hold four pups； although the usual number of young in a litter is two。 The period of gestation is not known； but it is probably a little less than one month。 The young are born hairless and blind in an inplete； almost embryonic state of development。 They are carried in the pouch for three months…the duration of their semi embryonic life。 The cubs are then deposited in a nest of dry leaves and grass until they are old enough to hunt for themselves。
塔斯曼尼亚有台湾两倍大，你看台湾多小！岛上原有一种大牙齿的土人，现在已绝种了。
另一个岛是袋鼠岛（Kangaroo Island），岛的北边，就面对阿得雷德（Adelaide）城。它是澳洲考第三的大城。（Adelaide； South Australia's capital； is a well planned city； rich in parks and gardens。 It is near the great Gulf St。 Vincent； 90 miles long； 45 miles across。）
在澳洲东北海岸外面，有一二五○英里长的珊瑚礁（大堡礁，The Great Barrier Reef），有声有光，景象离奇，非常好看。好看是好看，可是船很难走，科克船长的船曾在这一带三次遇险。The Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia's most popular tourist attractions。 It is the largest coral reef in the world； stretching for about 1250 miles along the coast of Queensland。 The reef has thousands of islands and underwater coral formations。 The sandy beaches of the islands and the interesting sea life of the reef mark it an ideal spot for skin diving。 珊瑚礁中有一岛叫“绿岛”（Green Island），真巧，台湾也有一个绿岛！
羊有绵羊（sheep）和山羊（goat）两种，山羊（billy goat）有胡子，还有羊骚味（goaty odor）。
羊奶可以造干酪（cheese）和“牛”油，可以从羊身上得到羊毛。
羊毛出在羊身上（literally）Without a sheep； there can be no wool。—The benefit es； after all； from a price one has paid。 Whatever is the expense； somebody is going to pay for it。做衣服，其他还可吃羊肉、用羊皮、做肥皂、做网球拍……羊的用处多极了！（Sheep yield wool； meat； and leather。 They also furnish the raw materials for many byproducts； such as glue； tallow； suet； soap； fertilizer； cosmetics； and the catgut used in stringing tennis rackets。）
澳洲的羊，占世界第一位。占全世界六分之一。（Long famous as a land of sheep； Australia is the world's leading producer and exporter of wool and mutton and is a major producer and exporter of beef and wheat。 Australia is also a highly industrialized country。 Large deposits of coal and iron have bee the basis for an iron and steel industry； white an expanding economy provides a large domestic market for a wide range of goods and services。）
澳洲平均每个人有十四头羊（澳洲旁边的纽西兰（New Zealand）每人有二十头），而中国人平均十个人分不到一头，这太不公平了！（In Australia； there are about 14 sheep for every person。 In New Zealand； there are about 20 sheep for every person。 Some states in the western United States also have more sheep than people。）
过分的不公平，没有的人就会叫，这叫“不平则鸣”。（Those who are discriminated again will plain。）
澳洲比台湾大二二二倍，但人口比台湾还少！
亚洲人口平均每方英里（persons to the square mile）一二二人；澳洲人口平均每方英里四人。
澳洲“得天独厚”to be particularly favored by nature （said of a land rich in natural resources or a gifted person）却是从不公平来的。澳洲有“白澳政策”，限制有色人种到他们那儿去。但白种人又少，所以将来问题一定很多，不是铁蒺藜（barbed…wire fence）拦得住的。澳洲人自己也说：“We've got a big； empty country here； and we have to fill it up。 You Know；‘populate or perish’”
澳洲的政策是错误的、自私的（wrong and selfish），这叫“狗占马槽”（dog in a manger describes a person who keeps others from using something that he himself cannot use。 It es from Aesop's fable of a dog that crawled into a manger of hay and prevented a horse from eating； even though dogs do not eat hay。），也叫“占着毛坑不拉屎”，这种人只希望“不惹睡狗”（Let sleeping dogs lie； means to leave a situation undisturbed。）“维持现状”“相安无事”。但这怎么行呢？“每条狗都有得意的一天。”（Every dogs has his day； is an expression used when something pleasant happens to a person； especially one who has been having bad luck。）别的狗会睡醒，澳洲虽然是down…under（在世界另一边），别的穷狗还是会咬到它的。
爸 爸 一九七五年六月八日
二
亲爱的小文：
你这次信封上写的中文很有进步。
鸭嘴兽只有澳洲有，水獭却只有澳洲没有。
水獭是OTTER，is a fur…bearing animal that spends much of its time in the water。 Otters are related to the weasels and are carnivorous（flesh…eating）mammals。 They live on all continents except Australia。 They are divided into two groups； river otters and sea otters。
人会仰泳（backstroke），但水獭却更神气，它会仰吃，它在水里“仰面朝天”地吃，这才叫“仰不愧天”（to feel no shame before God）呢！
水獭还是一个会用工具的家伙（a tool user），它吃蛤蜊（clam），会朝石头上敲，你说它多聪明！
每只水獭的皮，可卖到二千五百美金，就是台湾十万块。全世界都不准杀它，所以它的皮就特别值钱。人死了，臭皮没人要，但许多动物死了，皮却成了“千金裘”，这真是“豹死留皮”啊！
豹死留皮（literally）A leopard leaves behind its skin when it dies。 A man has a reputation to leave to posterity when he dies。
爸 爸 ； 一九七五年八月十七日
那么让他们吃饼嘛！
一
亲爱的小文：
法文有一个字叫“顾而媚”（gourmet），就是讲究吃的人（a connoisseur in eating and drinking，善于判别饮食美恶之人；an epicure，美食者），很像中文中的“老饕”，但老饕有一点挖苦的意味。法国的“烹饪”被当做一种艺术（Cooking is considered an art by the French。 They are world famous for their salads； sauces； and soups。 Almost every region； city； and restaurant of France has its own food specialty。 These specialties include truffles（mushroomikel plants）in the Guyenne region； snail