Now that Billy’s parents were a little more affluent, the family had agreed that they could afford better accommodation, so they moved to a cottage on the outskirts of town. Although the cottage was somewhat old-fashioned, the agentwho rented the place to them was keen to advocate that they should not install air-conditioning as they could air-condition the place by opening the skylights.

比利的父母比以前富裕些了，全家人都认为能够供得起更好的房子了，他们就搬进了郊区的小别墅。尽管别墅样式有些过时，但租房子给他们的代理商热心地提议不要安空调，因为打开天窗就可以调节这里的空气。

The day that they moved, the air was heavy with the advent of spring, a sense of renewal accompanied them along the way; Billy and the old dog Rufus watched the amazing aerial gymnastics of the swallows out of the car window, browsing through the family album every now and then. When they arrived, a group of men were unloading the van. 

搬家那天，一路上他们总有一种新鲜感，随着春天的到来，空气变得很潮湿；比利和他的老狗鲁弗斯看着车窗外燕子在空中优美地飞来飞去，还不时地浏览一下家庭相册。他们到达时，看到一群男人正从货车上往下卸货。

Billy thought looking around the new surroundings should be placed high on their agenda, so he whistled to Rufus and they set off on an adventure. They found a small footpath, Rufus showing his excitement and his affection for Billy by panting and wagging his tail. Billy was at an age when he could still feel a sense of aesthetic excitement at the beauty of nature. 

比利认为，在他们的办事议程上，首先要做的就是在这个新环境中四处看看。于是他朝鲁弗斯吹了声口哨，他俩就踏上了冒险的旅程。他们发现了一条小路，鲁弗斯兴奋得喘着气，还摇着尾巴表示对主人的爱。在这个年龄，从审美角度欣赏自然之美，比利仍感到兴奋不已。

The adverse effects of those years in the city seemed to vanish as he walked, and with Rufus as his affiliate he felt invincible. However, he had reckoned without Rufus. They rounded a bend in the path and suddenly, in the next field, they saw sheep. Rufus knew a good game when he saw one, he ran straight into the field, barking aggressively. 

走着走着，这些年来城市生活的负面影响似乎突然消失了。有鲁弗斯做他的助手，他觉得无往不胜。然而他没有料到鲁弗斯下面的举动。他们转过一个弯，突然在前面的田野上看到一群羊。这下鲁弗斯觉得有好玩的了，他直接跑进田里，朝着羊群挑衅地叫起来。

Just then, a man in green boots stepped out and in an equally aggressive manner started to shout at Rufus to get out of the field. With a sense of alarm, Billy realized that the man was carrying a shotgun and he saw him level it and take aim at Rufus.

正在这时，一个穿绿靴子的男人迅速跑过来，同样挑衅地朝鲁弗斯大喊，要他离开这里。比利惊慌起来，他发现那个男人带着猎枪，而且他举起枪，瞄准了鲁弗斯。

“Please don’t shoot”, yelled Billy, but this seemed to aggravate the man still more. The gun went off and Rufus howled in agony. He ran helter-skelter back to Billy with his tail between his legs. The man strode over to Billy. 

“请别开枪！” 比利大喊，但这似乎使那个男人更加恼火。枪响了，鲁弗斯痛苦地嚎叫着，夹着尾巴慌慌张张地跑了回来。那个男人大步流星走到比利面前。

“Those sheep are pregnant”, the man said, angrily. “If you agitate them they can lose their lambs. I will affirm my right to kill any dog that chases them.”

“那些羊已经怀孕了，”男人生气地说，“如果惊扰了她们，就保不住她们肚里的小羊了。我申明我有权消灭任何威胁羊群的狗。”

“I agree”, said Billy. “And I’m sorry, please; help me get Rufus to a vet!”
“I don’t think your dog will need a vet this time”, said the man, “the gun was only loaded with salt. But next time, keep him on a lead, okay?”

“我同意，”比利说，“而且我很抱歉，请帮我把鲁弗斯送往动物诊所。”
“我想你的狗这次不需要去看兽医，”男人说，“枪里装的只不过是盐，但下次要用皮带把他拴好，记住啦？”

单词记忆