MT英语（ID:mtkouyu) 专辑：【英文原版童话故事】 文本整理：Doris Magic Tree House Day of the Dragon King 14.6 The Dragon King The ox cart bumped across the wooden bridge that crossed over a moat. Then it passed guards standing by giant wooden gates. 牛车撞过了横跨护城河的木桥。然后它经过了站在巨大木门旁的警卫。 "Are the gates ever closed?" Jack asked. “大门曾经关闭过吗?”杰克问。 "Oh, yes, every day at sunset," said the scholar. “哦，是的，每天日落的时候。”学者说。 "When the gong sounds, the gates close. The bridge comes up. And the city is sealed shut for the night.""I guess visitors have to leave before that happens,"Annie said. "Or they'll be stuck here for the whole night. Right?""Yes ," said the scholar. 当锣响的时候，门就会关上。桥升上去了。城内因夜封缄。“我想游客必须在这之前离开，”安妮说。“否则他们就会被困在这里一整夜。对吗?”“是的，”学者说。 The cart bumped between the city gates. Rows of small houses were bunched together on either side of the street. They were made of mud with straw roofs. 马车在城门之间颠簸。街道两旁排列着一排排小房子。它们是用泥土和稻草做的屋顶。 People cooked over outdoor fires. They washed their clothes in wooden tubs. 人们在户外生火做饭。他们在木盆里洗衣服。 As the oxcart bumped along, the houses got larger. 牛车颠簸着前进，房子变得更大了。 These were made of painted wood and pottery tiles. 这些都是由油漆木材和陶瓷瓷砖。 They all had curved roofs. 它们都有弯曲的屋顶。 "Why are those roofs like that?" asked Jack. “为什么那些屋顶是那样的?”杰克问。 "To keep away the bad spirits," said the scholar. 学者说:“为了赶走恶灵。” "How do they do that?" said Annie. “他们是怎么做到的?”安妮问。 "The spirits can only travel in straight lines," said the scholar. “鬼魂只能走直线，”学者说。 "Wow," whispered Annie. “哇,”安妮小声说道。 The cart went by some open tea shops. Then it passed a large market square filled with stalls and shoppers. People were buying and selling fish,chickens, firewood, wagon wheels, silk cloth, furs,and jade jewelry. 马车经过几家开着门的茶叶店。然后它经过了一个挤满了摊位和购物者的大型市场广场。人们买卖鱼、鸡、柴火、车轮、丝绸、毛皮和玉器。 Some people were lined up at a stall filled with tiny cages. 一些人在摆满小笼子的摊位前排队。 "What's for sale there?" said Annie. “那儿卖什么?”安妮问。 "Crickets," the scholar said. "They make good pets. “蟋蟀，”学者说。它们是很好的宠物。 You can feed them tea leaves and enjoy their delicate song."The cart moved on toward the Dragon King's walled palace. They stopped in front of the palace gates. 你可以喂它们茶叶，欣赏它们优美的歌声。车子朝龙王的宫殿开去。他们在宫殿的大门前停了下来。 "Grain delivery!" the scholar shouted up to the guard at the tower. “送粮!”书生向塔上的守卫喊道。 The guard waved them through. Inside were beautiful gardens and huge mounds of earth surrounded by a low brick wall. 卫兵挥手让他们过去。里面有美丽的花园和被低矮砖墙环绕的巨大土丘。 "That is the Imperial Burial Grounds," said the scholar, pointing at the mounds. “那是皇陵。”学者指着土堆说。 "Who is buried there?" asked Jack. "The ancestors of the Dragon King," said the scholar. “谁葬在那里?”杰克问。“龙王的祖先，”学者说。 "What are ancestors?" Annie asked. “祖先是什么?”安妮问。 "They are the people in your family who lived before you," said the scholar. "Someday the Dragon King himself will be buried there. Three hundred thousand workers have been building his burial tomb.""Oh, man," said Jack. 读书人说:“他们是你的家人，生活在你以前。”“有一天龙王自己也会葬在那里。有30万工人在修建他的坟墓。”“哦，天哪，”杰克说。 He looked over his shoulder at the burial grounds. 他回头看了看墓地。 He wondered why it took so many workers to build a tomb. 他很奇怪为什么要这么多工人来建造一座坟墓。 "No!" said the scholar. “不!”学者说。 Jack whirled around. 杰克转身走开。 "What's wrong?" he asked. “怎么了?”他问。 The scholar pointed at the palace court-yard. A dark cloud of smoke was rising into the sky. 书生指了指宫廷的庭院。一团黑烟升入天空。 "Fire!" said the scholar. “着火了!”学者说。 "The books!" said Jack. “书!”杰克说。 "Hurry!" said Annie. “快点!”安妮说。 The scholar snapped the reins. The oxen trotted up the stone path. When the cart rolled into the courtyard, soldiers were everywhere. 学者猛地拉了一下缰绳。牛在石道上小跑。当马车开进院子时，到处都是士兵。 Some threw wood on a huge bonfire. Others were carrying bamboo strips * the steep stairs that led from the palace. 一些人把木头扔到巨大的篝火上。另一些人则扛着竹篾从通向皇宫的陡峭楼梯上下来。 "Are those books?" asked Jack. “那些是书吗?”杰克问。 "Yes. The strips are tied together into different bundles," moaned the scholar. "Each bundle is a book.""Look!" said Annie, pointing to the palace entrance. “是的。这些条子被捆成不同的捆。”学者抱怨道。“每一捆都是一本书。”“看!”安妮指着宫殿的入口说。 Stepping outside was a man in a rich, flowing robe and a tall hat. Jack knew him at once--the Dragon King! 一个穿着华丽飘逸长袍，戴着高帽的男人走了出来。杰克立刻认出了他——龙王!