12 THE WATER

CHAPTER 12 THE WATER Whenever rain fell on the island, much of it filtered into the river. The water level would rise after a rainstorm and fall during a dry spell. But so many more animals were now drinking from the river that it was always running low. To make matters worse, many of the island's brooks and streams emptied right into the ocean, where all that water became undrinkable. In those challenging times, the animals couldn't afford to lose any fresh water. The robot didn't need water or food to survive, so she didn't feel the same fear felt by the animals. Instead, she felt something like sadness about the changes happening to the island. She also felt determination. Roz was determined to make things better, and she started by calling for an emergency meeting. The poison tide had put everybody in a foul mood, but after some convincing, the island leaders agreed to meet Roz on the banks of the river. Roz arrived first, with Brightbill and Glimmer and the old goose,

第十二章水每当岛上下雨时，大部分雨水都流入河里。 暴雨过后水位会上升，干旱期间水位会下降。 但是现在越来越多的动物在喝这条河里的水，所以河水总是快用完了。 更糟糕的是，岛上的许多小溪直接流入海洋，在那里所有的水都不能饮用。 在那个充满挑战的时代，动物们不能失去任何淡水。 机器人不需要水和食物来生存，所以她不会像动物一样感到恐惧。 相反，她对岛上发生的变化感到一种悲伤。 她也感到了决心。 罗兹决心让事情变得更好，她首先召开了紧急会议。 毒潮让每个人都心情不好，但经过一番劝说，岛上的领导人同意在河岸与罗兹会面。 罗兹先到的，还有布莱特比尔、格里姆默和那只老鹅，

Loudwing. Then came Chitchat and Fink and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver. Gale and Swooper fluttered down from the sky. Nettle and Thorn lumbered across a meadow. Crownpoint, the buck, stepped out from the trees as Crag, the turtle, crawled out from a puddle. The last to arrive was Shelly, the sea otter, who wriggled up the muddy riverbank. The animals stood there swatting at flies and wondering why Roz had brought them to that spot. "The island is running out of fresh water," said Roz. She motioned to the river, which had shrunk to half its usual size. "However, if we work together, I believe we will all have enough to survive." Fink barked, "That's easy for you to say, Roz— you're not even alive!" Shelly squeaked, "With Fink's attitude, none of us will be alive much longer!" Mr. Beaver grunted, "You stay out of it, Shelly! Sea otters don't even belong here!" Gale squawked, "Leave Shelly alone! He's had it worse than any of us!" The group kept quarreling until Loudwing let out a tremendous honk. "ENOUGH! We all want to survive. We're all on the same side. Let's try to remember that, shall we?"

Loudwing。接着是闲聊、芬克和海狸夫妇。 大风和雨燕从空中扑扇而下。 荨麻和荆棘笨重地走过一片草地。 雄鹿克朗波因特从树林里走了出来，乌龟克雷格从水坑里爬了出来。 最后到达的是海獭谢利，它在泥泞的河岸上蠕动着。 动物们站在那里拍苍蝇，不知道为什么罗兹把它们带到那个地方。 罗兹说：“岛上的淡水正在耗尽。 她指了指河水，河水已经缩小到平常的一半。 “然而，如果我们共同努力，我相信我们都将拥有足够的生存能力。” 芬克吼道：“你说得倒轻巧，罗兹——你根本就不是活人！”雪莉尖声说：“照芬克的态度，我们谁也活不了多久了！”比弗先生咕哝着说：“你别管，雪莉！海獭根本不属于这里！”盖尔尖声叫道：“放开谢莉！他比我们谁都倒霉！”这群人一直在争吵，直到大鸣翼发出一声巨大的喇叭声。 “够了!我们都想活下去。 我们都站在同一边。 让我们试着记住这一点，好吗？”

Everyone nodded and muttered apologies, and then the meeting continued. "Most animals can go days or weeks without food," said Roz, "but they cannot survive nearly as long without water. It is essential that we hold on to as much fresh water as possible, and I have a plan to do just that." Soon, an army of animals was crowding into the Great Meadow, and Roz was calling out instructions. "Beavers! Build dams in every brook and stream. We must not let any fresh water pour into the ocean! "Otters! Moose! Turtles! Dredge the bottom of every pond. Make them as deep as you can! "Bears! Groundhogs! Weasels! Hares! Badgers! I have marked where pits should be dug. Dig into

每个人都点头道歉，然后会议继续。 “大多数动物可以在没有食物的情况下存活数天或数周，”罗兹说，“但它们在没有水的情况下几乎无法存活这么长时间。 我们必须尽可能多地保留淡水，我有一个这样做的计划。” 很快，一群动物涌进了大草地，罗兹在大声发出指令。 “海狸!在每一条小溪和小溪上建水坝。 我们不能让任何淡水倒入海洋！“水獭!麋鹿!海龟!疏浚每个池塘的底部。 越深越好！“熊!土拨鼠!黄鼠狼!野兔!獾!我已在该挖坑的地方作了记号。 深入研究

the dirt, as far down as you can go!" Dams were built, turning narrow trickles into wide ponds. Trenches were carved into the ground, diverting water from the river to the many deep pits that had been dug. Newly built ponds, along with the old ones, were dredged, deeper and deeper. Within days, the island was dotted with dozens of deep ponds. At first, they were empty, but with each passing storm, rainwater surged through the waterways, and the ponds gradually filled. They were like enormous tanks for storing fresh water, and they would make life a little easier on the island. It's amazing what an army of animals can do. But Roz was still worried. Summer was fast approaching, and the days were already growing long and hot. In the coming months, much of their drinking water would be lost to evaporation. Until the poison tide left and normal life returned, the water supply would always be at risk.

泥土，越深越好！”水坝被修建起来，把狭窄的溪流变成了宽阔的池塘。 人们在地面上挖了沟渠，把河水引到许多挖好的深坑里。 新建的池塘和旧的池塘一起被疏浚得越来越深。 几天之内，岛上就布满了几十个深池塘。 起初，它们是空的，但随着每一场暴风雨的到来，雨水涌入水道，池塘逐渐被填满。 它们就像一个巨大的水箱，用来储存淡水，它们会让岛上的生活变得容易一些。 一群动物的能力令人惊叹。 但罗兹还是很担心。 夏天很快就要来临了，白天变得又长又热。 在接下来的几个月里，他们的大部分饮用水将蒸发掉。 在毒潮退去、生活恢复正常之前，供水总是处于危险之中。