7 THE PASSING FLOCKS

CHAPTER 7 THE PASSING FLOCKS Birds often stopped by the island to rest their wings during flights across the ocean. They'd find a comfortable place to relax, and once they'd recovered their strength, they'd continue on their way. So when a flock of seagulls approached the island one afternoon, there was nothing strange about it. What was strange, however, was that the gulls flew right past the island without stopping to rest. It wasn't long before a flock of geese flew past the island without stopping. A little later, a flock of terns flew past. And then a flock of vultures flew past. As more flocks flew past, a sense of worry settled over the island creatures. And when a flock of ducks passed overhead, Brightbill and Glimmer took flight to see what was going on. They flew alongside the ducks, asking questions and listening to answers. Then the two geese came gliding back down to the edge of the pond, where a crowd was waiting.

第七章路过的鸟群在飞越海洋时，鸟儿经常在岛上停下来休息翅膀。 他们会找到一个舒适的地方放松，一旦他们恢复了体力，他们就会继续前进。 因此，一天下午，当一群海鸥靠近小岛时，并没有什么奇怪的。 然而，奇怪的是，这些海鸥从岛上飞过，没有停下来休息。 没过多久，一群鹅不停地从岛上飞过。 过了一会儿，一群燕鸥飞过。 然后一群秃鹫飞过。 随着越来越多的鸟群飞过，一种担忧的情绪笼罩着岛上的生物。 当一群鸭子从头顶飞过时，布莱特比尔和格里默飞了起来，想看看发生了什么事。 他们和鸭子一起飞，问问题，听答案。 然后那两只鹅又滑翔着飞回池塘边，那里有一群人在等着。

Glimmer let out a heavy breath and shared the troubling news. "That poor seal was right," she began. "The poison tide is coming. The ducks said it will be here tomorrow. Nobody knows what it is. They only know that it's spreading south through the ocean, harming every living thing in its path. The reason why so many birds have been passing us by is that they're fleeing from the poison tide." Animals glared at the robot, and Fink growled, "You said we had nothing to worry about!" "It seems I was wrong," said Roz. "I am very sorry." "According to the ducks, there is someone who can help," said Brightbill. "They said there's an Ancient Shark who is wise and powerful. If we can contact her, we might be able to stop the poison tide. The Ancient Shark lives somewhere in the north, but nobody knows

微光深深地吸了口气，说出了这个令人不安的消息。 “那只可怜的海豹说得对，”她开始说。 “毒潮来了。 鸭子说明天会来。 没人知道它是什么。他们只知道它正在通过海洋向南传播，危害着沿途的所有生物。 这么多鸟从我们身边经过的原因是它们正在逃离毒潮。” 动物们怒视着机器人，芬克咆哮道：“你说我们没什么好担心的！”“看来我错了，”罗兹说。 “我很抱歉。”“根据鸭子的说法，有人可以帮忙，”布莱特比尔说。 “他们说有一条古老的鲨鱼，既聪明又强大。 如果我们能联系上她，也许就能阻止毒潮。 古鲨生活在北方的某个地方，但没人知道

exactly where to find her." Animal voices called out. "Who cares about an old shark?" "How will we survive the poison tide?" "What are we going to do?" "This is what we are going to do," said the robot. "We are going to help our friends. Seabirds, otters, fish, crabs, and all the other coastal creatures are in grave danger. They must be evacuated at once."

在哪里能找到她。” 动物的声音在呼唤。“谁会在乎一条老鲨鱼呢？”“我们如何在毒潮中生存？”“我们该怎么办？”“这就是我们要做的，”机器人说。 “我们要帮助我们的朋友。 海鸟、水獭、鱼、螃蟹和所有其他沿海生物都处于严重危险之中。 他们必须立即撤离。”