Chapter 3-6

CHAPTER SiX In which Courier learns that it is not easy to explain extinction to a Mammoth "Hello," Courier said when no one else spoke. The Mammoth nodded its huge head. "Snowy," he said, as if to make polite conversation. "Vewy." "Yes," Florizella agreed, coming forward. "I think there's been a bit of a problem with magic. We had some enchanters who were making snow…" "No, no, it's awways snowy," the Mammoth told her. "Because it's an Ice Age."

第六章 这一章里，科里尔明白了跟猛犸象解释物种灭绝可不是件容易的事 见没人开口，科里尔先说了句：“你好呀。” 猛犸象点了点它硕大的脑袋。 “雪好大。”他开口说，像是在礼貌地搭话。 “特别大。” “是呀。”弗洛里泽拉一边应声，一边走上前来。 “我觉得是魔法出了点小问题。 之前有几位魔法师在造雪来着……” “不对不对，这里一直都下雪的呀。”猛犸象告诉她。 “因为现在是冰河世纪呀。”

"It's not usually an Ice Age here," Florizella told him. "This is the Seven Kingdoms and it's always summer." The Mammoth stepped back from the gaping window, and a small blizzard of snow whirled into the banqueting room. "You take a wook," he recommended. Florizella looked. For as far as the eye could see there was an unbroken plain of snow and ice. In the distance the usually green hills were mountains of snow, streaked with glaciers of ice. "I see what you mean," Florizella managed to say. "This is very unusual for us." The Mammoth nodded. "Not for me," he said. "Same owd, same owd for me. Awways snow and never Chwistmas." "But if the snow were to melt and the world was to get warmer, you would become extinct," Courier pointed out. "You would lose your hair and you would get smaller and you would be like an elephant." "I would not!" the Mammoth said indignantly. "Would you shwink and wose your hair if it was

“我们这儿平时可不是冰河世纪呀。”弗洛里泽拉对他说。 “这里是七王国，从来都是夏天的。” 猛犸象从大开的窗边往后退了退，一小阵暴风雪跟着旋进了宴会厅里。 “你看看嘛。”他建议道。 弗洛里泽拉望了出去。 目之所及全是连绵不绝的冰雪平原。 远处平日郁郁葱葱的小山都变成了积雪覆盖的山脉，还嵌着一道道冰川。 “我懂你的意思了。”弗洛里泽拉好不容易挤出这句话。 “这对我们来说太不寻常了。” 猛犸象点了点头。 “对我来说可不算哦。”他说。 “我那儿一直都是老样子，老样子。 永远都下雪，从来没过过圣诞节。” “可要是雪化了，世界慢慢变暖，你这个物种就会灭绝的哦。”科里尔直白地指出来。 “你会掉毛，体型会变小，最后会变得跟大象一样哦。” “我才不会！” 猛犸象气鼓鼓地说。 “要是天气变晴了，你会缩水还会掉头发吗？”

sunny?" "No, of course not! Because I'm evolved. But your children and your grandchildren and your great-great-great-grandchildren would change very slowly into elephants." "I haven't got childwen," the Mammoth pointed out. "I'm only wittle." "What?" "He said he's only little." Bennett turned to the Mammoth. "It's nothing for you to worry about right now." The Mammoth pushed its huge bulging forehead further in the window to point to Bennett with its fluffy ginger trunk. "I wike you," it said. "Er, I like you too," Bennett replied. "Where have you come from today?" "Have you come far?" the king asked, recognising a royal question when he heard it, and helping out in polite conversation. "I've come from Awaska," the Mammoth replied.

晴 “当然不会啦！ 因为我已经进化完啦。 可你的孩子、你的孙子，还有你好多好多辈的后代，会慢慢慢慢变成大象的哦。” “我还没有小孩呢。”猛犸象反驳道。 “我还只是个宝宝呀。” “啊？” “他说他还很小呢。” 班尼特转向猛犸象。 “这种事你现在完全不用担心的。” 猛犸象把自己鼓鼓的大脑袋往窗户里又凑了凑，伸出毛茸茸的姜黄色长鼻子指了指班尼特。 “我喜欢你。”它说。 “呃，我也喜欢你呀。”班尼特回答道。 “你今天是从哪儿来的呀？” “走了很远的路来的吗？” 国王开口问，他一听就知道这是王室该问的问题，正好帮着礼貌搭话。 “我从阿拉斯加来的。”猛犸象回答道。

"Very nice," the queen said, joining in. "And what is the weather like at your home?" "Just wike here," the Mammoth said. "Snow and ice, snow and ice, same owd, same owd, forever." "Actually, we're usually quite warm," Florizella told the Mammoth. "Twopical?" "No, not hot. But warm." "I should wike that. I'm fweezing. I'm always fweezing. I'm compwetewy fed up of fweezing." Courier gave a little gasp of a giggle and then stopped himself when Florizella and Bennett both looked at him. "You must have a hot drink," the king said kindly. "Let me think how we can get you inside. I don't think the front door into the palace is big enough." "What about the courtyard, if we put a great blanket over the top? And straw on the floor?" said Florizella. "Certainly," said the queen, and the king hurried out to tell the pages to get the courtyard ready for a most unusual guest.

“真好呀。”王后也加入了对话。 “那你家乡的天气是什么样的呀？” “就跟这儿一样呀。”猛犸象说。 “冰呀雪呀，雪呀冰呀，永远都是老样子，老样子。” “其实我们这儿平时挺暖和的。”弗洛里泽拉告诉猛犸象。 “是热带吗？” “不是，没有那么热。 但是挺暖和的。” “我挺想感受一下暖和的天气。 我快冻僵了。 我老是冻得慌。 我真的受够挨冻了。” 科里尔忍不住小声笑出了气，看见弗洛里泽拉和班尼特都看向他，赶紧收住了笑。 “你可得喝点热饮。”国王和善地说。 “我想想怎么把你接进来。 我觉得王宫的正门不够大，你进不来。” “那院子呢？我们在院子顶上搭张大毯子怎么样？ 再在地上铺点干草？”弗洛里泽拉提议道。 “当然可以。”王后说，国王连忙走出去，吩咐侍从们收拾院子，迎接这位非同寻常的客人。

The queen turned to Florizella and Bennett. "I'm very pleased to have one of your friends to stay, of course. It's just rather a lot of straw to have to find. And with the window broken it is terribly cold. How long do Ice Ages normally last?" "Centuries," Courier said helpfully. "That's why they're called "ages". It's short for "ages and ages and ages". And when they end there is a tremendous flood." Bennett and Florizella exchanged a thoughtful look. "You know," Florizella said quietly to her friend, "I'd rather forgotten about the flood." Courier helped the Mammoth over the creaking drawbridge and under the portcullis, and the king and queen had their picnic thrones set up in the courtyard among the straw, under the temporary blanket roof. Florizella and Bennett got dressed in all the winter clothing they could find and went out into the newly frozen kingdom.

王后转向弗洛里泽拉和班尼特。 “当然啦，你们的朋友愿意留下来住，我特别开心。 就是得找好多好多干草，有点麻烦。 而且窗户破了，冷得要命。 冰河世纪一般会持续多久呀？” “好几百年哦。”科里尔热心地回答。 “所以才叫‘世纪’呀。 就是‘好久好久好久’的简称嘛。 等冰河世纪结束的时候，还会有一场大洪水呢。” 班尼特和弗洛里泽拉对视了一眼，心里都在琢磨这事。 “你知道吗，”弗洛里泽拉轻声对她的朋友说，“我都快忘了洪水这回事了。” 科里尔扶着猛犸象走过吱呀作响的吊桥，穿过吊闸，国王和王后已经把他们野餐用的王座摆在了院子的干草上，顶上就是临时搭的毯子顶篷。 弗洛里泽拉和班尼特把能找到的所有冬装都穿在了身上，出门走进了这个刚被冰封的王国。