04 Snow House

Chapter 4 Snow House The dog sled skimmed silently over the frozen tundra. The seal hunter ran alongside it. Sometimes he cracked his whip against the ice. The snowdrifts looked like giant white sculptures as the sun slipped behind the frozen hills. Then a full orange moon rose in the sky. The moonlight lit a small rounded igloo in front of them. The dog slowed, then stopped.

第四章 雪屋 狗拉雪橇静静地滑过冰封的冻原，猎海豹的人在旁边跟着跑。 有时候他挥着鞭子抽在冰面上，发出噼啪的声响。 太阳悄悄落到冰封的山丘后面时，雪堆看起来就像巨型的白色雕塑。 接着一轮橙黄色的满月升上了天空。 月光照亮了他们前方一座小小的圆顶冰屋。 狗慢了下来，接着停住了。

Jack stepped off the sled. Annie went to help unhitch the dogs. Jack took his book out and read about igloos. The word igloo means house in the language of native Arctic people. The house is built with blocks of snow. Dry snow is good wall material because it keeps in the heat. The temperature inside an igloo can be 65 degrees warmer than the temperature outside. Jack took out his notebook. He pulled off his mitten just long enough to write, igloo means house. Come on, Jack, said Annie. She and the seal hunter were waiting for him in front of the igloo. The dogs were

杰克走下雪橇，安妮去帮忙解开狗的套索，杰克拿出他的书，读起关于冰屋的内容。 “igloo”这个词在北极原住民的语言里就是房子的意思，这种房子是用雪砖盖成的。 干雪是很好的墙体材料，因为它能留住热量。 冰屋里的温度可以比室外高出65度哦。 杰克拿出他的笔记本，他摘掉连指手套，只摘了够写字的那么一会儿功夫。 igloo的意思是房子。 快过来呀，杰克。安妮说，她和猎海豹的人正在冰屋门口等他呢。 那些狗都

Leashed together outside, Jack hurried to join them. The hunter pushed aside animal skins covering the entrance. They stepped inside. A fat candle burned brightly. Shadows danced on walls of ice and snow. Jack and Annie sat on a fur -covered platform. They watched as the seal hunter moved about. First, he lit a small stove. Then he slipped outside. He came back with a snowball and chunks of frozen meat. He put the snowball in a pot over the stove. Then he added the meat. What's he making? Asked Annie. Jack pulled out his book and found a picture of the hunter cooking. He and Annie read the words silently.

被拴在屋外，杰克赶忙过去跟他们汇合。 猎人把盖在入口处的兽皮掀到一边。 他们走了进去。 一根粗粗的蜡烛正烧得亮堂堂的。 影子在冰雪砌成的墙上跳来跳去。 杰克和安妮坐在铺着兽皮的平台上。 他们看着猎海豹的人忙来忙去。 首先，他点燃了一个小炉子。 接着他溜了出去。 他拿了一个雪球和好几块冻肉回来了。 他把雪球放进炉子上的锅里。 然后又把肉放了进去。 他在做什么呀？ 安妮问。 杰克拿出他的书，找到了一张猎人做饭的图片。 他和安妮默默地读着上面的文字。

There was a time when nearly all of the Arctic people's food and clothing and tools came from Arctic animals, especially the seal. Nearly every part of the seal could be eaten. Lamps were fueled with seal fat. Clothing was made from seal skin, and knives and needles were carved from seal bones. He must be boiling seal meat, said Jack. The poor seals, said Annie. The seal hunter looked up. They are not poor, he said. They help us because they know we would die without them. Oh, said Annie. In return, we always thank the animal spirits, said the seal hunter.

曾经有段时间，北极人几乎所有的食物、衣服和工具都来自北极动物，尤其是海豹。 海豹几乎每一处都可以吃，灯也是用海豹的脂肪来当燃料的。 衣服是用海豹皮做的，刀和针是用海豹骨头刻出来的。 他肯定是在煮海豹肉。杰克说。 海豹好可怜呀。安妮说。 猎海豹的人抬起头来。 它们才不可怜呢。他说。 它们愿意帮助我们，因为它们知道没有它们我们活不下去。 哦。安妮应道。 作为回报，我们也一直会感谢动物的神灵。猎海豹的人说。

How do you do that? said Jack. We have many special ceremonies said the seal hunter. He reached under the fur covered platform and took out two wooden masks. Soon there will be a ceremony to honor the spirit of the polar bear. He said, I carved these masks for the ceremony. Polar bears, said Annie.

你们是怎么感谢的呀？杰克问。 我们有很多特别的仪式。猎海豹的人说。 他伸手到铺着兽皮的平台下面，拿出了两个木头面具。 很快就会有一场祭拜北极熊神灵的仪式。 他说：“我是为这场仪式刻的这些面具。” 北极熊呀。安妮说。

Yes, said the seal hunter. Just as the seal has given us many gifts, so has the polar bear. Like what? said Jack. Long ago, the polar bear taught us how to live in the ice and snow, said the seal hunter. Taught you? said Jack. I mean, can you give us some facts? The seal hunter smiled. Yes, he said, a polar bear catches a seal when the seal comes up to breathe through a hole in the ice. The oldest seal hunters watched the polar bear and learned. This is how my father taught me to hunt seal, as his father taught him. That's a good fact, said Jack. The very first of my people learned to make igloos from polar bears, said.

对呀。猎海豹的人说，就像海豹给了我们很多馈赠一样，北极熊也是。 比如什么呢？杰克问。很久很久以前，北极熊教我们怎么在冰天雪地里生存。 猎海豹的人说。教你们？杰克问，我的意思是，你能给我们讲点真实的知识吗？ 猎海豹的人笑了。当然可以，他说，北极熊会等海豹浮上来的时候抓海豹。 海豹会从冰面上的洞钻出来呼吸，最早的猎海豹人观察北极熊，学会了这个办法。 我爸爸就是这么教我猎海豹的，他的爸爸也是这么教他的。 这真是个很棒的知识点。杰克说，我们的祖先最早也是从北极熊那里学会盖冰屋的。 他说。