The Coward's Lesson

懦夫的教训

Tom was easily frightened. He enlisted in the army because he thought the military would teach him courage. And though he needed courage, he never imagined how he would learn it.

汤姆很胆小。他参军是因为他认为军队会教会他勇气。虽然他需要勇气，但他从来没有想过自己会学到什么。

During a march across a tract of wilderness near his country's frontier, Tom strayed from his squad. He had stopped to gaze at a splendid view of a lush valley. When he turned around, his squad was gone. He searched for them, but because their outfits had camouflage, he couldn't find them.

在一次穿越国家边境附近一片荒野的行军中，汤姆从他的队伍中走失了。他停下来凝视着一片葱翠山谷的壮丽景色。他一转身，他的小队就不见了。他四处寻找，但因为他们的衣服有伪装，他找不到他们。

It was getting dark, and Tom grew weary. All he had was a knife, a boomerang, and his handbook. He made a camp for the night. It was cold, and the ground was hard. He wished he had his cot and a blanket. Instead, he made a fire, wrapped himself tightly in his jacket, and fell asleep.

天快黑了，汤姆感到有些疲倦。他只有一把刀、一个回旋镖和一本手册。他搭起帐篷过夜。天气很冷，地面很硬。他真希望自己有一张小床和一条毯子。相反，他生了一堆火，把自己紧紧地裹在夹克里，然后睡着了。

A loud noise roused him from his sleep. "What was that?" he wondered.

一声巨响把他从睡梦中惊醒。“那是什么?”

Then he noticed it. An animal of substantial size had left a print from its paw in the dirt.

然后他注意到了。一只体型巨大的动物在泥土上留下了爪印。

He sat closer to the fire and looked into the darkness. He imagined a large beast jumping from the gloom and attacking him. He shook so much from fear that it felt like the marrow in his bones quivered.

他坐在离火更近的地方，望着黑暗。他想象着一只巨大的野兽从黑暗中跳出来攻击他。他吓得浑身发抖，好像骨髓都在颤抖。

Tom contemplated many different plans. He was hesitant to act. He decided to stay by the fire, but during his vigil, he heard more noises.

汤姆考虑了许多不同的计划。他犹豫不决，最后决定留在火边，但在这期间，他听到了更多的噪音。

He couldn't contend with his fear any longer. He knew what he had to do. He made a torch and followed the prints. He heard a twig snap very close ahead, but he bravely went on.Seconds later, he discovered what had scared him. It was only a kangaroo.

他再也不害怕了，他知道自己必须做些什么。他拿了一个火把，追着脚步前行。他听到前面很近的地方有树枝折断的声音，但他还是勇敢地继续往前走。几秒钟后，他发现了吓着他的东西，只是一只袋鼠而已。

Tom went back to his camp and slept. In the morning, he found his squad. He had finally learned courage. He learned that he had to confront his fear in order to conquer it.

汤姆回到营地继续入睡。早上，他找到了他的小队。他终于学会了勇敢，他知道自己必须面对恐惧才能战胜它。

单词表

camouflage n. 迷彩

contemplate v. 沉思

contend v. 竞争

cot n. 简易床

enlist v. 使入伍

frontier n. 前沿

handbook n. 手册

hesitant adj.迟疑的

lush adj.丰富的

marrow n. 髓

outfit n. 全套装备

paw n. 爪子

quiver v. 颤抖

splendid adj.辉煌的

stray v. 迷路

substantial adj.大量的

torch n. 火把

tract n. 大片土地

vigil n. 守夜

weary adj.疲倦的

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