21天读《海鸥乔纳森》-Day 1

海鸥乔纳森独自练习飞行

Hey,this is Joey. Welcome.

Hey，我是Joey. 欢迎大家来到21天读英文小说-《海鸥乔纳森》，英文名叫Jonathan Livingston Seagull.其作者理查德·巴赫（Richard Bach）,是美国著名作家，诗人，飞行员，17岁开始学习飞行,被誉为来自天上的使者。

本书比较简短，共三个章节，每一章节中英字数8500左右，我们将分21天读完本书，感谢大家参与。有人可能会问我为什么要进行21天读这本书，我觉得可能是情怀吧，第一次读这本短小说是我在大学的时候，通过外教弗朗克我第一次知道了海鸥乔纳森，我的英语学习之路，从此发生了一些积极的变化，所以我希望更多人能够了解这本书。

使用建议：

1.    泛听 理解大意（基础弱一点建议提前阅读）

2.    精听 中英对照 体会语言之美 听给自己录音

3.    笔记整理 英语学习需要积累，不会一蹴而就

在我们开始之前想和大家分享几句来自豆瓣的书评：

豆瓣书评：

海鸥乔纳森不愿为觅食活着，他渴望学习飞翔的技巧；鸥群无法接受这种特立独行的个性，他被流放了；离群索居的乔纳森继续练习，进入了飞行家的天堂；他在天堂接着练习，同时学会了用心与同伴交流；在静默中，乔纳森对爱和生命的有了自己的理解，决定返回鸥群，帮助和自己一样的“异类”……

寓言是面镜子，它照出我们自己的生活体验和思考。我读寓言，最怕自己只看到镜子，里面空无一物……

说说我照镜子的感受：

感受一：

飞翔代表自我超越。乔纳森追求的不是飞翔技巧，而是自我超越。如果他是条鱼，他一样会学习游泳的技巧；如果他是只孔雀，一样会学习开屏的技巧；如果他是朵花，一样会学习怒放的技巧。

自我超越是不断追求精神的自由。学习飞翔、游泳、开屏、怒放的动力是为了不断突破自我。突破不仅意味着更高更快更强更美，更意味着冲破习俗和传统的障碍追求精神自由。

感受二：

飞翔也可以代表思考。有人思考如何觅食，乔纳森思考如何思考。进入天堂象征乔纳森的思考已经脱离巢臼。他选择返回地球，则象征思考不是为了逃离生活、超凡脱俗、高高在上，而是为了看清自己，是为了更深地体验生活，是为了爱。

爱是看到人性光辉的一面，是一视同仁帮助所有人实现自我超越的愿望。

Day 1

①It was morning, and thenew sun sparkled gold across the ripples of a gentle sea.

早晨,初升的太阳照耀着恬静的海面,荡漾的微波闪着金光。

 ②A mile from shore afishing boat chummed the water and the word for Breakfast Flock flashed throughthe air, till a crowd of a thousand seagulls came to dodge and fight for bitsof food. It was another busy day beginning.

离岸一英里的海上,一只渔船随波逐浪地前进,这是吃早饭的信号,近千只海鸥飞来,相互追逐着争食吃。又一个忙碌的日子开始了。

 ③But way off alone, outby himself beyond boat and shore, Jonathan Livingston Seagull was practicing. Ahundred feet in the sky he lowered his webbed feet, lifted his beak, andstrained to hold a painful hard twisting curve through his wings. The curvemeant that he would fly slowly, and now he slowed until the wind was a whisperin his face,  until the ocean stood still beneath him. He narrowed hiseyes in fierce concentration, held his breath, forced one... single... more...inch... of... curve... Then his feathers ruffled, he stalled and fell.

但在远离渔船和海岸的地方,海鸥乔纳森·利文斯顿独自在练习飞行。在百英尺的上空,他伸下两只带蹼的脚,仰起嘴,使劲儿弯着翅膀。翅膀一弯,就可以放慢速度。而现在,他越飞越慢了,慢得几乎听不到耳边的风声,慢得连脚下的大海也仿佛静止不动了。他眯起眼睛,集中精力,屏住呼吸,使劲儿想再……弯……那么一英寸……然后,他浑身的羽毛直坚,失去平衡,摔了下来。

④ Seagulls, as youknow, never falter, never stall. To stall in the air is for them disgrace andit is dishonor.

要知道,海鸥飞行时决不摇晃,决不失去平衡。在空中失去平衡,对海鸥来说是丢脸的事,是极不光彩的事。

 ⑤But Jonathan LivingstonSeagull, unashamed, stretching his wings again in that trembling hard curve -slowing,  slowing, and stalling once more - was no ordinary bird.

但是乔纳森并不觉得丢脸,他再一次展开双翅,依旧颤抖着使劲弯曲——一点、一点地放慢速度,又一次失去平衡一一他不是只平凡的鸟。

⑥Most gulls don’t botherto learn more than the simplest facts of flight - how to get from shore to foodand back again. For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. Forthis gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More thananything else. Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.

大多数海鸥只求学会最简单的飞行本领一一如何从岸上飞出去觅食,再飞回来。对他们来说,重要的不是飞行,而是觅食。但对这只海鸥来说,重要的不是吃而是飞。乔纳森喜爱飞行胜于一切。

 ⑦This kind of thinking,he found, is not the way to make one’s self popular with other birds. Even hisparents were dismayed as Jonathan spent whole days alone, making hundreds oflow-level glides, experimenting.

他发现,像他这样的想法,在同类中是吃不开的。他那么整天独自练习,成百次地作低飞滑翔,连他的双亲都替他担心呢。

⑧ He didn’t knowwhy, for instance, but when he flew at altitudes less than half his wingspanabove the water, he could stay in the air longer, with less effort. His glidesended not with the usual feet-down splash into the sea, but with a long flatwake as he touched the surface with his feet tightly streamlined against hisbody. When he began sliding in to feet-up landings on the beach, then pacingthe length of his slide in the sand, his parents were very much dismayedindeed.

他自己也不知道是什么原故,只要他保持离水面不到半翅的高度作低空飞行,他就能在空中停留较久,费劲较小。他滑翔下来并不像一般鸟儿那样伸下双足溅落海中，而是蜷起双足紧贴着身体掠过海面,在水面留下长长一道波纹。他蜷起双足在沙滩上滑翔着陆,然后步测着沙滩上滑翔的距离,他的父母见了,着实为他担忧。

⑨ “Why, Jon, why?”his mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Whycan’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the albatross? Why don’t you eat?Son, you’re bone and feathers!”

"怎么啦,乔?怎么啦?"他妈妈问。"难道学其他海鸥的样儿这么难,乔?低飞是鹈鹕和信天翁的事,你学这干什么?你干吗不吃点儿?孩子,你都瘦得皮包骨头了!"

 ⑩ “I don’t mind beingbone and feathers mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what Ican’t, that’s all. I  just want to know.”

"我倒不在乎瘦得皮包骨头,妈妈。我只是想知道我在空中能够做什么,不能够做什么。"