Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - wild swings｜又中又英

In my previous column I said I left Manhattan to stay at my elder sister's home in Indianapolis in the state of Indiana. This state is in the Midwest, which is the northern central part of the US. I said in my previous column I saw pretty birds chirping in my sister's backyard. This meant spring is coming. The word “chirp” means the short, sharp singing sounds small birds make. In the past few weeks Indianapolis has gone through wild swings in the weather. Manhattan was the same during my time there. The expression“wild swing”means a very noticeable and extreme change in something.

It's been three weeks since I arrived in Indianapolis. During this time the weather has changed from cool and sunny on some days to very cold with light snow on other days. These wild swings in the weather from warm to cold can take a toll on a person's health. The expression“take a toll”used this way means to have a serious or bad effect. I went for a walk in a nearby park last week when the weather was pleasantly cool and sunny. I saw a flock of geese that had not been there during previous walks. The word“flock”means a group of birds of the same kind that feed or travel together.

The word “flock” can also be used to describe a group of animals such as sheep. The word“geese”is the plural of goose, which is a type of bird. The flock of geese I saw in the park meant spring is arriving. Geese fly south from Canada during the winter to the warmer southern parts of the US. While flying south they will rest in Midwest places like Indiana. When it's spring they will fly north back to Canada to breed（give birth）and stop in places like Indiana. The geese I saw were flying back to Canada for the summer. If I am in Indianapolis next winter I will see them flying south again.
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在上一篇文章中说到，我离开了曼哈顿，前往印第安纳州的印第安纳坡里斯，我姊的家里去住。这个州在中西部，就是美国地理上的中北部。我上次写道，我见到有美丽的雀鸟，在我姊的后院吱吱喳喳地叫（chirping），这意味着春天将至。Chirp是指小鸟歌唱，短而尖的啁啾声。过去几个星期，印第安纳坡里斯的天气急剧变化（wild swings），我在曼哈顿的时候，曼哈顿也是一样。习语「wild swing」意即某事物有着显著而极端的变化。

我抵达印第安纳坡里斯已有三周了。在这段时间里，天气变化很大，好些日子凉爽又晴朗，另一些日子则急转为非常寒冷，还轻飘着雪。这种乍暖还寒、强烈摇摆（wild swings）的天气，可以对一个人的健康产生不良的影响（take a toll）。习语「take a toll」在这里解作严重或坏影响。我上星期趁着天气晴朗、清爽宜人之时，去了附近一个公园散步。我见到一群鹅（flock of geese），是之前几次散步时都没有出现过的。Flock是指一群一同觅食或飞行的同种鸟类。

Flock也可以用来形容一群动物，例如一群羊。Geese就是goose的众数。我在公园见到一群鹅（flock of geese），意味着春天即将来临。冬季期间，鹅群（geese）会由加拿大南飞至美国较暖和的南部地区，而南飞途中，牠们会在中西部如印第安纳州歇息；到了春天，牠们会飞返加拿大繁殖（breed），又会在印第安纳等地停留。我见到的鹅（geese）正要飞回加拿大迎接夏天。要是下一个冬季，我还在印第安纳坡里斯，就可以再见到牠们南飞。
中译:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁