Song on the Wind
“Peanut's tracks,"said Annie."We have to find her before she freezes."
She wrapped her reindeer coat around her and headed across the snow.
Jack pulled on his backpack and followed.
“tracks”常见释义为“踪迹；足迹；轨道”等，在文中“Peanut's tracks”意思是“花生的踪迹”。
“freezes”是“freeze”的第三人称单数形式，意为“结冰；冻住；（使）冻结”，文中“before she freezes”表示“在她冻僵之前”。
“wrapped”是“wrap”的过去式，有“包裹；裹（住）；缠绕”等意思，“She wrapped her reindeer coat around her”就是“她把她的驯鹿外套裹在自己身上”。
“reindeer”指“驯鹿”，例如“reindeer coat”就是“驯鹿外套”。
“headed across”意思是“朝……走去；向……进发”，“headed across the snow”即“朝着雪地走去”。
The mouse's tracks led them between the fallen rocks and back onto the open plain.
The wind blew harder.Snow swirled over the ground,covering the tiny footprints.
"I can't see them anymore!"wailed Annie.
She and Jack now stood in the middle of the plain.They stared at the windswept snow.
“fallen”是“fall”的过去分词，可表示“倒下的；落下的；掉落的”，比如“fallen leaves”（落叶），文中“fallen rocks”意思是“倒下的岩石”。
“plain”常见释义为“平原；旷野；简单的；朴素的”，文中“open plain”指“开阔的平原”。
“swirled”是“swirl”的过去式，意为“旋转；打旋；使成漩涡状”，“Snow swirled over the ground”就是“雪花在地面上打着旋儿”。
“covering”是“cover”的现在分词形式，有“覆盖；遮盖；掩盖”等意思，“covering the tiny footprints”表示“盖住了那些小小的脚印”。
“wailed”是“wail”的过去式，意为“哀号；嚎哭；大声痛哭”，“I can't see them anymore!” wailed Annie”就是“‘我再也看不到它们了！’安妮哀号道”。
“windswept”意为“被风吹的；受大风侵袭的；当风的”，“windswept snow”即“被风吹拂的积雪”。
The mouse's tracks had vanished."Yikes,"whispered Annie,staring up.
Jack followed her gaze.On one of the cliffs was a tiger.A giant tiger with two long,sharp fangs.
“vanished”是“vanish”的过去式及过去分词，意为“消失；突然不见；绝迹”，文中“The mouse's tracks had vanished”表示“老鼠的踪迹已经消失了”。
“whispered”是“whisper”的过去式，意思是“低声说；小声说；耳语”，“Yikes,” whispered Annie”就是“‘呀！’安妮小声说道”。
“staring up”表示“抬头凝视；向上盯着看”，描述的是一种看向高处的动作。
“gaze”作名词时意为“凝视；注视；目光”，“followed her gaze”就是“顺着她的目光”。
“cliffs”是“cliff”的复数形式，指“悬崖；峭壁”，“On one of the cliffs”即“在其中一处悬崖上”。
“tiger”意为“老虎”，就是指那种大型猫科动物。
“sharp”常见释义为“锋利的；尖锐的；锐利的”，“sharp fangs”就是“锋利的獠牙”。
“fangs”指“獠牙；尖牙”，常用来描述一些动物尖锐的牙齿。
"A sabertooth,"said Jack."I hope he doesn't see us,"whispered Annie.
"Me too,"Jack whispered back."We'd better head back to the tree house."
Jack and Annie stepped very softly across the snow.Then Jack glanced back at the cliff.
The sabertooth was gone.
“sabertooth”指“剑齿虎”，是一种远古已灭绝的有着很长且锋利犬齿的大型猫科动物，文中“A sabertooth”就是指出现的那只剑齿虎。
“whispered”是“whisper”的过去式，意为“小声说；低声说；耳语”，例如“‘I hope he doesn't see us,’ whispered Annie”表示“‘我希望他没看到我们。’安妮小声说道”。
“head back”，表示“返回；折回”，像“We'd better head back to the tree house”意思是“我们最好返回树屋去”。
“glanced”是“glance”的过去式，有“瞥一眼；匆匆一看；扫视”的意思，“Jack glanced back at the cliff”就是“杰克回头朝悬崖那边瞥了一眼”。
“gone”是“go”的过去分词，在这里表示“消失了；不见了；离去了”，“The sabertooth was gone”意思是“那只剑齿虎不见了”。
“Oh man,"he said."Where is he?”"Run to the trees!"said Annie.
He and Annie started running.They ran over the snowy plain,heading toward the tall,bare trees in the distance.
Suddenly Jack heard a crack.
“snowy”是形容词，意为“下雪的；被雪覆盖的；多雪的”，比如“snowy plain”就是“积雪覆盖的平原”。
“bare”作形容词时，常见意思有“光秃秃的；赤裸的；空的”，文中“tall, bare trees”指的是“高大、光秃秃的树木”。
“crack”可作名词也可作动词，在这里作名词，意思是“裂缝；破裂声；爆裂声”，“Suddenly Jack heard a crack”就是“突然，杰克听到了一声破裂声”。
The ground caved in,and Jack went with it.Annie fell beside him.
They crashed down onto a heap of branches,snow,and earth.
They struggled to stand.Jack pushed his glasses into place.
"You all right?"he asked Annie."Yes,"she said.They both looked up.They were in a deep hole.
“caved in”, “cave in”表示“塌陷；坍塌；下陷”，例句“The ground caved in”意思是“地面塌陷了”。
“fell”是“fall”的过去式，有“摔倒；跌倒；掉落”等意思，“Annie fell beside him”就是“安妮摔倒在他身旁”。
“crashed”是“crash”的过去式，意为“猛撞；坠毁；摔碎”等，“They crashed down onto a heap of branches, snow, and earth”意思是“他们猛地摔到了一堆树枝、积雪和泥土上”。
“heap”作名词时意为“堆；大量；许多”，文中“a heap of branches, snow, and earth”就是“一堆树枝、积雪和泥土”。
“looked up”是“look up”的过去式，意思是“抬头看；向上看；查阅（字典等）”，“They both looked up”就是“他们俩都抬头看去”。
“hole”指“洞；孔；洞穴”，“They were in a deep hole”表示“他们身处一个很深的洞里面”。
Jack could see were gray clouds moving overhead.
"This is a trap,"Jack said."The Cro-Magnons must have put branches over this hole.Then the snow hid the branches.So we didn't see them."
"There's no way out,"said Annie.
She was right.They were helpless.The pit was too deep to climb out of.
- gray：形容词，意为“灰色的；昏暗的”，例如：The sky was gray.（天空是灰色的。）
- overhead：可作副词，意为“在头顶上；在空中”，如：The plane flew overhead.（飞机从头顶飞过。）也可作形容词表示“头顶上的；上面的”，像：an overhead light（头顶的灯）。
- trap：名词时表示“陷阱；圈套”，如：The hunter set a trap for the fox.（猎人设了个陷阱抓狐狸。）作动词有“使陷入困境；设陷阱捕捉”等意思，例如：They trapped the bear.（他们设陷阱捕捉了那只熊。）
- helpless：形容词，意思是“无助的；无奈的；不能自立的”，比如：The baby was helpless without its mother.（那个婴儿没有妈妈就很无助。）
- pit：名词有“坑；矿井；陷阱”等含义，例如：There was a deep pit in the ground.（地上有个很深的坑。）还可作动词表示“使有麻子；使有凹陷”等，不过常用作名词。
"I feel like a trapped animal,"Annie said."Me too,"said Jack.
He heard a yowl in the distance."The sabertooth!"whispered Annie.
Jack pulled out the Ice Age book.He found a picture of the sabertooth.He read:
The sabertooth was the fiercest beast of the Ice Age.It attacked humans as well as woolly mammoths and other large animals.
- trapped：是trap的过去分词形式，在这里作形容词，意为“受困的；被困住的”，例如：The trapped bird couldn't fly away.（被困住的鸟没法飞走。）
- yowl：名词表示“（尤指因疼痛、悲伤等发出的）长嚎，哀号”，也可作动词，指“嚎叫；哀号”，如：The cat let out a yowl.（猫发出了一声哀号。）
- fiercest：是fierce的最高级形式，意为“最凶猛的；最激烈的；最猛烈的”，比如：The fiercest storm hit the coast last night.（昨晚最猛烈的暴风雨袭击了海岸。）
“beast”指“野兽；畜生”等，例如：The lion is a powerful beast.（狮子是一种强大的野兽。）
- attacked：是attack的过去式及过去分词形式，动词，意为“攻击；进攻；抨击”，例如：The dog attacked the stranger.（狗攻击了那个陌生人。）
- woolly：形容词，有“羊毛的；毛茸茸的；模糊的”等意思，像：The woolly sweater is very warm.（那件羊毛毛衣很暖和。）
"Oh brother,"said Jack."Listen!"Annie grabbed him."What?"Jack jumped."I hear music."Jack listened.But all he heard was the wind.
"You hear it?"said Annie."No,"said Jack."Listen carefully."He closed his eyes.He listened very carefully.
He heard the wind.But this time he heard another sound,too.
Strange,haunting music."Ahhh!"cried Annie.Jack opened his eyes.
Staring down at them was a figure wearing reindeer antlers and an owl mask.
- strange：形容词，意思是“奇怪的；陌生的；奇特的”，例如：There was a strange noise in the dark.（黑暗中有奇怪的声响。）
- haunting：形容词，常表示“萦绕心头的；不易忘怀的；给人以强烈感受的”，比如：The song has a haunting melody.（这首歌有着萦绕心头的旋律。）
- staring down at：是短语，意为“低头凝视；往下盯着看”，例如：The teacher was staring down at the naughty student.（老师低头凝视着那个调皮的学生。）
- figure：名词，有“人物；身影；数字；图形”等多种含义，像：A tall figure appeared in the fog.（一个高大的身影出现在雾中。）
- reindeer antlers：指“驯鹿鹿角”，例如：The hunter found reindeer antlers in the forest.（猎人在森林里发现了驯鹿鹿角。）
- mask：名词，意为“面具；面罩；口罩”，比如：He wore a scary mask on Halloween.（万圣节时他戴了一个吓人的面具。）
"The sorcerer,"whispered Jack.Squeak.Peanut peered down at them,too!
- sorcerer：名词，意为“巫师；魔法师；术士”，例如：The sorcerer cast a powerful spell.（那个巫师施了一个强大的咒语。）
- peered down at：短语，意思是“向下凝视；往下窥视”，强调专注地、仔细地朝下看，比如：He peered down at the small object on the ground.（他向下凝视着地上的那个小物件。）
