戴欣，南开大学外语学院英语专业副教授，多年从事英美文学教学，研究兴趣：英美文学，英美文学翻译，比较文学，跨文化交际。

　　谭思宁，南开大学外语学院英语专业硕士，大学英语教师，研究兴趣：英美文学，英美文学翻译，比较文学，跨文化交际。

　　为了更加适合中国学生阅读《英语阅读成长计划丛书：英国学生母语课本（4）》，使其更易理解英文原文的含义，每篇文章均配以流畅的中文译文，以不同阶段学生喜爱的生动语言进行翻译，更能吸引读者的阅读兴趣。此外，对于原文中出现的生词、词组、俚语、古英语等均给予详细的解释。

　　THE SNOWY OWL
　　雪鸮
　　课文
　　1. The snowy owl lives in cold northern countries like Norway, Sweden, Russia, and the north of America. It is sometimes seen in the Orkney and Shetland Islands.
　　2. The young bird is thickly spotted with brown, but as time goes on the brown colour disappears, and it becomes pure white, like most animals that live in the snowy North. Hares, foxes, and bears in those lands have white fur, while those that live farther south are brown or some other dark colour.
　　3. All these animals are well fitted for living among snow and ice. White is the warmest colour, and this helps them to stand the great cold of the "frozen North." White, too, is the colour of the snow; so a white covering helps the smaller animals to escape the notice of their enemies, while it helps the larger ones to get near their prey without being seen.
　　4. The snowy owl of the North is a bold fellow, and hunts by day as well as by night—looking for hares and rabbits, catching fish, and killing great numbers of small birds as well as of rats and mice.
　　5. It is very amusing to see him fishing—standing on a rock or a piece of ice, with the freezing water flowing over his feet and legs. Every now and then he makes a stroke at a fish as it passes him, and he seldom misses his aim. He does not seize his prey with his beak, as sea-birds do when fishing, but with a swift grasp of his claw.
　　6. Yet his feet do not freeze, as you might think, for they are well protected. They are not bare like those of other birds, but are covered down to the very toes with warm downy feathers, so thick that they make his legs look as large as those of a good-sized dog.
　　7. The eyes of the snowy owl are also well fitted for life in the far North. Most owls have big round eyes, and can see in the dark as well as a cat; but in strong sunlight they are blinded by the glare, and can hardly se at all. They sleep during the day, and hunt after the sun has gone down.
　　……

1  FINGERS AND FORKS
手指与餐叉
2  THE SNOWY OWL
雪鸮
3  A STORY OF FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE
弗洛伦斯·南丁格尔的故事
4  COMMON THINGS
寻常物
5  THE WONDERFUL PENNY
神奇的便士
6  A SLATE-PENCIL
石笔
7  LITTLE SCOTCH GRANITE
小花岗岩脑袋
8  MY LITTLE HERO
我的小英雄
9  THE LOBSTER
大龙虾
10  KEEP YOUR TEMPER
忍住性子
11  HOW FILIPPE’S COW WAS SAVED
菲利皮的牛得救了
12  TOO MANY DOLLS
很多娃娃
13  THE BRAVE LITTLE SHEPHERD
勇敢的小牧羊人
14  PENGUINS
企鹅
15  A HINDU FABLE
盲人摸象
16  VIENNA ROLLS
维也纳面包圈
17  THE EMPEROR’S WATCH
国王的表
18  OUR YARD MEASURE AND OUR POUND WEIGHT
码尺和磅秤
19  SMOKE
烟
20  MATCHES
火柴
21  JACK AND THE MATCH-BOX
杰克和火柴盒
22  THE JOLLY OLD CROW
快乐老鸦
23  IT WILL NEVER DO TO BE IDLE
懒惰一时，危害一世
24  AN OSTRICH FARM
鸵鸟农场
25  BIRD-HOUSES
鸟巢
26  A NEST IN A POCKET
袋中巢
27  THE FEAST OF CHERRIES
樱桃节
28  BANANAS
香蕉
29  WEATHER-WISDOM
天气的智慧
30  SUMMER
夏日
31  THE LIFE OF PLANTS
植物的生命
……