描写动物之家畜语料积累：猫、狗、马等
私家英语
I. Domestic animals
▲ A Cat with Hind Legs Tucked in and Tail Coiled
A cat sprang up upon the bench, stretched herself, tucked her hind legs under her and coiled her tail tightly round them as though to prevent them from accidentally working loose.
——Dorothy L.Sayers; Unnatural Death,Chap.XI
【生词】tuck /tʌk/ to put sth into a small space, especially to hide it or keep it safe or comfortable 把…塞进狭窄的空间；把…藏入；收藏
coil /kɔɪl/~ (sth) round, around, etc. sth~ (sth) up=to wind into a series of circles; to make sth do this（使）缠绕，盘绕
【译文】一只猫跳上长凳，伸了个懒腰，把后腿缩在身下，把尾巴紧紧地盘绕在腿上，好像怕尾巴不小心松了似的.
【赏析】：一连串的动作描写，生动形象点出了猫咪的优雅和轻盈.
▲A Grey Cat
The grey cat seated itself between and behind them again. It blinked slowly. The skin over its shoulders jerked forward under a flea, and then slipped slowly back. The cat lifted a paw and inspected it, flicked its claws out and in again experimentally, and licked its pads with a shell-pink tongue.
—John Steinbeck:The Grapes of Wrath,Chap.6
【生词】blink=when you blink or blink your eyes or your eyes blink , you shut and open your eyes quickly眨眼睛
jerk /dʒɜːk/=If you jerk something or someone in a particular direction, or they jerk in a particular direction, they move a short distance very suddenly and quickly. 使…猝然一动; 猝然一动
flick /flɪk/=If something flicks in a particular direction, or if someone flicks it, it moves with a short, sudden movement. 迅速地移动
lick vt. 舔；
pad /pæd/ ；n. 衬垫；便签簿；(猫或狗的）爪垫
shell-pick粉红色；贝壳粉色
【译文】灰猫又在他们中间和后面坐了下来.它慢慢地眨了眨眼睛.它肩膀上的皮肤在一只跳蚤下面向前一缩，然后慢慢地滑了回来.这只猫抬起一只爪子检查了一下，又试着把爪子朝里朝外弹了几下，然后用贝壳般粉红色的舌头舔舐脚垫.
【赏析】 本段通过连续的动作描写，快慢结合（jerk的快和slip slowly慢）;用了inspect，含有拟人的意思，从视觉角度（shell-pink tongue),写出了猫的动作的轻盈和慵懒的样子.
图片
▲ A Female Dog
The dog, who had sounded so ferocious in the winter distances, was a female German shepherd. She was shivering. Her tail was between her legs. She had been borrowed that morning from a farmer. She had never been to war before. She had no idea what game was being played. Her name was Princess.
—Jr. Kurt Vonnegut; Slaughterhouse-Five,3.
—John Steinbeck:The Grapes of Wrath,Chap.6
【生词】1.ferocious/fəˈrəʊʃəs/ =very aggressive or violent; very strong 凶猛的；残暴的；猛烈的
2.shiver /ˈʃɪvə(r)/ =[ V] ~ (with sth)( of a person 人 ) to shake slightly because you are cold, frightened, excited, etc.颤抖，哆嗦（因寒冷、恐惧、激动等）
【译文】这只狗是一只母德国牧羊犬，在遥远的冬天听起来是那么凶猛.她颤抖着.她的尾巴夹在两腿之间.她是那天早上从一个农民那借来的.她以前从未上过战场.她不知道他们在玩什么把戏.她的名字叫公主.
【赏析】 从听觉（sounded so ferocious）,视觉（shivering, her tail between her legs)等来描写狗狗的状态.一个听上去“sounded”和现实的“shivering”及“夹尾巴 her tail was between her legs”形成鲜明对比.侧面体现了战争的残酷.
图片
▲ The Great Big Yellow Horse
I remember once out at St.Cloud. It was a big two hundred thousand france race with seven entries and Kzar a big favorite. I went around to paddock to see the horses with my old man and you never saw such horses. This Kzar is a great big yellow horse that looks like just nothing but run. I never saw such a horse. He was being led around the paddocks with his head down and when he went by me I felt all hollow inside he was so beautiful. There never was such a wonderful, lean, running built horse. And he went around the paddock putting his feet just so and quiet and careful and moving easy like he knew just what he had to do and not jerking and standing up on his legs and getting wild eyed like you see these selling platers with a shot of dope in them. The crowd was so thick I couldn't see him again except just his legs going by and some yellow.
——Ernest Hemingway: My Old Man.
【生词】france n.法郎
entry /ˈentri/ n.参赛总人数
paddock /ˈpædək/= a small field where horses are kept. (放牧马匹的) 小围场
hollow /ˈhɒləʊ/ adj.空心的；空洞的
built adj.有…体格的
jerk /dʒɜːk/ vi. 痉挛；急拉；颠簸地行进
selling platers（美国俚语）(赛马用语)劣等赛马
a shot of dope 一针兴奋剂
these selling platers with a shot of dope in them 这些注射过兴奋剂的蹩脚赛马
【译文】我记得有一次到圣克卢去.那里有场二十万法郎的大奖赛，有七匹马参赛，克扎是一大热门.我跟老头儿一起顺便到练马场去看看参赛的马，那么棒的马你还从没见过呢.这匹克扎是一头高大的黄马，看上去只懂得跑.我从没见过这么棒的马.这匹马低着头，正给带着绕场转一圈，它跑过我眼前，我心里就觉得空落落，它真帅.从来没有一匹如此神气、生来善跑的瘦马.这骑马跑过练马场时，四脚落地恰到好处，沉着谨慎，行动从容，好像心中有数该怎么跑似的，既不颠动，也不竖起后腿来发威，眼睛一股煞气，像你所看见的那些身上注射过兴奋剂准备出售的劣等赛马那样.人群挤得密密麻麻，我再也看不见匹马，只看见它跑过时的腿和一些黄毛.
【赏析】 本段有较多的关于马的风姿的描述.描写了体型（big, lean, running built),颜色（yellow,some yellow这里yellow做名词用，黄毛），静态描写.又有动态的描述: with his head down(介词短语和“我”的感受--心空了hollow inside和美丽beautiful)，putting his feet just so and quiet and careful and moving easy, not jerking, standing up on his legs, getting wild eyed等.从视觉(beautiful, yellow,not getting wild eyes等）来描绘.运用了好几处的对比 (There never was such a ...; like you see these selling platers...)来凸显他的优秀和受欢迎（running built 和 a big favorite).马的这些姿态描写可以用于其他的动物描写，驴、骡、河马、斑马等等.应用性还是比较强的.