可愛的大自然

　　這自然的法規我認為是最高的法規，一切法規中最具有強制性的法規。

　　——［美］馬克·吐溫

　　鳥類的朋友 

　　愛心是世界通行的語言。有了它，你可以和鳥兒親切地交談，和陌生人熱情地打招呼，從而擁有很多朋友。你會發現，有了它，你很容易得到大家的微笑，有了它，快樂似乎總是圍繞在你的身邊。

　　我曾經認識一位老人，他對鳥兒充滿了愛心，同時也被鳥兒所愛。他居住在一個長著各種各樣樹木的樹林中間，沒有妻子和兒女。

　　他長著銀白色的胡須，藍色的慈祥的眼睛，他的嗓音也是鳥兒所喜歡的，這使他與鳥兒成為了朋友。

　　當他拿著耙子走在樹林里的時候，鳥兒就會靠近他，并啄食他從土壤里新翻出來的蚯蚓。起初它們還與老人保持一定距離，不過很快，它們就與老人靠得很近了。因為它們發現老人是一個善良的人，不但不會傷害它們，還很喜歡讓它們靠近自己。

　　鳥兒是從老人那友善的目光和聲音里感覺到他有一顆善良的心的，隨著時間的推移，它們相信了老人對它們的愛。

　　它們會靠近耙子，有時還會跳到耙子上去等著蟲子的出現。每當老人對著它們說話時，它們就會抬頭仰望著他，就像在說：“他是個好人，他愛我們，我們不用怕他。”

　　不久，樹林中所有的鳥都成了他的忠實的朋友，它們總是盼著老人的到來。一旦看到他，它們就會從枝頭上飛下來，唧唧喳喳地叫著來歡迎老人。

　　老人不需要用耙子或鋤頭進行勞作的時候，他會隨身帶些面包屑，把它們撒落在身邊的地面上。這時，鳥兒們便會飛到他的頭上、腳上，去啄那些從他手上掉下來的面包屑。

　　老人也知道，這些鳥兒是多么喜歡他。有時他會把一片面包皮放在嘴里，而將面包皮的另一半露在嘴唇外面，鳥兒就會像蜜蜂采蜜一樣，一口一口地把面包皮啄光。

　　每當老人早晨睡過頭了，鳥兒們便會飛到屋里，落在他的床頭，用它們的歌聲叫醒老人。

　　鳥兒還與老人一同去教堂。當老人在教堂里祈禱和唱圣歌時，它們也落在樹上唱起贊歌，贊美那位像上帝一樣仁慈地對待它們的老人。

　　鳥兒對老人的這種愛和信任，伴隨著他安度終生。我們也知道，那些擁有與老人一樣善良的心靈、友善的聲音、和善的目光的男孩和女孩，也一樣會受到鳥兒這樣的信任和愛戴，成為鳥類的朋友的。

　　Bird Friends

　　I once knew a man who was rich in his love for birds, and in their love for him. He lived in the mst of a grove full of all kinds of trees. He had no wife or children in his home。

　　He was an old man with gray beard, blue and kind eyes, and a voice that the  birds loved; and this was the way he made them his friends。

　　While he was at work with a rake on his nice walks in the grove, the birds came close to him to pick up the worms in the fresh earth he dug up. At first, they kept a rod or two from him, but they soon found he was a kind man, and would not hurt them, but liked to have them near him。

　　They knew this by his kind eyes and voice, which tell what is in the heart. So, day by day their faith in his love grew in them。

　　They came close to the rake. They would hop on top of it to be first at the worm. They would turn up their eyes into his when he spoke to them, as if they sa, "He is a kind man; he loves us; we need not fear him."

　　All the birds of the grove were soon his fast friends. They were on the watch for him, and would fly down from the green tree tops to greet him with their chirp。

　　When he had no work on the walks to do with his rake or his hoe, he took crusts of bread with him, and dropped the crumbs on the ground. Down they would dart on his head and feet to catch them as they fell from his hand。

　　He showed me how they loved him. He put a crust of bread in his mouth, with one end of it out of his lips. Down they came like bees at a flower, and flew off with it crumb by crumb。

　　When they thought he slept too long in the morning, they would fly in and sit on the bedpost, and call him up with their chirp。

　　They went with him to church, and while he sa his prayers and sang his hymns in it, they sat in the trees, and sang their praises to the same good God who cares for them as he does for us。

　　Thus the love and trust of birds were a joy to him all his life long; and such love and trust no boy or girl can fail to win with the same kind heart, voice, and eye that he had。