第5單元 馬戲團(tuán)里的青年
Natasha's parents had met in the circus. Her mother was an aerialist and her father was a clown. So, when Natasha was born into the National Russian Circus it was determined right away that she would also become a circus performer.
娜塔莎的父母是在馬戲團(tuán)里認(rèn)識的。她媽媽是個高空特技演員,爸爸是小丑,所以娜塔莎一出生就立刻注定成為一名馬戲團(tuán)表演者。
But clowning around was not Natasha's calling, and she was afraid of heights. Natasha loved the tigers. From a young age, she developed a special relationship with one cub in particularcalled Sasha. Natasha's mother convinced the ringleader to let Natasha train to be a tiger trainer.
不過娜塔莎一點都不喜歡扮小丑,又很怕高。她喜歡的是老虎,尤其從小便和一只名叫莎莎的幼虎發(fā)展出一段特別的關(guān)系。娜塔莎的媽媽說服馬戲團(tuán)團(tuán)長訓(xùn)練娜塔莎成為一名老虎馴獸師。
By 18, at only 5 feet tall, Natasha was working with four full-grown, ferocious tigers. Although Natasha was familiar with her tigers, they were still animals wild, dangerous and unpredictable.
十八歲那年,身高才五英尺的娜塔莎已經(jīng)可以和四只成年的兇猛老虎為伍。雖然娜塔莎很熟悉她的老虎,但它們畢竟是野生動物,可以說既危險又難以捉摸。
Every night was an adventure for Natasha. She loved the roar of the crowd. She loved the wild, untamed look in the tiger's eyes when they walked toward her. Her act was terrifying and exhilarating!
每天晚上對娜塔莎來說,都是一場冒險。她喜愛群眾的喧鬧聲,喜愛老虎走向她時眼中那種既狂野又不被馴服的神情;她的動作讓人既害怕又振奮!
She had to be on her toes, never taking her eyes off the tigers. One wrong move and she could lose control of the ring and her life!
她必須隨時保持專注,不能掉以輕心,眼光更不能從老虎身上移開。任何一個錯誤動作都可能讓這群老虎失控,甚至丟掉自己的性命!