1 The Three Farmers 三个饲养场主

1 The Three Farmers
Down in the valley there were three farms. The owners of these farms had done well. They were richmen. They were also nasty men. All three of them were about as nasty and mean as any men youcould meet. Their names were Farmer Boggis, Farmer Bunce and Farmer Bean.
Boggis was a chicken farmer. He kept thousands of chickens. He was enormously fat. This wasbecause he ate three boiled chickens smothered¹ with dumplings every day for breakfast, lunch andsupper.
Bunce was a duck-and-goose farmer. He kept thousands of ducks and geese. He was a kind of pot-bellied dwarf². He was so short his chin would have been underwater in the shallow end of anyswimming-pool in the world. His food was doughnuts and goose-livers. He mashed³ the livers into adisgusting paste and then stuffed the paste into the doughnuts. This diet gave him a tummy-ache anda beastly temper.
Bean was a turkey-and-apple farmer. He kept thousands of turkeys in an orchard⁴ full of appletrees. He never ate any food at all. Instead, he drank gallons of strong cider which he made from theapples in his orchard. He was as thin as a pencil and the cleverest of them all.
Boggis and Bunce and Bean
One fat, one short, one lean.
These horrible crooks⁵
So different in looks
Were none the less equally mean.
That is what the children round about used to sing when they saw them.


1　三个饲养场主
山谷里有三个饲养场。三个饲养场的场主经营得不错。他们都是有钱人，但也都是卑鄙龌龊的家伙。他们三个简直是你所能遇到的最卑鄙、最小气的人。他们的名字是博吉斯、邦斯和比恩。
博吉斯是养鸡场的场主。他养了好几千只鸡。他胖得出奇，这是因为，他一日三餐要吃三只盖着厚厚一层水果布丁的水煮鸡。
邦斯是鸭鹅饲养场的场主。他养了好几千只鸭子和鹅。他是个大腹便便的小矮个。他长得很矮，站在世界上任何一个游泳池里的浅水一端，他的下巴都会在水面以下。他吃的东西是炸面圈和鹅肝。他把鹅肝捣成令人作呕的糊糊，然后把它们塞进炸面圈里。常吃这种食物，他便肚子疼痛，性情暴躁。
比恩是火鸡饲养场和苹果园的主人。他在一个长满了苹果树的果园里养了好几千只火鸡。他根本就不吃什么东西，而是饮用大量的烈性苹果酒，这种酒是他用自己苹果园里的苹果酿制的。他瘦得像一支铅笔，在他们三个人当中，他是最聪明的一个。
比恩、邦斯、博吉斯，
一瘦一矮一胖子。
三个坏蛋真是坏，
模样虽然不一样，
没有一个不贪财。
这就是附近的孩子见到他们时常常唱的一支儿歌。

1 smothered   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
• The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

2 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。

3 mashed   

a.捣烂的

参考例句：

• two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
• Just one scoop of mashed potato for me, please. 请给我盛一勺土豆泥。

4 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

5 crooks   

n.骗子( crook的名词复数 )；罪犯；弯曲部分；（牧羊人或主教用的）弯拐杖v.弯成钩形( crook的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The police are getting after the crooks in the city. 警察在城里追捕小偷。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cops got the crooks. 警察捉到了那些罪犯。 来自《简明英汉词典》