Now you who have read this story will remember how Two-Legs, many years ago, mastered all the animals on earth.

 

Those which he could use and which obeyed him as they should he tamed and took into his service. Those which he could not employ he let alone, provided only that they left him and his in peace. If they did not, then he waged war upon them, nor ceased until he had prevailed against them. He always ended by prevailing¹, for he was the cleverest, you see, and therefore the strongest.

 

And, little by little, the tame animals grew so much accustomed to being with him and so completely lost the qualities with which they had been wont² to shift for themselves that they could no longer do without their bondage³. When, once in a way, they escaped and tried to live like the other, free, wild animals, they could not manage at all, but perished miserably⁴.

 

But the wild animals which Two-Legs had no use for lurked⁵ round about in their hiding-places and cavilled⁶ and muttered and made no progress and did themselves no good.

 

 

2

At the time when this particular story begins, Two-Legs had put up a new summer tent in a green meadow, not far from the beach.

 

He was sitting outside it one evening, while the twilight⁷ was closing in. All the family had gone to bed and were sleeping soundly after the exertions⁸ of the day. All the cattle lay in the grass, munching⁹ and chewing the cud. The dog, his faithful servant, lay on the ground before him, pricking

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1 prevailing
adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的
参考例句：
She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。 This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

2 wont
adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯
参考例句：
He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。 It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

3 bondage
n.奴役，束缚
参考例句：
Masters sometimes allowed their slaves to buy their way out of bondage.奴隶主们有时允许奴隶为自己赎身。 They aim to deliver the people who are in bondage to superstitious belief.他们的目的在于解脱那些受迷信束缚的人。

4 miserably
adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地
参考例句：
The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。 It was drizzling, and miserably cold and damp. 外面下着毛毛细雨，天气又冷又湿，令人难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 lurked
vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
The murderers lurked behind the trees. 谋杀者埋伏在树后。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Treachery lurked behind his smooth manners. 他圆滑姿态的后面潜伏着奸计。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 cavilled
v.挑剔，吹毛求疵( cavil的过去式 )
参考例句：
He cavilled at being asked to cook his own breakfast. 他嗔怪让他自己做早饭。 来自互联网

7 twilight
n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期
参考例句：
Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。 Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

8 exertions
n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使
参考例句：
As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句 She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

9 munching
v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )
参考例句：
He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》 Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

10 pricking
刺，刺痕，刺痛感
参考例句：
She felt a pricking on her scalp. 她感到头皮上被扎了一下。 Intercostal neuralgia causes paroxysmal burning pain or pricking pain. 肋间神经痛呈阵发性的灼痛或刺痛。

11 meditate
v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想
参考例句：
It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。 I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

12 rippled
使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。 The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田，泛起一片麦浪。

13 vanquish
v.征服，战胜；克服；抑制
参考例句：
He tried to vanquish his fears.他努力克服恐惧心理。 It is impossible to vanquish so strong an enemy without making an extensive and long-term effort.现在要战胜这样一个强敌，非有长期的广大的努力是不可能的。

14 vanquisher
征服者，胜利者
参考例句：
Petty assignments often signal the end of a Vanquisher's career. 琐碎的任务常常代表着征服者职业生涯的结束。 来自互联网 Gate of the Vanquisher of all Evil Spells, Hearken and Open! 一切邪咒征服者之门，聆听并开启！ 来自互联网

15 brook
n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让
参考例句：
In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。 The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

16 babble
v.含糊不清地说，胡言乱语地说，儿语
参考例句：
No one could understand the little baby's babble. 没人能听懂这个小婴孩的话。 The babble of voices in the next compartment annoyed all of us.隔壁的车厢隔间里不间歇的嘈杂谈话声让我们都很气恼。

17 mighty
adj.强有力的；巨大的
参考例句：
A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。 The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

18 uproar
n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸
参考例句：
She could hear the uproar in the room.她能听见房间里的吵闹声。 His remarks threw the audience into an uproar.他的讲话使听众沸腾起来。

19 foam
v./n.泡沫，起泡沫
参考例句：
The glass of beer was mostly foam.这杯啤酒大部分是泡沫。 The surface of the water is full of foam.水面都是泡沫。

20 vanquished
v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制
参考例句：
She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》 I vanquished her coldness with my assiduity. 我对她关心照顾从而消除了她的冷淡。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

21 subdued
adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词
参考例句：
He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。 I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

22 remains
n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹
参考例句：
He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。 The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

23 gust
n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发
参考例句：
A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来，把前门关上了。 A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。

24 wailed
v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
She wailed over her father's remains. 她对着父亲的遗体嚎啕大哭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 The women of the town wailed over the war victims. 城里的妇女为战争的死难者们痛哭。 来自辞典例句

25 bleated
v.（羊，小牛）叫( bleat的过去式和过去分词 )；哭诉；发出羊叫似的声音；轻声诉说
参考例句：
The lost lamb bleated. 迷路的小羊咩咩的叫。 来自《简明英汉词典》 She bleated her disapproval of her son's marriage to Amy. 她用颤抖的声音表示不赞成儿子与艾米的婚事。 来自辞典例句

26 trampled
踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯
参考例句：
He gripped his brother's arm lest he be trampled by the mob. 他紧抓着他兄弟的胳膊，怕他让暴民踩着。 People were trampled underfoot in the rush for the exit. 有人在拼命涌向出口时被踩在脚下。

27 galloped
（使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事
参考例句：
Jo galloped across the field towards him. 乔骑马穿过田野向他奔去。 The children galloped home as soon as the class was over. 孩子们一下课便飞奔回家了。

28 exhaustion
n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述
参考例句：
She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。 His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

29 huddled
挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）
参考例句：
We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。 We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

30 clenched
v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He clenched his fists in anger. 他愤怒地攥紧了拳头。 She clenched her hands in her lap to hide their trembling. 她攥紧双手放在腿上，以掩饰其颤抖。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 puff
n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气
参考例句：
He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。 They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

32 darted
v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔
参考例句：
The lizard darted out its tongue at the insect. 蜥蜴伸出舌头去吃小昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》 The old man was displeased and darted an angry look at me. 老人不高兴了，瞪了我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

33 eldest
adj.最年长的，最年老的
参考例句：
The King's eldest son is the heir to the throne.国王的长子是王位的继承人。 The castle and the land are entailed on the eldest son.城堡和土地限定由长子继承。

34 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。 They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

35 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
参考例句：
This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。 There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

36 planks
（厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点
参考例句：
The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。 We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。

37 bind
vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬
参考例句：
I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。 He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

38 hoisted
把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He hoisted himself onto a high stool. 他抬身坐上了一张高凳子。 The sailors hoisted the cargo onto the deck. 水手们把货物吊到甲板上。

39 devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。 We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

40 entirely
ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地
参考例句：
The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。 His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

41 steer
vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶
参考例句：
If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。 It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

42 taper
n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小
参考例句：
You'd better taper off the amount of time given to rest.你最好逐渐地减少休息时间。 Pulmonary arteries taper towards periphery.肺动脉向周围逐渐变细。

43 toil
vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事
参考例句：
The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。 Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

44 bruise
n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤
参考例句：
The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。 Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。

45 fixed
adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的
参考例句：
Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？ Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

46 awfully
adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地
参考例句：
Agriculture was awfully neglected in the past.过去农业遭到严重忽视。 I've been feeling awfully bad about it.对这我一直感到很难受。

47 belongings
n.私人物品，私人财物
参考例句：
I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。 Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

48 underneath
adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面
参考例句：
Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。 She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

49 meditating
a.沉思的，冥想的
参考例句：
They were meditating revenge. 他们在谋划进行报复。 The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics. 这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

50 scatter
vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散
参考例句：
You pile everything up and scatter things around.你把东西乱堆乱放。 Small villages scatter at the foot of the mountain.村庄零零落落地散布在山脚下。