Jack And Jill - Chapter 1

The Catastrophe¹, ,"Clear the lulla!" was the general cry on a bright December afternoon, when all the boys and girls of Harmony Village were out enjoying the first good snow of the season. Up and down three long coasts they went as fast as legs and sleds could carry them. One smooth path led into the meadow, and here the little folk congregated²（聚集）; one swept across the pond, where skaters were darting ³ about like water-bugs; and the third, from the very top of the steep hill, ended abruptly ⁴ at a rail fence on the high bank above the road. There was a group of lads and lasses sitting or leaning on this fence to rest after an exciting race, and, as they reposed ⁵, they amused themselves with criticising their mates, still absorbed in this most delightful ⁶ of out-door sports., ,"Here comes Frank Minot, looking as solemn as a judge," cried one, as a tall fellow of sixteen spun ⁷ by, with a set look about the mouth and a keen sparkle of the eyes, fixed ⁸ on the distant goal with a do-or-die expression.,"Here's Molly Loo, ,sang out another; and down came a girl with flying hair, carrying a small boy behind her, so fat that his short legs stuck out from the sides, and his round face looked over her shoulder like a full moon., ,"There's Gus Burton; doesn't he go it?" and such a very long boy whizzed by, that it looked almost as if his heels were at the top of the hill when his head was at the bottom!, ,This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。,The crowds congregated in the town square to hear the mayor speak. 人群聚集到市镇广场上来听市长讲话 。