礁石上的聚会

去礁石的船开得很短。礁石又低又湿。灰海豹躺得到处都是。它们什么也没在做。

The boat to the rocks is short. The rocks are low and wet. Grey seals lay all over them. They were not doing anything.

波莉挑了一头大海豹。“你家里有几口人？”她问。他想了很久。这块礁石上的所有人，他说。还有旁边那块上的所有人。

Polly chose a big seal. "How many are there in your family?" she asked. He thought for a long time. Everyone on this rock, he said. And everyone on the next one.

“你有兄弟姐妹吗？”几乎肯定有，他说。他不知道是哪几个。奥克尼群岛每年大约有两万两千头小海豹出生。

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Almost certainly, he said. He did not know which ones. Orkney has about twenty-two thousand seal pups every year.

波莉试了一句话。“我今天想和家人待在一起。”在这里听着很奇怪。然后她试了另一句：“虽然我们住得很远，但我们一直保持联系。”这句更近一点，海豹说。

Polly tried a phrase. "I want to spend time with my family today." It sounded strange here. Then she tried, "Even though we live far apart, we always keep in touch with each other." That is closer, the seal said.