Unit 5 At the Circus
第5单元 马戏团里的青年

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.
娜塔莎的父母是在马戏团里认识的。她妈妈是个高空特技演员，爸爸是小丑，所以娜塔莎一出生就立刻注定成为一名马戏团表演者。

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 particular called Sasha. Natasha's mother convinced the ringleader to let Natasha train to be a tiger trainer.
不过娜塔莎一点都不喜欢扮小丑，又很怕高。她喜欢的是老虎，尤其从小便和一只名叫莎莎的幼虎发展出一段特别的关系。娜塔莎的妈妈说服马戏团团长训练娜塔莎成为一名老虎驯兽师。

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.
十八岁那年，身高才五英尺的娜塔莎已经可以和四只成年的凶猛老虎为伍。虽然娜塔莎很熟悉她的老虎，但它们毕竟是野生动物，可以说既危险又难以捉摸。

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!
每天晚上对娜塔莎来说，都是一场冒险。她喜爱群众的喧闹声，喜爱老虎走向她时眼中那种既狂野又不被驯服的神情；她的动作让人既害怕又振奋！

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!
她必须随时保持专注，不能掉以轻心，眼光更不能从老虎身上移开。任何一个错误动作都可能让这群老虎失控，甚至丢掉自己的性命！

【美】 Meredith Walker 著 陈怡芬 译

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