(For the original text, see the seventh grade Chinese textbook, and read the third unit self-study textbook. )
(Selected from Neighboring Crows, Jiangsu Children's Publishing House, 1997 edition, with deletion-footnotes of Chinese textbooks)
Our hunter team was divided into several groups, and with the help of hunting dogs, 70 or 80 impalas were forced to the sad cliff of Gallo Mountain.
Sad Cliff is a peak of Calo Mountain, which seems to be split in the middle by a sharp axe. Looking up from the quicksand river at the foot of the mountain, it seems like a lifetime ago. The two peaks across the river are about six meters apart, both of which are straight cliffs. Although impala has four long legs, well-developed tendons and is very good at jumping, it is the champion of long jump among herbivores, but just like human beings have a limit in long jump, at the same level, strong male impala can only jump five meters at most, while female impala, small impala and old impala can only jump about four meters. The super impala that can jump over a six-meter wide mountain stream in one jump has not yet been born.
At first, the impala found herself in a desperate situation, panicked and jumping around. There was an old impala who was blind, didn't measure the distance accurately, or deliberately tried to show off his bluff. He stepped back a dozen paces, trying to jump over a mountain stream six meters wide. As a result, he sighed in the air more than one meter away from the opposite mountain peak and fell straight like a meteor. For a long time, there was a splash on the cliff.
After a while, the impala gradually quieted down, and all eyes were focused on a particularly tall, dark and oily male impala, as if waiting for the male impala to come up with a good way to save the whole population from extinction. There is no doubt that this male impala is the head sheep of this group of impalas, and the horns on its head point to two sickles. Sickle-headed sheep solemnly patrolled the cliff, looked up at the blue sky after the rain, and bleated sadly, indicating that there was nothing they could do.
The impala herd is alive again. At this time, a rainbow suddenly appeared in the sky washed by rain, with one end connected to the sad cliff and the other end flying over the mountain stream and connected to the opposite mountain peak, just like suddenly setting up a beautiful overpass. Impala stared at the rainbow, and a gray-black female impala walked towards the rainbow, looking misty, as if she had entered some kind of dreamland. Perhaps, because they are highly nervous, they mistakenly think that the illusory rainbow is the real bridge to the other side of life.
The body of the gray-black impala has been shrouded in the dazzling colorful spectrum of the rainbow and is about to step into the abyss. Suddenly, the sickle-headed sheep bleated. This cry is very different from what I usually hear from sheep. No soft vibrato, no sweet coquetry, no desperate sigh. Although the tone has maintained the usual peace of the sheep, it is gloomy and powerful, revealing some firm determination.
With the roar of the sickle-headed sheep, the gray-black impala woke up like a dream and retreated from the edge of the cliff.
With the roar of the sickle sheep, the whole impala herd quickly divided into two groups, one is the old impala, and the other is the young impala. In the old impala team, there are male impala and female impala; In the young impala team, there are strong middle-aged impala, big impala just entering the ranks of adult impala, and young impala. After the two groups were separated, the number of old impala was less than that of young impala by more than ten. Sickle-headed sheep originally stood in the dial of the young impala, turned its eyes back and forth between the two impalas several times, sighed sadly and strode to the dial of the old impala. Several middle-aged impala followed the sickle sheep, and automatically walked out of the young impala and joined the old impala. Therefore, the number of two impala is roughly balanced.
Just then, I saw a male impala coming out of the thin old impala. The male impala motioned to the young impala that a little impala came out. An old man and a young man came to the sad cliff and stepped back. Suddenly, the half-headed impala flew forward. Almost at the same time, the old impala also started quickly. The half-headed impala ran to the edge of the cliff and jumped over the mountain stream. The boss's collar followed closely behind the impala, and it jumped out of the cliff at the first hook; The jumping time and jumping range of old people and young people are slightly different. The angle of the half impala is slightly higher, and the angle of the old impala is slightly lower, which is equal to the tandem, one high and one low. I was taken aback. What, do you want to commit suicide in pairs, young and old? This impala and this old impala can never jump on the opposite cliff unless they have wings! Suddenly, a scene that I never dreamed of appeared. With skillful jumping skills, the old impala appeared under the hoof of half an impala at the moment when the impala fell from the highest point. The jumping ability of the old impala is obviously better than that of the semi-impala. When its body appeared under the half impala's hoof, it was just at the highest point of the jump arc, just like two spacecraft docked in the air. The four hooves of the semi-impala stepped heavily on the broad and solid back of the old impala, just like stepping on a springboard. It rose in the air again, and its falling body miraculously rose again. The old impala, like a rocket shell that has been completely transported, automatically leaves the spacecraft. No, it's more tragic than rocket shells. Under the fierce kick of the impala, it fell straight like a bird with its wings suddenly broken. Although the second jump of this impala is not as powerful as the first jump, and the height is only half that of the ground jump, it is enough to cross the last two meters. In an instant, I saw half a big impala lightly landing on the opposite mountain peak, bleating excitedly and disappearing behind the rock.
The trial jump was successful. Then, pairs of impala jumped in the air and drew a dazzling arc over the mountain stream. The successful flight of every impala means that an old impala will be shattered.
Across the mountain stream, parallel to the rainbow, is another bridge, which is a bridge with death as its pier. No crowding, no competition, orderly and fast flight. I pay close attention to the dying old impala, thinking that some glib old impala may sneak from the destined group to the new group, but to my shock, no old impala has changed positions from beginning to end.
They are willing to use their lives to build a way of survival for the next generation.
Most of the old impala use superb jumping skills to help the young impala fly safely to the other side of the mountain. Only an aging female impala, when connected with a young impala in the air, probably failed to let the young impala step on her back and rolling in the deep together.
Unexpectedly, at the critical moment of population extinction, impala actually came up with a way to sacrifice half to save the other half to win the survival opportunity of the population. I didn't expect the old impala to die so calmly.
I was dumbfounded. All the hunters were dumbfounded. Even the dog opened its mouth in surprise and stuck out its long tongue to bark.
In the end, only the sickle-headed sheep that successfully commanded the group of impalas to fly collectively remained on the sad cliff. This group of impala is not even, but odd. The sickle-headed sheep stood alone on the mountain peak. No young impala needs it to fly to the other side as a stepping stone in the air, and no one will help it fly there. I saw it with firm steps, towards that gorgeous rainbow. One end of the curved rainbow is connected to the sad cliff, and the other end is connected to the mountain peak, like a beautiful bridge.
It rose and disappeared in the magnificent scenery.