Lesson 39 The Dove and the Olive Branch

A long, long time ago, there lived a man named Noah.

很久很久以前，住着一个叫做诺亚的男人。

He was a good man, and God loved him.

他是个好人，神非常喜欢他。

Noah had a wife and three sons.

诺亚有一位妻子和三个儿子。

He and his family were happy, but it wasn't a very happy time on the earth.

他们一家非常幸福， 但世界并不太平。

There was a lot of fighting, lying and stealing.

打架滋事，谎话连天，偷盗频发。

This made God very angry.

这让神恼怒。

One day, God said to Noah,

一天，神对诺亚说道，

There are too many bad people in the world, so I will send a great flood.

世界上坏人太多了，因此我要发一场洪水。

Everyone will die - all except you and your family.

所有人都会死——所有人除了你们一家人。

To prepare for the flood, Noah made a large ship of wood.

为了应对洪水，诺亚制作了一艘巨大的木船。

He put two animals of every kind - elephants, giraffes, dogs, doves, snakes and even ants - on the ship and locked the door.

他将所有动物中的一对——大象、长颈鹿、狗、鸽子、蛇还有蚂蚁——放到船上并锁起来。

When the flood came, they floated for many days and nights.

当洪水来临时，他们在水上日夜漂浮着。

One day, the rain stopped, so Noah let a dove fly out of the ship.

有一天，大雨停了，诺亚从船上放飞了一只鸽子。

In the evening, the dove came back with a green olive branch in its mouth.

傍晚时分，这只鸽子嘴中衔着一根绿色的橄榄枝回来了。

This meant that land was near and the danger had passed.

这就意味着离陆地近了，危险已经过去了。

Since then, people have always taken the dove and the olive branch as symbols of peace.

从那以后，人们就将鸽子和橄榄枝作为和平的象征。

They are used at many world events today.

今天他们被用在世界上许多重大的事件上。

In most opening ceremonies of the Olympics, people fly doves to show their wish for peace and friendship.

在许多奥林匹克的开幕式上，人们都会放飞和平鸽祈愿和平与友谊。