It happened that on this same island there were a number of stray cats. Ravenous, they would gather to watch Pedro dive into the schools of fish, select the fish he wanted and bring it back to eat on the shore. Then the cats would fight over what the dog had left uneaten. The dog must have observed this, for one morning when Pedro had eaten his fish, he dove into the water again and came back up with a large fish, which he placed on the sand before the group of cats. Then he backed off and watched. One black cat, with greater courage than the others, approached the fish, grabbed it and ran. After that, in addition to keeping vigil for his master, the dog also seemed to consider it his duty to feed those less fortunate. For every morning thereafter, Pedro the fisherman shared his catch with the hungry cats of Mallorca.
这是我曾经听到过的最触动人心的一则有关狗狗的故事。
故事发生在西班牙群岛东部的马略卡岛的一个小峡谷。那里有一个英国人，他是一名职业潜水员，以开潜艇为生，并与一只西班牙猎犬生活在一起。他将潜艇固定在一个码头，那里是潜水的最佳位置。每当那个英国人潜水时，那只狗就会坐在码头焦急地等着主人回来。有一天，那个英国人在水中消失了，那只狗非常关心主人，于是跟在主人的后面也跳入水中。
在水下，那只狗看到一群鱼游了过去。他抓住一条鱼并把它带上码头。那个英国人既惊奇又高兴，并表扬了他。从那以后，那只狗总会随着主人一起潜水。在潜水的过程中，那只狗展现出他卓越的捕鱼技巧，给他的主人带来了相当大的乐趣。那个英国人将那只狗的技艺告诉了岛上的居民，他们都来到那个码头观看，并对那只狗赞不绝口，还根据那个英国人的名字彼得，给他起了个名字——佩德罗。
有一天，那个英国人病了，没过多久就离开了人世。镇里的人都试图收养佩德罗，但是那只狗从不离开那片海滩，因为他害怕他的主人回来会找不到他。无论是烈日炎炎还是大雨倾盆，他始终在那片海滩上等着。人们试着去喂他，但最终都放弃了。除了主人，他不接受任何人的食物。最后，为了养活自己，佩德罗回去捕鱼了。
在同一座岛屿上还有一群流浪猫。他们贪婪地聚在一起看着佩德罗捕鱼，佩德罗把他想要的鱼挑出来带回海滩上吃掉，然后那群猫就会争夺他不吃的鱼。佩德罗一定也注意到了这一点，因为一天早晨，当佩德罗吃完他的鱼之后，又潜入水中，上来的时候带着一条大鱼，他将鱼放在沙滩上的那群猫的面前。然后他走开了，观察着那群猫。有一只黑猫显然比其他猫有勇气靠近那条鱼，于是他叼起来就跑。从那以后，除了给主人守夜，那只狗好像认为喂养那些不幸者是自己的责任。因此，从那以后的每一天早晨，“渔夫”佩德罗都会将自己抓到的鱼与那群饥饿的马略卡岛上的猫共同分享。
touching [' tti] adj. 动人的；悲惨的
Today, I read the book, this is a very touching story.
今天，我读了这本书，这是一个非常感人的故事。
concerned [kn' s:nd] adj. 关心的；有关的
As far as I am concerned the only thing that matters is hard work.
对于我来说，我唯一关心的一件事就是努力工作。
considerable [kn' sidrbl] adj. 相当的；可观的；重要的
The business will call for considerable dexterity.
这个生意需要相当圆滑的手段。
vigil [' vidil] n. 保持清醒(尤指夜间)；不眠(时刻)；值夜(监视)
For three nights, the soldier maintained his lonely vigil.
士兵孤零零地连续看守了三个晚上。
这是我曾经听到过的最触动人心的一则有关狗狗的故事。
无论是烈日炎炎还是大雨倾盆，他始终在那片海滩上等着。
有一只黑猫显然比其他猫有勇气靠近那条鱼。
One day the dog became so concerned when the Englishman disappeared into the water that he dove in after him.
dive in：头朝下跳入水中；开始猛吃；热切地加入
... the dog would never leave the beach for fear he would miss his master' s return.
for fear：唯恐；害怕
为狗导盲
Friendship Lasts Forever
佚名 / Anonymous
Twenty-one years ago, my husband gave me Sam, an eight-week-old schnauzer, to help ease the loss of our daughter. Sam and I developed a very special bond over the next fourteen years. It seemed nothing that happened could ever change that.
At one point, my husband and I decided to relocate from our New York apartment to a new home in New Jersey. After we were there awhile, our neighbor, whose cat had recently had kittens, asked us if we would like one. We were a little apprehensive about Sam' s jealousy and how he would handle his turf being invaded, but we decided to risk it and agreed to take a kitten.
We picked a little, gray, playful ball of fur. It was like having a roadrunner in the house. She raced around chasing imaginary mice and squirrels and vaulted from table to chair in the blink of an eye, so we named her Lightning.
At first, Sam and Lightning were very cautious with each other and kept their distance. But slowly, as the days went on, Lightning started following Sam—up the stairs, down the stairs, into the kitchen to watch him eat, into the living room to watch him sleep. As time passed, they became inseparable. When they slept, it was always together; when they ate, it was always next to each other. When I played with one, the other joined in. If Sam barked at something, Lightning ran to see what it was. When I took either one out of the house, the other was always waiting by the door when we returned. That was the way it was for years.
Then, without any warning, Sam began suffering from convulsions and was diagnosed as having a weak heart. I had no other choice but to have him put down. The pain of making that decision, however, was nothing compared with what I experienced when I had to leave Sam at the vet and walk into our house alone. This time, there was no Sam for Lightning to greet and no way to explain why she would never see her friend again.
In the days that followed, Lightning seemed heart-broken. She could not tell me in words that she was suffering, but I could see the pain and disappointment in her eyes whenever anyone opened the front door, or the hope whenever she heard a dog bark.
The weeks wore on and the cat' s sorrow seemed to be lifting. One day as I walked into our living room, I happened to glance down on the floor next to our sofa where we had a sculptured replica of Sam that we had bought a few years before. Lying next to the statue, one arm wrapped around the statue' s neck, was Lightning, contentedly sleeping with her best friend.
21年前，为了缓解我失去女儿的痛苦，丈夫把山姆送给了我。那是一只才8周大的德国刚毛犬。而后的14年里，山姆便和我形影不离。似乎任何事情都无法改变我们之间那种亲密无间的关系。
那次我和丈夫决定从纽约公寓搬到新泽西州的新家。住了一段时间后，邻居家的猫生了小猫，问我们是否想要一只。我们有些担心山姆会嫉妒，会因领地被侵占而有所行动。但我们还是决定冒冒风险，答应领养一只。
我们选了一只毛绒球一样贪玩的小灰猫。家里像添了只跑得飞快的走鹃。她到处追逐想象中的老鼠和松鼠，眨眼工夫就从桌子上跳到椅子上，因此我们给她取名叫“闪电”。
起初，山姆和闪电非常谨慎地相处着，并始终保持着距离。但是，慢慢地，闪电逐渐开始跟着山姆上下楼，进厨房看他吃东西，进卧室看他睡觉。随着时光的流逝，他们俩成了形影不离的好朋友，吃住在一起。我逗一个玩时，另一个也加入进来。如果山姆冲着什么东西狂叫，闪电便会跑去看个究竟。我带一个出门，回到家时，另一个总会在门口等着。多年来一贯如此。
接下来的日子，无任何预兆，山姆开始抽搐。经诊断是心力衰竭。除了放弃他，我别无他法。做出这个决定时，我很痛苦，然而，这种痛苦与我把山姆留在兽医诊所而独自回家是无法相比的。这次，我没有办法让闪电迎接山姆了，也无法解释她为什么将永远见不到她的朋友了。
接下来的日子里，闪电像心碎了一样。她无法用言语向我们倾诉她的苦痛，但每当前门被人打开时，我都能看到她眼神中流露出的痛苦和失望；每当她听到狗叫时，我也可以看到她眼神中的希望。
日子一周周地过去了，猫的悲痛看起来也减轻了好多。一天，我进卧室时，无意中向沙发旁的地板瞟了一眼，那里摆着几年前买的山姆的塑像。闪电一只前腿缠着他的脖子，惬意地躺在雕像旁，与她最要好的朋友睡在了一起。
猎獭犬【Otter Hound】