1.Herrings are a kind of fish that live in the sea.They like salt water.Indeed if they are put into fresh water，they soon die.Now the gold-fish which we read about the other day likes fresh water，and it would die in a few minutes if it were put into the sea.
2.Herrings are good for food.Ask your mother to buy some fresh herrings，and then you can see what they are like.If she will cook some for dinner，you will find that they are very good to eat.
3.The herring is covered with scales.It has seven fins，and gills and eyes just like those of the gold-fish.It grows to a length of about one foot.
4.Let us cut open a fresh herring，and look into it.We see that，like all fishes，it has a very long backbone made up of many little joints.
5.You sometimes find a herring full of roe inside.If you look at thisA JOINT OF THE BACKBONE，WITH RIBS（鲱鱼的一块脊椎骨，带着肋骨）roe，you will see that it is made up of thousands and thousands of little round grains like seeds.These are the tiny round eggs of the herring，and it is only the mother fish that has roe.
6.The herring lays its eggs on the rocks at the bottom of the sea.The eggs are then called “spawn.”In a few weeks a little herring comes out of each egg.Many otherHERRING ROE（鲱鱼子）be full of herrings.
fishes eat the spawn，or the sea would soon7.Have you ever thought how wet the fishes must feel in the sea？Perhaps you do not know that the water does not wet them at all；for their bodies are covered with a sort of slimy oil，which comes out from between the scales.This oil makes the fish very slippery，so that it is better able to swim quickly through the water.
8.Herrings are caught in long nets，called drift-nets.Great numbers of these fish are caught every year for food.So many herrings are caught that they cannot all be eaten while they are fresh.Many of them are put into salt to keep them good.These are called “salt herrings.”
HERRING-NETS（漂网）
9.Some of the herrings are hung up to dry in houses where a wood fire is kept burning.The smoke of the wood turns them brown and gives them a strong taste.These are called “bloaters”and “red herrings.”
10.When you go home，do not forget to tell your father and your mother all that you have read about the herring.
SUMMARY
The herring lives in salt water，and is about one foot long.It is covered with scales，and，like all fishes，has a long backbone.Water does not wet the herring，because it is covered with a slimy oil which makes it slippery，and which also helps it to swim quickly.It lays its eggs，called spawn，at thebottom of the sea.Herrings are caught in drift-nets.When kept in salt they are called salt herrings，and when smoked they are called bloaters or red herrings.
【中文阅读】
1．鲱鱼也叫鲭鱼，英语叫herring（s），是一种生活在海里的鱼，喜欢咸水。要是把鲱鱼放到淡水里，很快就会死掉。咱们以前学过的金鱼却喜欢淡水，要是放到海水里，过几分钟就没命了。①2．鲱鱼是很美味的食品。让妈妈买点儿鲱鱼回来，就能看见它们什么样了。妈妈把鲱鱼做成菜，你会觉得鲱鱼肉很好吃的！
3．鲱鱼的身体也盖着鳞片，有七个鱼鳍，也有鱼鳃、眼睛，跟金鱼一样。长度大约有一英尺。②4．咱们把鲱鱼切开，看看里面吧。跟所有的鱼一样，鲱鱼也有一条很长的脊椎骨，是由很多脊椎组成的。③5．有时候你会发现一条鲱鱼，鱼肚子里盛满了鱼子。鱼子的英语是roe。仔细看鱼子，会看见它是成千上万个像种子一样的小圆球组成的。这些小圆球就是鲱鱼的卵，只有母鲱鱼才有鱼子。
6．鲱鱼在海底的礁石上产卵，产的卵叫“卵块”，英语是spawn。过了几个星期，每个卵里面就会钻出一条小鲱鱼。还有很多其他的鱼会把卵块吃掉，不然，海里很快就到处是鲱鱼了。④7．小朋友，你想过没有，鱼在海水里感觉会多么湿啊？大概你不知道，海水一点也不会把鱼的身体弄湿！因为鱼的身体盖着一种非常滑的油，这种油是鳞片中间分泌出来的，让鱼的身体特别滑溜，这样，鱼就可以在水里飞快地游动⑤。8．鲱鱼是用一种长长的网捕捞上来的，这种网叫做“漂网”。每年人们都要捕捞很多鲱鱼作为食物，而且鲜鱼捕捞得非常多，吃不完，很多都用盐腌了起来，这样方便保存。这些鱼就叫“咸鱼”。9．有些鲱鱼，挂到生着柴火的屋子里晾干。柴火的烟把鱼熏成了棕色，吃起来有一种很强烈的味道。这些鱼就叫“熏鱼”或者“红鲱鱼”（bloater和red herring）。⑥10．小朋友，你回家的时候，别忘了告诉爸爸妈妈，今天你学到的鲱鱼的知识。
译注
①鲱鱼属于“脊索动物门”“鱼纲”“鲱形目”“鲱科”。请注意，汉语里的“青鱼”属于四大家鱼之一，是淡水鱼，跟鲱鱼（鲭鱼）不是同一种。
②也就是大约30.5厘米。鲱鱼的实际长度大约在20-38厘米之间。
③鱼类是最古老的脊椎动物，也可能是我们人类的祖先，在地球上已经生存了4.5亿年。
④每条雌鱼产卵可以达到4万枚。鲱鱼数量之所以这么多，主要是因为它善于在不同的水层捕食，而且善于集群游动，一方面便于觅食，一方面防御敌害。直到现在，鲱鱼也是海里数量最大的鱼之一，在中国的渤海和黄海都有分布。
⑤从化学上讲，这粘液不是“油”而是“糖蛋白”。油是“酯类”，与糖蛋白不同。
⑥现代的熏鱼，分成真正的熏鱼和“烟熏风味鱼”。“烟熏风味鱼”的味道是用调料做出来的，不是真正的烟熏出来的。
PICKING BUTTERCUPS
