1.What is this white stuff like little feathers which is falling from the sky？We call it snow.If we could catch some of the flakes of snow on a piece of black cloth and look at them，they would look like this.
2.Their shapes are very pretty.Each little snow-flake is in the shape of a star with six points.The large flakes are made up of many of these stars.
3.Where does the snow come from？It comes from the clouds.And what is it made of？Let us put some snow in a cup，and place it near the fire.Then we shall see.The snow will soon melt，and we shall find that the cup is half full of water.
4.Snow，then，is made of water.On warm days，water falls from the clouds in drops，and we call it rain.But when it is very cold，the water comes down in the form of snow.
5.If we take some snow and squeeze it hard，all the little flakes or crystals will stick together in a ball.It is great fun to throw these snow-balls at one another；but we must be careful not to hurt any one，for a well-thrown snowball gives a hard blow.
6.On the tops of very high mountains，and in very cold countries，there is so much snow that it lies on the ground all the year round.Even the heat of summer is not able to melt it.
SNOW-SHOES（雪鞋）
7.In these lands，when the snow
is deep，it is very hard to walk through it.People then tie large flat frames，called snow-shoes，under their feet，so that they may not sink in the snow.
8.In these cold lands people do not use carts with wheels.Instead of wheels，the carts have flat pieces of wood or iron，which slide along on the top of the snow.
9.These carts or carriages are called sledges or sleighs.Would you not like to go for a ride ona sledge，over the snow，on a cold winter’s day？
10.It is great fun，too，to slide down the hills when theyare covered with snow.We must get a large flat piece of wood，or a small sled.Then we sit or lie down on it and p u s h o u r s e l v e s off，and away We go11.Here is a picture of some boys and girls sliding down the snowy hills in Canada.They do not mind if they tumble off，for the snow is soft，and a fall does not hurt them.
SUMMARY
Snow is water which has frozen in the clouds.It falls in flakes，which are made up of little stars with six points.If snow is put in a warm place，it will melt into water.On some very high mountains snow lies all through the year.In cold countries the people walk on snow-shoes，to keep them from sinking in the deep snow.They also use sledges or sleighs to go over the snow with.In Canada the young people slide down the snow-hills on sleds.
【中文阅读】
1．天上那种白白的，像小羽毛一样飘落下来的东西是什么？我们叫它“雪”，英语叫snow。要是拿一块黑布接住点儿雪花，仔细看，就应该像这个样子。
2．雪花的形状是很漂亮的。每一片小雪花，都是六角星的形状。大雪花，就是很多这种小星星聚在一块儿。
3．雪是从哪儿来的呢？是从云里来的。雪是什么做的呢？咱们在杯子里盛点儿雪，放在火旁边，然后就会知道了。雪很快就会融化，我们会看见，杯子里盛了半杯水。
4．所以，雪是水做的。天气暖和的时候，从云里落下来的是水，我们管它叫“雨”。但是，天气寒冷的时候，落下来的水就变成了雪。
5．拿点儿雪使劲挤一挤，这些小雪花，或者小小的晶体，就都会黏在一块儿，变成一个球。把这些雪球扔来扔去，可好玩了！不过，我们一定要小心，不要伤到人，因为使劲扔出去的雪球，打到人身上是很痛的。
6．在高高的山顶上，在一些寒冷的国家，有很多的雪，一年到头都堆在地上不化，就连夏天的热度，也熔化不了。①7．在这些地方，如果雪非常深，想走过雪地会特别困难。人们就把又大又平的框架绑在脚下面，这样就不会陷进雪里去了。这种框架叫雪鞋，也叫踏雪板（snow-shoes）。
8．这些寒冷的地方，人们是不用带轮子的车的。这些地方的车，装着木头或者铁的平板，就用这些平板，在雪地上面滑行。
9．这些平板车，或者带车厢的车，就叫做雪橇（sledge或sleigh）。小朋友，在寒冷的冬天，你喜欢坐着雪橇在雪上跑吗？
10．从盖着雪的山上往下滑，也特别好玩！我们要先拿上一大块平的木板，或者一只小雪橇，坐在上面或者躺在上面，把雪橇推下山坡，咱们就开始滑吧！11．这幅画，画的就是男孩女孩们在加拿大的雪山上往下滑。他们也不怕翻倒，因为雪是很软的，摔倒了也不会受伤。
译注
①这是一本科普读物，按照物理学的规范术语，物体因为受热，从固体变成液体的过程，应该写成火字旁的“熔化”，不是虫字旁的“融化”。
A PIECE OF WOOD
