下例把 litters were small，翻译为“猪崽都很小”，好象对了，其实不然。litter 指的是一窝小猪，即母猪一次下的猪崽，也许是一个，也许更多。所以，litters were small 应该是“每窝下的猪崽都很少”。
The farmers complained that they were unable to raise any pigs -- the litters were small and the young survived only a few days. (R. Carson: A Fable for Tomorrow)
农夫们抱怨他们无法养猪 — 猪崽都很小，幼崽又只能存活几天。（ 《美国散文小书屋》，上海：世界图书出版公司，１９９８年，７２－７３页）