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)