(1) "taking in the morning" - the word "take" means to grab hold of something, or to get possession of something. "taking" is the 'ing' form of the verb, and like most 'ing' words it means the action is happening right now and continuously. The sentence " I'm taking the keys " means the person grabs the keys in their hand. Grabbing an object is the most literal way to use the word "take", but you can also use it more poetically. You can't grab hold of the morning with your hands, but you can stand outside your house and watch the sunrise and enjoy the experience. When you do that, you are taking possession of the morning, in a way. (2) "deck" - a deck is a structure which is usually made of wood. It's like a floor in your house but it's outside and in nature. Here is a picture https://tinyurl.com/yytdxwkq (3) "burst into the air like a small explosion" - The word "burst" describes something coming apart suddenly. The balloon burst - means the balloon exploded because there was so much air inside. The water pipe burst - means the pipe suddenly broke apart and water sprayed everywhere. The birds burst into the air - means all the birds that were sitting, suddenly flew into the air at the same time, like an explosion of birds! Like in this video https://youtu.be/Ut2iTZPRwaA?t=33 (4) "The cat jumped up to the deck as the dog scrambled up the dune in pursuit, both of them vanishing from sight." - You know what a deck is because you read answer (2). To "scramble" means to climb up something in a hurried and awkward way. A "dune" is a pile of sand. It's hard to climb up a pile of sand gracefully. Even a dog has to "scramble up the dune". Your sentence describes a dog chasing a cat until they were no longer in sight.

“taking in the morning" means quietly contemplating/enjoying all the impressions and feelings at that moment. “Deck”, a Deck is a construction that people can stand and walk. Such as on a pier or a ship, usually is a series of wooden planks. Here it is over a sand dune. The cat ran away from the dog, the cat ran on the deck, the dog on the (sand) dune until the man couldn’t see them anymore

1. "Taking in the morning" means that he was experiencing it with his senses--sight, sound, feel. It's almost poetic, but it just means he was paying attention to the morning world around him. 2. A deck is a place where you can sit outside of a house, usually made of wood and elevated about the ground by 10cm or 2-3 meters. 3. "burst into the air like a small explosion" --the birds scattered like the sparks in a firework scatter in the sky when it explodes. 4. I'll let you work on that one some more. I have a tough time visualizing how the whole sequence comes together, even though I understand each part (the cat, the dog, and both of them).