The Thirsty Pigeon口渴的鸽子
A PIGEON, oppressed by excessive thirst, saw a goblet of water painted on a signboard. Not supposing it to be only a picture, she flew towards it with a loud whir and unwittingly dashed against the signboard, jarring herself terribly. Having broken her wings by the blow, she fell to the ground, and was caught by one of the bystanders.
Zeal should not outrun discretion.
有只鸽子口渴得很难受,看见画板上画着一个水瓶,以为是真的。他立刻呼呼地猛飞过 去,不料一头碰撞在画板上,折断了翅膀,摔在地上,被人轻易地捉住了。
这是说,有些人想急于得到所需的东西,一时冲动,草率从事,就会身遭不幸。
The Raven and the Swan乌鸦和天鹅
A RAVEN saw a Swan and desired to secure for himself the same beautiful plumage. Supposing that the Swan's splendid white color arose from his washing in the water in which he swam, the Raven left the altars in the neighborhood where he picked up his living, and took up residence in the lakes and pools. But cleansing his feathers as often as he would, he could not change their color, while through want of food he perished.
Change of habit cannot alter Nature.
乌鸦非常羡慕天鹅洁白的羽毛。他猜想天鹅一定是经常洗澡,羽毛才变得如此洁白无 瑕。于是,他毅然离开了他赖以生存的祭坛,来到江湖边。他天天洗刷自己的羽毛,不但一 点都没洗白,反而因缺少食物饥饿而死。
这故事是说,人的本性不会随着生活方式的改变而改变。
The Goat and the Goatherd 山羊与牧羊人
A GOATHERD had sought to bring back a stray goat to his flock. He whistled and sounded his horn in vain; the straggler paid no attention to the summons. At last the Goatherd threw a stone, and breaking its horn, begged the Goat not to tell his master. The Goat replied, "Why, you silly fellow, the horn will speak though I be silent."
Do not attempt to hide things which cannot be hid.
很多山羊被牧羊人赶到羊圈里。有一只山羊不知在吃什么好东西,单独落在后面。牧羊 人拿起一块石头扔了过去,正巧打断了山羊的一只角。牧羊人吓得请求山羊不要告诉主人, 山羊说:“即使我不说,又怎能隐瞒下去呢?我的角已断了,这是十分明显的事实。”
这故事说明,明显的罪状是无法隐瞒的。
The Miser守财奴
A MISER sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements. He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it. The Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud lamentations. A neighbor, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said, "Pray do not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same service; for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it."
有个守财奴变卖了他所有的家产,换回了金块,并秘密地埋在一个地方。他每天走去看 看他的宝藏。有个在附近放羊的牧人留心观察,知道了真情,趁他走后,挖出金块拿走了。 守财奴再来时,发现洞中的金块没有了,便捶胸痛哭。有个人见他如此悲痛,问明原因后, 说道:“喂,朋友,别再难过了,那块金子虽是你买来的,但并不是你真正拥有的。去拿一 块石头来,代替金块放在洞里,只要你心里想着那是块金子,你就会很高兴。这样与你拥有 真正的金块效果没什么不同。依我之见,你拥有那金块时,也从没用过。”
这故事说明,一切财物如不使用等于没有。
The Wolf and the Lamb 狼与小羊
WOLF, meeting with a Lamb astray from the fold, resolved not to lay violent hands on him, but to find some plea to justify to the Lamb the Wolf's right to eat him. He thus addressed him:"Sirrah, last year you grossly insulted me." "Indeed," bleated the Lamb in a mournful tone of voice, "I was not then born." Then said the Wolf , "You feed in my pasture." "No, good sir," replied the Lamb, "I have not yet tasted grass." Again said the Wolf, "You drink of my well." "No," exclaimed the Lamb, "I never yet drank water, for as yet my mother's milk is both food and drink to me." Upon which the Wolf seized him and ate him up, saying, "Well! I won't remain supperless, even though you refute every one of my imputations."
The tyrant will always find a pretext for his tyranny.
一只小羊在河边喝水,狼见到后,便想找一个名正言顺的借口吃掉他。于是他跑到上游,恶狠狠地说小羊把河水搅浑浊了,使他喝不到清水。小羊回答说,他仅仅站在河边喝水,并且又在下游,根本不可能把上游的水搅浑。狼见此计不成,又说道:“我父亲去年被你骂过。”小羊说,那时他还没有出生。狼对他说:“不管你怎样辩解,反正我不会放过 你。”
这说明,对恶人做任何正当的辩解也是无效的。
The Bat and the Weasels蝙蝠与黄鼠狼
A BAT who fell upon the ground and was caught by a Weasel pleaded to be spared his life. The Weasel refused, saying that he was by nature the enemy of all birds. The Bat assured him that he was not a bird, but a mouse, and thus was set free. Shortly afterwards the Bat again fell to the ground and was caught by another Weasel, whom he likewise entreated not to eat him. The Weasel said that he had a special hostility to mice. The Bat assured him that he was not a mouse, but a bat, and thus a second time escaped.
It is wise to turn circumstances to good account.
蝙蝠掉落在地上,被黄鼠狼叼去,他请求饶命。黄鼠狼说绝不会放过他,自己生来痛恨鸟类。蝙蝠说他是老鼠,不是鸟,便被放了。后来蝙蝠又掉落了下来,被另一只黄鼠狼叼住,他再三请求不要吃他。这只黄鼠狼说他恨一切鼠类。蝙蝠改口说自己是鸟类,并非老 鼠,又被放了。这样,蝙蝠两次改变了自己的名字,终于死里逃生。
这故事说明,我们遇事要随机应变方能避免危险。
The Ass and the Grasshopper 驴子与蚱蜢
AN ASS having heard some Grasshoppers chirping, was highly enchanted; and, desiring to possess the same charms of melody, demanded what sort of food they lived on to give them such beautiful voices. They replied, "The dew." The Ass resolved that he would live only upon dew, and in a short time died of hunger.
驴子听见蚱蜢唱歌,被美妙动听的歌声所打动,自己也想能发出同样悦耳动听的声音,便 羡慕地问他们吃些什么,才能发出如此美妙的声音来。蚱蜢答道:“吃露水。”驴子便也只吃露水,没多久就饿死了。
这个故事告诉人们不要企望非份之物。
The Lion and the Mouse 狮子与报恩的老鼠
A LION was awakened from sleep by a Mouse running over his face. Rising up angrily, he caught him and was about to kill him, when the Mouse piteously entreated, saying: "If you would only spare my life, I would be sure to repay your kindness." The Lion laughed and let him go. It happened shortly after this that the Lion was caught by some hunters, who bound him by strong ropes to the ground. The Mouse, recognizing his roar, came and gnawed the rope with his teeth and set him free, exclaiming:
"You ridiculed the idea of my ever being able to help you, expecting to receive from me any repayment of your favor; now you know that it is possible for even a Mouse to con benefits on a Lion."
狮子睡着了,有只老鼠跳到了他身上。狮子猛然站起来,把他抓住,准备吃掉。老鼠请求饶命,并说如果保住性命,必将报恩,狮子轻蔑地笑了笑,便把他放走了。不久,狮子真的被老鼠救了性命。原来狮子被一个猎人抓获,并用绳索把他捆在一棵树上。老鼠听到了他 的哀嚎,走过去咬断绳索,放走了狮子,并说:
“你当时嘲笑我,不相信能得到我的报答, 现在可清楚了,老鼠也能报恩。” 这故事说明,时运交替变更,强者也会有需要弱者的时候。
A PIGEON, oppressed by excessive thirst, saw a goblet of water painted on a signboard. Not supposing it to be only a picture, she flew towards it with a loud whir and unwittingly dashed against the signboard, jarring herself terribly. Having broken her wings by the blow, she fell to the ground, and was caught by one of the bystanders. Zeal should not outrun discretion
Most stories of Thanksgiving history start with the harvest celebration of the pilgrims and the Native Americans that took place in the autumn of 1621. Although they did have a three-day feast in celebration of a good harvest, and the local natives did participate, this "first thanksgiving" was not a holiday, simply a gathering. There is little evidence that this feast of thanks led directly to our modern Thanksgiving Day holiday. Thanksgiving can, however, be traced back to 1863 when Pres. Lincoln became the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving Day. The holiday has been a fixture of late November ever since.
However, since most school children are taught that the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 with the Pilgrims and Indians, let us take a closer look at just what took place leading up to that event, and then what happened in the centuries afterward that finally gave us our modern Thanksgiving.
参考译文:
感恩与朝圣者和发生在1621年秋天举行的美洲原住民庆祝丰收的历史开始的楼层最多。虽然他们确实有一个好收成的庆祝为期三天的节日,和当地土人确实参与,这个“第一次感恩节”是不放假,只是一个聚会。很少有证据表明,这直接导致的感谢我们的节日感恩节假期现代化。感恩可以,但是,要追溯到1863年的时候普雷什。林肯成为第一位总统宣布感恩节。这个节日一直是11月下旬以来,夹具。
然而,由于大多数学校教导孩子们第一次感恩节是在1621年举行的朝圣者和印第安人,只是让我们看看发生了什么导致这一事件仔细一看,然后又如何在数百年之后,终于发生了我们的现代感恩节。
“I'm sorry ,Madam ,but I shall have to charge you twenty dollars for pulling your boy's tooth .”
“Twenty d ollars! Why ,I understand you to say that you charged only four dollars for such work!”
“Yes ,but this youngster yelled so terribly that he scared four other patients out of the office .”
“对不起,夫人,为您孩子拔牙我要收取20美元。”
“20美元!为什么?不是说好只要4美元。”
“是的,但是你的孩子大喊大叫,把另外四个病人吓跑了。”
TWO: Teacher:We all know that beat causes an object to expand an cold cauese it to contract. Now,can anyone give me a good example?
John:Well ,in the summer the days are long,and in the winter the days are short.
老师:我们都知道热胀冷缩的道理。现在,谁给我举个例子?
约翰:嗯,在夏天天都长,在冬天天都短。
In the traffic court of a large mid-western city, a young lady was brought before the judge to answer a ticket given her for driving through a red light. She explained to his honor that she was a school teacher and requested an immediate disposal of her case in order that she might hasten on to her classes. A wild gleam came into the judge's eye. "You are a school teacher, eh?" said he. "Madam, I shall realize my lifelong ambition. Sit down at that table and write 'I went through a red light' five hundred times."
在中西部一个大城市的交通法庭里,一位年轻女士被带到法官面前,她由于开车闯红灯被开了罚单。女士向法官解释,她是一名学校老师,请求法官马上处理她的案子,以便可以赶回去上课。法官眼中闪过一丝狡黠,说道:“你是学校的老师,对吗?女士,我马上要实现我毕生的愿望了。在那张桌子旁坐下,写‘我开车闯了红灯’500遍。
Oneday giraffe said: "Little Rabbit, I really wish you could have a long neck to know how good it is. No matter what good things to eat, I eat when will slowly through my long neck, it could be a long time to enjoy delicious. "
Rabbit looked at him without any expressions.
"And, in the summer, then cold water slowly flowing through my long neck is so delicious. Have a long neck is really nice! Little white rabbit, can you imagine it?"
A small white rabbit leisurely, said: "Do you spit over it?"
This story tells us how to be a low profile
一天长颈鹿说:“小兔子,我真的希望你能有长长的脖子知道如何好。不管有什么好东西吃,我想吃的时候会慢慢地通过我的长脖子,这可能是一个长期的时间去享受美味。“
兔子看起来没有任何表情。
“在夏天,冷水慢慢地流经我的长脖子是如此的美好。有长长的脖子太好了!小白兔,你能想象吗?”
小白兔悠哉、说:“你吐痰的事呢?”
Lan and Fred
Lan and Fred were boys. They were both twelve years old, and they were in the same class in their school. Last Friday afternoon they had a fight in class, and their teacher was very angry. He said to both of them, “Stay here after the lessons this afternoon, and write your names a thousand times.” After the last lesson, all the other boys went home, but Lan and Fred stayed in the classroom with their teacher and begin writing their names.
Then Fred began crying.
The teacher looked at him and said,” Why are you crying, Fred?”
“Because his name’s Lan May, and mine’s Frederick Hollingsworth,” Fred said.
易恩和富雷得
易恩和富雷得都是男孩,他们都十二岁了。他们在学校里是同班同学。上周五下午他们在学校里打了一架。为此老师很生气。老师对他们说:“下午下课后留在着把你们的名字写一千遍。”
最后一节课下课,所有的学生都回家了。只有易恩和富雷得被他们的老师留在教师里抄写他们的名字。
接着富雷得哭了起来。
老师看了看他问:“富雷得,你为什么要哭呢?”
“因为他的名字是Lan May, 而我的名字确是Frederick Hollingsworth,”富雷得回答道。