The Old Cat
An old woman had a cat. The cat was very old; she could not run quickly, and she could not bite, because she was so old. One day the old cat saw a mouse; she jumped and caught the mouse. But she could not bite it; so the mouse got out of her mouth and ran away, because the cat could not bite it.
Then the old woman became very angry because the cat had not killed the mouse. She began to hit the cat. The cat said, "Do not hit your old servant. I have worked for you for many years, and I would work for you still, but I am too old. Do not be unkind to the old, but remember what good work the old did when they were young."
【译文】
老猫
一位老妇有只猫,这只猫很老,它跑不快了,也咬不了东西,因为它年纪太大了。一天,老猫发现一只老鼠,它跳过去抓这只老鼠,然而,它咬不住这只老鼠。因此,老鼠从它的嘴边溜掉了,因为老猫咬不了它。
于是,老妇很生气,因为老猫没有把老鼠咬死。她开始打这只猫,猫说:“不要打你的老仆人,我已经为你服务了很多年,而且还愿意为你效劳,但是,我实在太老了,对年纪大的不要这么无情,要记住老年人在年青时所做过的有益的事情。”
A man was going to the house of some rich person. As he went along the road, he saw a box of good apples at the side of the road. He said, "I do not want to eat those apples; for the rich man will give me much food; he will give me very nice food to eat." Then he took the apples and threw them away into the dust.
He went on and came to a river. The river had become very big; so he could not go over it. He waited for some time; then he said, "I cannot go to the rich man's house today, for I cannot get over the river."
He began to go home. He had eaten no food that day. He began to want food. He came to the apples, and he was glad to take them out of the dust and eat them.
Do not throw good things away; you may be glad to have them at some other time.
【译文】
一个人正朝着一个富人的房子走去,当他沿着路走时,在路的一边他发现一箱好苹果,他说:“我不打算吃那些苹果,因为富人会给我更多的食物,他会给我很好吃的东西。”然后他拿起苹果,一把扔到土里去。
他继续走,来到河边,河涨水了,因此,他到不了河对岸,他等了一会儿,然后他说:“今天我去不了富人家了,因为我不能渡过河。”
他开始回家,那天他没有吃东西。他就开始去找吃的,他找到苹果,很高兴地把它们从尘土中翻出来吃了。
不要把好东西扔掉,换个时候你会觉得它们大有用处。
The City Mouse and the Country Mouse
Once there were two mice. They were friends. One mouse lived in the country; the other mouse lived in the city. After many years the Country mouse saw the City mouse; he said, "Do come and see me at my house in the country." So the City mouse went. The City mouse said, "This food is not good, and your house is not good. Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have nice food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city."
The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was a very good house. Nice food was set ready for them to eat. But just as they began to eat they heard a great noise. The City mouse cried, " Run! Run! The cat is coming!" They ran away quickly and hid.
After some time they came out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, "I do not like living in the city. I like living in my hole in the field. For it is nicer to be poor and happy, than to be rich and afraid."
【译文】
城里老鼠和乡下老鼠
从前,有两只老鼠,它们是好朋友。一只老鼠居住在乡村,另一只住在城里。很多年以后,乡下老鼠碰到城里老鼠,它说:“你一定要来我乡下的家看看。”于是,城里老鼠就去了。乡下老鼠领着它到了一块田地上它自己的家里。它把所有最精美食物都找出来给城里老鼠。城里老鼠说:“这东西不好吃,你的家也不好,你为什么住在田野的地洞里呢?你应该搬到城里去住,你能住上用石头造的漂亮房子,还会吃上美味佳肴,你应该到我城里的家看看。”
乡下老鼠就到城里老鼠的家去。房子十分漂亮,好吃的东西也为他们摆好了。可是正当他们要开始吃的时候,听见很大的一阵响声,城里的老鼠叫喊起来:“快跑!快跑!猫来了!”他们飞快地跑开躲藏起来。
过了一会儿,他们出来了。当他们出来时,乡下老鼠说:“我不喜欢住在城里,我喜欢住在田野我的洞里。因为这样虽然贫穷但是快乐自在,比起虽然富有却要过着提心吊胆的生活来说,要好些。”
Teacher:Why are you late for school every morning?
Tom:Every time I come to the corner,a sign says,"School-Go slow".
老师:为什么你每天早晨都迟到?
汤姆:每当我经过学校的拐角处,就看见一个牌子上写着"学校----慢行".
A Good Boy
Little Robert asked his mother for two cents. "What did you do with the money I gave you yesterday?"
"I gave it to a poor old woman," he answered.
"You're a good boy," said the mother proudly. "Here are two cents more. But why are you so interested in the old woman?"
"She is the one who sells the candy."
好孩子
小罗伯特向妈妈要两分钱。
“昨天给你的钱干什么了?”
“我给了一个可怜的老太婆,”他回答说。 “你真是个好孩子,”妈妈骄傲地说。“再给你两分钱。可你为什么对那位老太太那么感兴趣呢?”
“她是个卖糖果的。”
Drunk
One day, a father and his little son were going home. At this age, the boy was interested in all kinds of things and was always asking questions. Now, he asked, "What's the meaning of the word 'Drunk', dad?" "Well, my son," his father replied, "look, there are standing two policemen. If I regard the two policemen as four then I am drunk."
"But, dad," the boy said, " there's only ONE policeman!"
醉酒
一天,父亲与小儿子一道回家。这个孩子正处于那种对什么事都很感兴趣的年龄,老是有提不完的问题。他向父亲发问道:“爸爸,‘醉’字是什么意思?” “唔,孩子,”父亲回答说,“你瞧那儿站着两个警察。如果我把他们看成了四个,那么我就算醉了。” “可是,爸爸, ”孩子说,“那儿只有一个警察呀!”
A little bird fly to south for the winter. It was very cold, almost frozen bird. Hence, fly to a large space, after a cow there, in a pile of cow dung upon the bird, frozen bird lying on the dunghill, feel very warm, gradually recovered, it is warm and comfortable lying, and soon began to sing songs, a passing wildcat hear voices, see, follow the voice, wildcats quickly found lying on the dunghill, bird, pull it out.
The way of existence: not everyone to lead the dung upon your people are your enemy. Each of you is not from the dunghill lire people are your friends, and, when you lying on the dunghill, had better keep your mouth shut.
粪堆里的小鸟
一只小鸟飞到南方去过冬。天很冷,小鸟几乎冻僵了。于是,飞到一大块空地上,一头牛经过那儿,拉了一堆牛粪在小鸟的身上,冻僵的小鸟躺在粪堆里,觉得很温暖,渐渐苏醒过来,它温暖而舒服的躺着,不久唱起歌来,一只路过的野猫听到声音,走过去看个究竟,循着声音,野猫很快发现了躺在粪堆里的小鸟,把它拽出来吃掉了。
生存之道:不是每个往你身上拉大粪的人都是你的敌人。也不是每个把你从粪堆里拉出来的人都是你的朋友,还有,当你躺在粪堆里时,最好把你的嘴闭上。
One day, there was a blind man sitting on the steps of a building with a sign by his feet, that read: "I am blind, please help."
A creative publicist was walking by the blind man and stopped to observe that the man only had a few coins in his hat. He put a few of his own coins in the hat, and without stopping to ask for permission, took the sign, turned it around, and wrote a new message. He then placed the sign by the feet of the blind man, and left.
Later that afternoon the creative publicist returned by the blind man and noticed that his hat was almost completely full of bills and coins. The blind man recognized his footsteps and asked if it was him who had changed his sign? He also wanted to know what the man wrote on it?
一天,有个瞎子坐在一栋大楼的台阶上,脚下的标牌上写着:“我是个瞎子,请帮帮我。”
一位有创意的广告员从瞎子身旁经过时停了下来,看到瞎子的帽子里只有一些硬币。他也在帽子里放了几个硬币,未经允许,就拿过标牌,翻过来在上面重新写了一句标语,然后把标牌放回瞎子的脚下,离开了。
那天下午晚些时候,这位广告员回到了这个身旁,他发现帽子里几乎装满了纸钞和硬币。瞎子听出了他的脚步声,问他是否是那个改标牌的人?他也想知道这位男士在上面写了什么。
广告员回答说:“我只是改了你的标语使人们能够看明白。”他向这个瞎子表达了祝福,说了再见,继续走自己的路。
瞎子并不知道,他的新标语是这样的:
现在是春天,但我却看不到。
Tom is a little boy, and he is only seven years old. One day he went to the cinema. It is the first time for him to do that. He bought a ticket and then went in. But after two or three minutes he came out, bought a second ticket and went in again. After a few minutes he came out again and bought a third ticket. Two or three minutes late he came out and asked for another ticket. Then the girl in the ticket office asked him, "Why do you buy so many tickets? How many friends do you meet?" Tom answered, "No, I have no friend here. But a big boy always stops me at the door and tears my ticket to pieces."
汤姆是个七岁的小男孩。一天,他去看电影。他是第一次去,他买了一张票就进去了。但是还没两分钟,就出来了。他又买了一张票进去了。几分钟之后他又出来了再次买了第三张票。两三分钟后他出来了想再买一张票。女兵售票员问他:”你为什么买这么多电影票?你遇见了多少朋友啊?”汤姆回答道:“没有,我没遇见朋友。但是有个大男孩站在门口拦住我,把我的票给撕碎了。”
The Peacock and Juno
A Peacock once placed a petition before Juno desiring to have
the voice of a nightingale in addition to his other attractions;
but Juno refused his request. When he persisted, and pointed out
that he was her favourite bird, she said:
"Be content with your lot;
one cannot be first in everything."
孔雀和朱诺
一只孔雀,曾被前一份请愿书朱诺的渴望
夜莺的声音,除了他的其它游乐设备;
但是朱诺拒绝了他的要求。当他坚持,并指出
他是她最喜欢的鸟,她说:
“知足常乐吧,
一个人不可能首先在一切。”
小女孩的愿望
On the way home after watching a ballet performance, the kindergarten teacher asked her students what they thought of it. The smallest girl in the class said she wished the dancers were taller so that they would not have to stand on their toes all the time.
在观看完芭蕾舞表演回家的路上,幼儿园老师问学生的观后感。班上最小的女孩说,她希望舞蹈演员可以长得更高一点儿,那么他们就不用整天踮着脚尖了。