晨读夜诵．英语小故事大道理大全集(英汉对照)(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)

作者：史慧

出版社：华东理工大学出版社

格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT

晨读夜诵．英语小故事大道理大全集(英汉对照)试读：

培根曾说“读书足以怡情，足以博彩，足以长才。”这位英国的大思想家将“怡情”放在第一位，不能不说是有深意的。若是抹去了读书的愉悦，“博彩”和“长才”也就仿佛失去了厚实的根基，徒留浮华的表面。读英语也是如此，若是抛弃了阅读的趣味，各类考试、考级也最终会成为空中楼阁，经不起现实生活的考验。

其实英语阅读带给我们的又岂止是知识或才能？它展现给我们的是一个更为广阔的世界。

在阅读中，我们感受独特的风情。这里有Robinson Crusoe (《鲁滨逊漂流记》)中坚定无畏的冒险与开拓，有Pilgrim's Progress (《天路历程》)中闪耀着宗教神圣之光的虔诚与信念，有A Midsummer Night's Dream（《仲夏夜之梦》）般喧闹的幻想与狂欢，也有Sherlock Holmes（《福尔摩斯探案集》）中熠熠生辉的科学与理性。

在阅读中，我们体验语言的魅力。当我们读到《老人与海》那句 “A man can be destroyed but not defeated.（一个人可以被毁灭，但不能被打败。）”时，我们忍不住惊讶，震撼的思想竟可以用如此简单的文字凝结。当我们读到《西风颂》中的“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?（如果冬天来了，春天还会远吗？）”时，我们又忍不住赞叹，悠远的哲思竟可以与抑扬的韵律如此巧妙地融合。然而，也许我们自己都不会意识到，在阅读过程中，这些英语文字已然悄无声息地潜入我们的内心，缓缓沉淀，直至融入我们自己的语言。

在阅读中，我们感悟生命的成长。英文经典，披沙沥金，闪耀着人类共同的智慧之光。 无论是狄更斯的Great Expectation（《远大前程》），还是海伦·凯勒的Three Days to See （《假如给我三天光明》），这些曾经激扬着西方一代人的篇章，同样会激励着这个时代的我们。将自身成长中的迷茫与痛苦、激情与喜悦，置于人类更广阔的精神世界，我们便会发现，我们的心灵得到抚慰，视野得以拓展，生命获得意义……

最后用林语堂先生的一句话作结：“没有阅读习惯的人，往往被禁锢于眼前的世界……但当他拿起一本书时，他会立刻进入一个不同的世界。”这也正是我们编写本系列丛书的目的所在，希望这套“英语阅读”丛书带你“悦读”这个别样的世界。上海外国语大学教授　冯庆华一句话胜似千言万语THIS IS THE LIGHTHOUSE我可是灯塔

It was a dark stormy night. The officer on the bridge came to the captain and said, “Captain, there is a light in our sea lane and they are not willing to move.”

“What do you mean they are not willing to move? Tell them to move. Tell them to starboard right now.”

The signal was sent out: “Starboard, starboard.” The signal came back: “Starboard yourself.”

“I can't believe this. What's going on here? Let them know who I am.” The signal was sent out, “This is the mighty Missouri, starboard.” The signal came back: “This is the lighthouse.”

一个漆黑的夜晚，风雨交加。驾驶室的长官跑来向船长汇报：“船长，我们的航道前方发现灯光，他们拒绝移开。”“什么叫他们拒绝移开？让他们让开。让他们现在就向右转舵。”

我方信号发出：“右转舵，右转舵。”对方信号传回：“你们才应该右转舵。”“难以置信。这是怎么搞的？向他们亮明身份。”我方信号传出：“我是巨轮密苏里号，请你右转舵！”对方信号传回：“我可是灯塔。”

bridge [brɪdʒ] n. (船舶)驾驶室

starboard [ˈstɑːbɔːd] v. 向右转舵

自大缘于缺乏自知。IT IS AS YOU WILL这个你说了算

There was once a wise old woman who lived back in the hills. All the children used to come back and ask her questions. She always gave the right answers.

There was a naughty little boy among the children. One day he caught a tiny bird and held it in his cupped hands. Then he gathered his friends around. He said, “Let's trick the old woman. I'll ask her what I'm holding in my hands. Of course, she'll answer that I have a bird. Then I'll ask her if the bird is living or dead. If she says the bird is dead, I'll open my hands and let the bird fly away. If she says the bird is alive, I'll quickly crush it and show her the dead bird. Either way, she'll be wrong.”

The children agreed that this was a clever plan. Up the hill they went to the old woman's hut.

“Granny, we have a question for you,” they all shouted.

“What's in my hands?” asked the little boy.

“Why, it must be a bird,” replied the old woman.

“But is it living or dead?” demanded the excited boy.

The old woman thought for a moment and then replied, “It is as you will, my child.”

从前，山里隐居着一位聪明的老妇人。孩子们都来问她问题，她总能给出正确答案。

来的孩子里有一个淘气的小男孩。一天，他捉住了一只小鸟，双手合拢扣在手里。然后，他叫来朋友们说：“咱们捉弄一下老太太吧。我要问她我手里握着什么东西。她肯定会说是一只鸟。然后，我来问她鸟是死是活。如果她说鸟是死的，我就张开双手，让鸟飞走。她要是说鸟是活的，我就快速捏死它，让她看到的是死鸟。反正她说哪个都会是错的。”

孩子们一致认为这计划很聪明。他们便上山来到老妇人的小屋。“奶奶，我们问您一个问题。”他们齐声喊。“你猜我手里有什么？”小男孩问。“啊，一定是只小鸟。”老妇人回答。“那它是活的还是死的？”小男孩激动地发问。

老妇人想了一会儿，然后回答：“孩子，是死是活你说了算呀。”

cup [kʌp] v. 使(手)窝成杯状“Either way, she'll be wrong.”男孩成竹在胸。“It is as you will, my child.”老妪未见示弱。当聪明的提问遇上了更加万无一失的回答，足见“姜还是老的辣”。FISHERMAN AND BUSINESSMAN当打鱼的遇上生意人

One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.

About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach, trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. “You aren't going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman to the fisherman. “You should be working rather than lying on the beach!”

The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?” “Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman's answer. “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling. The businessman replied, “You will make money and you'll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!” “And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again. The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman's questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said.

“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman. The businessman was getting angry. “Don't you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!” Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?” The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don't you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won't have a care in the world!”

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I'm doing right now?”

有一天，一个渔夫躺在景色怡人的沙滩上。他把渔竿插在沙子里，渔线抛入波光粼粼的海面，自己一面享受午后温暖的阳光，一面等着鱼上钩。

正在这时，一个生意人沿着沙滩散步走过来，他想要释放一下工作中的压力。他注意到沙滩上坐着一个渔夫，好奇这渔夫怎么就不为了自己和家人着想而努力工作，反而在这儿钓鱼。“你那样可钓不着多少鱼。”生意人对渔夫说，“你应该干活儿，而不是躺在这儿！”

渔夫抬眼看了看生意人，笑着回答：“干活儿？我图什么呀？”“买更大的网，钓更多的鱼呗。”生意人回答。“那然后呢，我能得到什么好处？”渔夫依旧笑着问。生意人说：“赚了钱就能买艘船，那样就能钓更多的鱼！”“那之后呢？我又能得到什么？”生意人听渔夫这么问，有点儿不高兴了。“你就能买更大的船，雇人给你工作呗！”他说。“那然后呢？”渔夫还这么问。生意人真生气了。“你怎么就不明白呢？到时候就能组建一支捕鱼船队，乘船周游世界，让所有的员工给你钓鱼了！”渔夫再一次问：“那之后又能怎样？”生意人气得满脸通红，冲渔夫喊起来：“你不知道吗？有了钱你就不用为了生活打拼了！接下来的日子里你就能每天坐在沙滩上看夕阳。简直就是普天之下无烦无忧啊！”

渔夫还是笑着，抬头说：“这不就是我现在的生活吗？”

prop [prɒp] v. 支撑

fleet [fliːt] n. 船队

人们若沉溺于“工作——赚钱——攒钱——工作”的生活链条，只能迎来工作和生活本末倒置的悲剧。IS IT WORTH?这么玩命值得吗？

Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier, as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his Lieutenant if he might go out into the “no man's land” between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back.

“You can go,” said the Lieutenant, “but I don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your own life away.”

The Lieutenant's words didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoisted him onto his shoulder and brought him back to their company's trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, then looked kindly at his friend.

“I told you it wouldn't be worth it,” he said. “Your friend is dead, and you are mortally wounded.”

“It was worth it, though, sir,” the soldier said.

“How do you mean, ‘worth it'?” responded the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead!”

“YES, sir,” the private answered. “But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive, and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, ‘Jim, I knew you'd come.'”

第一次世界大战中，一名士兵看到自己的平生挚友在战斗中倒下，内心充满恐惧。连天的炮火就在头顶呼啸而过，他被困在战壕里。他向中尉请示要冲进战壕之间的“无人区”把倒下的战友救回来。“你可以去，”中尉说，“但是我觉得你这么做不值得。你的朋友可能已经死了，你这一去可能会送命啊。”

中尉的话没有动摇战士前去的决心。他奇迹般地找到了朋友，把他扛在肩头，带回了连队的战壕。他俩跌跌撞撞走进战壕，战士也受了伤。长官检查了他的伤情，然后看了看他的朋友。“我跟你说过这么做不值得，”他由衷地说，“你的朋友已经阵亡了，你也伤得不轻。”“可我觉得值得，长官。”战士说。“‘值得'？怎么讲？”中尉问道：“你这朋友已经死了！”“话虽这么说，长官，”战士说，“可我觉得这一趟没白去，我找到他的时候他还活着，听到他说‘吉姆兄弟，我就知道你会来的！'时，我已经心满意足了。”

trench [trentʃ] n. 战壕

hoist [hɔɪst] v. 举起

private [ˈpraɪvɪt] n. 列兵；士兵

战争术语“No Man's Land”是指(第一次世界大战中)两军交战的无人地带，是双方要争夺的地方，又称“三不管地带”。 其范围通常为两个壕沟之间的区域。THE FAITH YOU NEED必要的信念

A man was lost while driving through the country. As he tried to read a map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

“Warwick can get you out of that ditch,” said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the haggardly mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, “Yep, old Warwick can do the job.” The man figured he had nothing to lose. The two men and Warwick made their way back to the ditch.

The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins he shouted, “Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!” And the mule pulled the car from the ditch with very little effort.

The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule and asked, “Why did you call out all of those other names before you called Warwick?”

The farmer grinned and said, “Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling.”

一个人开着车在乡间迷了路。正试着查看地图的工夫，不小心连人带车栽进了沟里。尽管人没受伤，他的车却深深地陷到了泥里。于是，这个人走到旁边的农场去求助。“沃里克能把你的车从沟里拽出来，”农夫指着田里一头上了年纪的骡子说。这个人看了看骡子憔悴的模样，又听农夫重复说着：“这点活儿，老沃里克干得了！”这人觉得试试也没什么损失，两个人就牵着沃里克来到了泥沟边。

农夫把骡子拴到汽车上，一扽缰绳，喊道：“用力拉，弗雷德！使劲儿，杰克！拽啊，特德！使劲儿拉，沃里克！”这头骡子没费吹灰之力就把车从沟里拽了出来。

这人感到很惊讶。他谢过农夫，拍了拍骡子，问道：“你怎么在叫沃里克之前喊了那么多别的名字呀？”

农夫咧嘴笑着说：“沃里克老了，眼睛不太好使。只要他觉得不只是自己在干活，他就肯出力气。”

hitch [hɪtʃ] v. (用环、钩等)套住

rein [reɪn] n. 缰绳

很大程度上，团队存在的意义在于向队员传递一个信号：在奉献这一点上，我们并不孤单。THE TRIPLE-FILTER TEST三重筛选法

One day, an acquaintance met Socrates and said, “Do you know what I just heard about your friend?”

“Hold on a minute,” Socrates replied. “Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple-filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“Well, no,” the man said, “actually I just heard about it and...”

“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now, let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?”

“No, on the contrary...”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about my friend, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left — the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really.”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither true, nor good, nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?”

这天，苏格拉底碰到一个熟人，这人问他：“我听说你的朋友出了点事，你听说了吗？”“等一下，”苏格拉底回答，“你告诉我之前，咱们不妨抽点时间筛选一下你要跟我说的话。我叫它三重筛选法。第一层筛选的原则是真实性。你有把握你要说的话都是真的吗？”“没，没把握。”这人说，“其实我也只是听说而已……”“好，”苏格拉底说，“这么说来，你并不能保证这话的真实性喽。我们再来试试第二层，这次筛选的原则是正面性。你要说的我朋友的事是好事吗？”“不，恰恰相反……”“看来，”苏格拉底继续说，“你要说的我朋友的事是坏事，但你没把握这事是真实发生的。还有一层筛选，这第三层的标准是实用性，如果通过的话，你也可以算作是通过这次筛选测试。你要讲的我朋友的事对我有用吗？”“没，没什么用。”“那好，”苏格拉底总结道，“如果你要告诉我的事儿既不真实，又不正面，还一点用处都没有，那你还讲它干吗呢？”

filter [ˈfɪltə(r)] n./v. 过滤

难怪“谣言止于智者”。WHO CAN CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN爬山高人

There were two warring tribes in the Andes, one that lived in the lowlands and the other high in the mountains.

One day the mountain people invaded the lowlanders, and as part of their plundering of the people, they kidnapped a baby of one of the lowlander families and took the infant with them back up into the mountains.

The lowlanders didn't know how to climb the mountain. They didn't know any clue of the path that the mountain people used, and they didn't know where to find the mountain people or how to track them in the steep terrain.

Even so, they sent out their best party of fighting men to climb the mountain and bring the baby home. The men tried one method of climbing and then another. After several days of efforts, however, they had climbed only a couple of hundred feet. Feeling hopeless and helpless, the lowlanders decided that the cause was lost, and they prepared to return to their village below. As they were packing their gear for the descent, they saw the baby's mother walking toward them. They realized that she was coming down the mountain that they hadn't figured out how to climb. And they saw that she had the baby strapped to her back. How could that be?

One man greeted her and said, “We, the strongest and most able men in the village, couldn't climb this mountain. How did you do this?”

The mother shrugged her shoulders and said, “It isn't your baby.”

安第斯山脉境内居住着两个交战的部落，一个部落住在低地，另一个部落住在高地。

有一天，高地原住民入侵低地人的家园，四处抢掠。其中，他们还强行抱走了一户低地人家的婴儿，带回了高地。

低地人不会爬山。他们不知道高地人是从什么路线爬上山去的，更不知道上哪儿去找高地人，或是怎么在陡峭的地形上追踪他们的足迹。

即便如此，低地人还是派出了一组最骁勇善战的人马往山上爬，要把婴儿救回来。这些人爬山时，方法试了一种又一种。可是爬了几天，只行进了几百英尺。这些低地勇士们又绝望又无助，觉得不可能爬得上去了，就准备返回身后的村庄。他们收拾工具准备下山的时候，看见婴儿的母亲正朝他们走来，这才意识到人家是从他们此刻还没搞清楚怎么爬的山上下来的。孩子就绑在母亲背上。这是怎么回事呢？

一个勇士去跟孩子的母亲打招呼，问道：“我们可是村里一等一身强力壮、无所不能的勇士，我们都爬不了的山，您是怎么爬上去的？”

母亲耸耸肩膀说：“这要是你的孩子，你也爬得上去！”

plunder [ˈplʌndə(r)] v. 掠夺

terrain [təˈreɪn] n. 地形

gear [ɡɪə(r)] n. 齿轮

strap [stræp] v. 用带捆扎

很多救人性命的难题，克服起来除了技术之外，还需要那么一点不顾一切的爱。IN ANOTHER WAY换句话说

Mr. William was a gardener and a very good one too. Last year he came to work for Mrs. Stone, who was old, fat and rich.

She knew nothing about gardens but thought that she knew a lot, and was always interfering. One day, Mr. William got angry with Mrs. Stone and called her an elephant. She did not like that at all, so she went to a lawyer, and a few months later, Mr. William was in court, accused of calling Mrs. Stone an elephant. The magistrate found Mr. William guilty, so Mr. William said to him, “Does that mean that I am not allowed to call this lady an elephant any more?”

“That's quite correct,” the magistrate answered.

“And am I allowed to call an elephant a lady?” the gardener asked.

“Yes, certainly,” the magistrate answered.

Mr. William looked at Mrs. Stone and said, “Goodbye, lady.”

威廉先生是一名园丁，手艺还很棒。去年起，他开始为斯通太太家工作，这位太太上了年纪，体态臃肿，但很有钱。

斯通太太对园艺一窍不通，却自以为是，所以总是指手画脚的。有一天，威廉先生和斯通太太起了口角，一怒之下把她叫作大象。她不能接受，于是去找律师。几个月以后，威廉先生被告上了法庭，因为有人指控他把斯通太太称作大象。法官判威廉先生有罪，于是威廉先生说：“那是不是意味着以后不允许我管这位女士叫大象？”“理解非常正确。”法官回答。“那我可不可以管一头大象叫作女士？”园丁问道。“当然可以。”法官回答。

威廉先生看了看斯通太太，说道：“告辞了，女士。”

看似在玩偷换概念的文字游戏，实则呈现严丝合缝的推理逻辑。这也是法庭上的常胜之道。HEAVEN OR HELL?天堂？地狱？傻傻分不清楚

A man died and was on his way to another world, either the Heaven or the hell. He saw an extremely magnificent palace half way and the owner of the palace asked him to stay and live in the palace.

The man said, “I have been working arduously during my life and now I just want to eat and sleep without any work.”

The owner of the palace said, “If so, there is nowhere else better than here for you. There are a wealth of seafood and delicacies in my palace and you can eat whatever you want without anyone stopping you. Moreover, you can rest assured that nothing needs to be done by you.” Then, the man settled down in the palace.

At the beginning, the man felt very happy at the rotation of eating and sleeping. But gradually, he felt a bit lonely and void. So he went to the owner and groaned, “It is very tedious to live by just eating and sleeping every day. Now I show no interest in this kind of life any more. Could you help me find a job?”

The owner replied, “Sorry, there is no job here at all.”

After another several months, the man could not bear the present life and went to the owner again, “I really could not stand this sort of life any more. If you do not offer me a job, I would prefer to go to the hell instead of living here.”

The owner of the palace smiled contemptuously, “Do you think it is Heaven here? It is actually the hell!”

一个人死后去往另一个世界，那世界不知是天堂还是地狱。半路上，他看到一座气势极其宏伟的宫殿。宫殿主人邀请他住下。

这个人说：“我之前努力干了一辈子活，现在我只想吃吃睡睡，不用工作。”

宫殿主人说：“要是这样的话，再没有比这里更适合你的地方了。我这宫殿里海鲜和美味要多少有多少，你想吃什么就吃什么，没人拦你。还有，你放心休息，我保证你什么都不用干。”听了这话，这个人就住了下来。

一开始，他过得可开心了，吃完了睡，睡完了吃。可是渐渐地，他感到有点寂寞空虚，就去找宫殿主人发牢骚：“每天吃吃睡睡地过日子真叫无聊。我现在对这种生活失去了兴趣，您能不能给我找份工作？”

主人回答：“不好意思，我们这儿没工作可找。”

又过了几个月，这个人再也受不了这样的生活了，就又去找主人说：“这日子我实在是受不了了。您要是不给我找份工作干干，我宁愿下地狱去，也不在这儿待了。”

宫殿主人轻蔑地笑道：“您一直以为这是天堂呐？这可是真正的地狱。”

arduously [ˈɑːdʒuəslɪ] adv. 努力地

void [vɔɪd] adj. 空虚的

contemptuously [kənˈtemptʃuəslɪ] adv. 蔑视地

人间趣象一则：忙时抱怨，闲时亦抱怨。I AM BLIND, SO I CAN FIND THE WAY就是因为看不见，所以才找得到路

It was a very foggy day in London. The fog was so thick that it was impossible to see more than a foot or so. Buses, cars and taxis were not able to run and were standing by the side of the road. People were trying to find their way about on foot but were losing their way in the fog. Mr. Smith had a very important meeting at the House of Commons and had to get there but no one could take him. He tried to walk there but found he was quite lost. Suddenly he bumped into a stranger. The stranger asked if he could help him. Mr. Smith said he wanted to get to the Houses of Parliament. The stranger told him he could take him there. Mr. Smith thanked him and they started to walk there. The fog was getting thicker every minute but the stranger had no difficulty in finding the way. He went along one street, turned down another, crossed a square and at last after about half an hour's walk they arrived at the Houses of Parliament. Mr. Smith couldn't understand how the stranger found his way. “It is wonderful,” he said. “How do you find the way in this fog?” “It is no trouble at all to me,” said the stranger, “Because I am blind.”

这天，伦敦大雾弥漫。雾气太浓，能见度只有一英尺左右。公交车、小汽车和出租车都没法上路，只能停在路边。人们步行着四下找路，但都在雾里迷失了方向。史密斯先生必须去国会下议院开一个很重要的会，可没人送得了他。他试着步行前往，可还是迷路了。突然，他迎面撞到一个陌生人的怀里。陌生人问他需不需要帮助。史密斯先生说要到国会大厦去。陌生人说自己可以送他去。大雾越来越浓，陌生人找路却毫不费力。他走过一条街，拐上另一条街，穿过一个广场，走了大概半小时，他们终于走到了国会大厦。史密斯先生搞不明白陌生人是怎么找到路的。“不可思议，”他说，“大雾弥漫你是怎么找到路的？”“对我来说这雾根本不是问题，”陌生人说，“因为我是个盲人啊。”

bump [bʌmp] v. 碰撞

与盲人相比，常人虽能通过视觉体验建立空间概念，但也常被所见干扰，不易做出相对客观的判断。THE CLEVER BEAUTY美女也机智

One day, a beautiful woman was walking in the street when a man started following her. The beauty turned around and asked him, “Mister, why are you following me?”

“I have fallen in love with you,” he said. “Your beauty is matchless!”

The beauty smiled at him and said, “My sister is not far behind. She has big bright eyes. She is more beautiful than I!”

The man promptly went the opposite way to look for her sister. However, he only found a doddering old lady on the road. He spitted and went back to the young beauty.

When he had caught up with her, he asked, “Why did you cheat me?”

“Actually, mister, you are the one who has cheated me. If you loved me, you would not go searching for another one!”

The man felt embarrassed and walked away.

有一天，一个美女走在大街上，一男子开始尾随其后。美女转过身问他：“先生，你干吗总跟着我？”“因为我爱上了你啊，”他说，“你的美无与伦比！”

美女冲他笑着说：“我妹妹就走在后面不远处。她眼睛大大的，亮闪闪的。比我还好看！”

男子立马转身往回走，去找美女的妹妹。可是，他只看见路上有个颤颤巍巍的老太太。他吐了口唾沫，回去找那位年轻漂亮的姑娘。

他追上姑娘，问道：“你为什么骗我？”“其实吧，先生，是你骗了我。如果你真爱我的话，你就不会去找别的姑娘了。”

男子尴尬极了，只好走开。

promptly [ˈprɒmptlɪ] adv. 敏捷地

doddering [ˈdɒdərɪŋ] adj. 蹒跚的

爱情成就于一心一意。THE EYESIGHT OF THE VULTURE秃鹰有个好眼神

It was said that the eye of the vulture could see everything clearly as he gazed down from high above.

A vulture once bragged to the crow, “No one's eyesight can be better than mine.”

“You're just boasting about your eyesight without any evidence,” said the crow. “If it were so, then tell me what you can see in the wilderness.”

The vulture answered, “Don't mock me when I say this, that there is a wheat grain in the wasteland of the wilderness?”

The crow was skeptical over what the vulture said, so both of them flew down towards that place to have a look. As the vulture's position was just above the grain, a net was cast from above and he was trapped. It never occurred to the vulture that he could be trapped as he prepared to peck at the grain.

The crow sighed and said, “Oh vulture, what is the use if you can see the small grain but could not see the trap set up by the enemy?”

Trapped in the net, the vulture was resigned to his fate. He said, “One cannot escape losing his life in a vast and boundless ocean, no matter how good a swimmer he is.”

据说，秃鹰从高处俯视的时候，鹰眼能够清楚地看到一切。

有一次，秃鹰和乌鸦吹牛：“没人能和我比视力。”“你这话没有根据，净瞎吹牛，”乌鸦说，“要真是那样的话，你说说看，这片荒野里你看见什么了？”

秃鹰回答：“我这么说你还真别不信，荒野里有一粒谷子。”

乌鸦不信，他们俩就都朝那个地方往低飞去，想要一看究竟。就在秃鹰刚好飞到那粒谷子正上方的时候，一张网从天而降把他罩住了。他怎么也没想到自己居然在准备叼起那粒谷子的时候被捉住了。

乌鸦叹了口气，说道：“唉，我说秃鹰啊，就算你能看到小小的谷粒，可你却看不到敌人设下的陷阱，这样的视力有什么用呢？”

困在网里的秃鹰只能认命。他说：“就算一个人游泳游得再好，他也逃不出在无边汪洋里丧命的命运啊！”

vulture [ˈvʌltʃə(r)] n. 秃鹰

wilderness [ˈwɪldənəs] n. 荒野

peck [pek] v. 啄(食)

英语文化中恰好有“not see the forest for the trees”的表达，正对应中文所说的“一叶障目”。WHY DO WE BEAR THIS SHELL?为什么我们要背着壳？

Little Snail asked her mother, “Why do we bear this hard and heavy shell as soon as we were born?”

Mother said, “Because our bodies don't have bones to support and we have to climb, not so fast, we need this shell to protect.”

Little Snail said, “Sister Caterpillar has no bones and doesn't climb fast, why she doesn't bear this hard and heavy shell?”

Mother said, “Because she can turn into a butterfly, the sky will protect her.”

Little Snail said, “But Brother Earthworm has no bones and doesn't climb fast either, nor will he become a butterfly, why doesn't he bear the hard and heavy shell?”

Mother replied, “Because he can dig into the earth, the earth will

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