By Aesop
1 once there was a thirsty crow. She had flown a long way looking for water to
drink.
Suddenly she saw a pitcher. She flew down and saw it held a little water, but
it was so low in the pitcher that she could not reach it.
2 “But I must have that water,” she cried. “I am too heavy to fly farther.
What shall I do? I ‘ll tip the pitcher over.”
She beat it with her wings, but it was too heavy. She could not move it.
Then she thought a while. “I know now! I will break it! Then I will drink the
water as it pours out. How good it will taste!”
3 with beak and claws and wings she threw herself against the pitcher. But it
was too strong.
The poor crow stopped to rest. “what shall I do now? I cannot die of thirst
with water close by. There must be a way, if I only hat wit enough to find it
out.”
4 after a while the crow had a bright idea. There were many small stones lying
about. She picked them up one by one and dropped them into the pitcher. Slowly
the water rose, till at last she could drink it .how good it tasted!
5 “There is always a way out of hard places, ” said the crow,”if only you
have the wit to find it.”
1、從前有壹只口渴的烏鴉。為了找到水源，她已在空中飛行了很長時間。突然她發現了壹
保水罐。她飛落下來，發現罐裏有壹些水，但是水罐太深，她無法喝到罐裏的水。
2、“但我壹定要喝到這水，”她叫道，“我已累得飛不動了。我該怎麽辦？我明白了！我
該把水罐推倒。”
她用翅膀擊打水罐，但水罐太沈了，她推不動它。
於是她想了壹會兒。“這回我有辦法了！我要打碎它！水從破罐子裏流出來，我就能喝上
了。那將是多麽甘美的水啊！”
3、她用尖喙、腳爪、翅膀去使勁地撞擊水罐。但是水罐太堅固了。
可憐的烏鴉不得不停下來歇壹會兒。“我現在該怎麽辦？我不能眼睜睜在水邊渴死。只要
我開動腦筋，壹定能找到辦法。”
4、過了壹會兒，烏鴉想出了壹個聰明的辦法。附近有很多小石子。她把它們壹顆顆揀起來
扔進水罐，水慢慢地升高了。終於刀子可以喝上了，多麽甘美的水啊！
5、“只要妳充分發揮自己的才智，”烏鴉說，“在任何困難的地方都能找到解決問題的辦
法。”
NO.2 Five little chickens(五只小雞)
Said the first little chicken,
With a queer little squirm,
“Oh, I wish I could find
A fat little worm!”
Said the next little chicken,
With an odd little shrug,
“Oh, I wish I could find
A fat little bug!”
Said the third little chicken,
With a sharp little squeal,
“Oh, I wish I could find
Some nice yellow meal !”
Said the fourth little chicken,
With a small sigh of grief,
“Oh, I wish I could find
A green little leaf !”
Said the fifth little chicken,
With a faint little moan,
“Oh, I wish I could find
A wee gravel-stone !”
“Now, see here,” said the mother,
From the green garden-patch,
“If you want any breakfast,
You must come and scratch. ”
第壹只小雞
忸忸怩怩，帶點誇張地說：
“啊，希望我能找到
壹個胖胖的小毛蟲！”
第二只小雞
古怪地聳聳肩說：
“啊，希望我能夠找到
壹只肥肥的臭蟲！”
第三只小雞
尖聲地說：
“啊，希望我能找到
壹頓黃蓬蓬的佳肴！”
第四只小雞
發愁地輕輕嘆道：
“啊，希望我能找到
壹片綠油油的小嫩葉。”
第五只小雞
有氣無力地輕噓壹聲：
“啊，希望我能找到
壹粒小尿礫！”
“來，看這兒！”
從青草坪傳來媽媽的聲音：
“如果妳們想吃早餐，
必須立即行動起來。”
九層之臺起於壘土，千裏之行始於足下。即便是壹份可口的早餐，也要靠我們的實際行動
才能獲得。
NO.3 The little red hen(小紅母雞)
A little red hen once found a grain of wheat. “ Who will plant this wheat?”
she said.
“I won’t,” says the dog.
“I won’t,” says the cat.
“I won’t,” says the pig.
“I won’t,” says the turkey.
“Then I will,” says the little red hen . ”cluck! cluck!”
So she planted the grain of wheat. Very soon the wheat began to grow and the
green leaves came out of the ground . the sun shone and the rain fell and the
wheat kept on growing until it was tall, strong, and ripe.
“who will reap this wheat?” says the little red hen.
“I won’t,” says the dog.
“I won’t,” says the cat.
“I won’t,” says the pig.
“I won’t,” says the turkey.
“I will, then,” says the little red hen. “Cluck! Cluck!”
So she reaped the wheat.
“Who will thresh this wheat?” says the little red hen.
“I won’t,” says the dog.
“I won’t,” says the cat.
“I won’t,” says the pig.
“I won’t,” says the turkey.
“I will, then,” says the little red hen. “Cluck! Cluck!”
So she threshed the wheat.
“Who will take this wheat to mill to have it ground?” says the little red
hen.
“I won’t,” says the dog.
“I won’t,” says the cat.
“I won’t,” says the pig.
“I won’t,” says the turkey.
“I will, then,” says the little red hen. “Cluck! Cluck!”
So she took the wheat to mill, and by and by she came back with the flour.
“Who will bake this flour?” says the little red hen.
“I won’t,” says the dog.
“I won’t,” says the cat.
“I won’t,” says the pig.
“I won’t,” says the turkey.
“I will, then,” says the little red hen. “Cluck! Cluck!”
So she baked the flour and made a loaf of bread.
“Who will eat this bread?” says the little red hen.
“I won’t,” says the dog.
“I won’t,” says the cat.
“I won’t,” says the pig.
“I won’t,” says the turkey.
“No,I will, ” says the little red hen. “Cluck! Cluck!”
So she took the wheat to mill, and by and by she came back with the flour.
And she ate up the loaf of bread.
1、 小紅母雞找到壹粒小麥。“誰願意種這粒小麥？她問大家。
狗說：“我不種。”
貓說：“我不種。”
豬說：“我不種。”
火雞說：“我也不種。”
“那我自己種。”小紅母雞說。“克拉克！克拉克！”
2、 小紅母雞把那粒小麥種好了。
很快，麥子破土而出，冒出了綠芽。
陽光的照射，雨水的澆灌，麥子長得又高又壯，漸漸成熟了。
3、 小紅母雞又問大家：“誰願意收麥子？”
狗說：“我不收。”
貓說：“我不收。”
豬說：“我不收。”
火雞說：“我也不收。”
“那我去收。”小紅母雞說。“克拉克！克拉克！”
於是她把小麥收割了。
4、“誰願意打麥子？”小紅母雞又問。
狗說：“我不打。”
貓說：“我不打。”
豬說：“我不打。”
火雞說：“我也不打。”
“那我去打。”小紅母雞說。“克拉克！克拉克！”
小紅母雞把麥子打好了。
5、小紅母雞又問：“誰願把小麥拿到磨房去磨？”
狗說：“我不去。”
貓說：“我不去。”
豬說：“我不去。”
火雞說：“我也不去。”
“那我去。”小紅母雞說。“克拉克！克拉克！”
於是，她把小麥背去磨了，不久，把面粉背了回來。
6、“誰願意烤面包？”小紅母雞又問。
狗說：“我不烤。”
貓說：“我不烤。”
豬說：“我不烤。”
火雞說：“我也不烤。”
“那我去烤。”小紅母雞說。“克拉克！克拉克！”
她就把面粉烤熟了，做了壹條面包。
7、“誰來吃面包呀？”小紅母雞又問。
狗說：“我吃。”
貓說：“我吃。”
豬說：“我吃。”
火雞說：“我也要吃。”
“不行，我自己吃。”小紅母雞說。“克拉克！克拉克！”
8、她把面包吃完了。
這篇可愛的小故事告訴我們壹分耕耘壹分收獲的道理。
NO.4 The boy and the nuts(男孩和堅果)
1、A little boy once found a jar of nuts on the table.
"I would like some of these nuts," he thought. "I'm sure Mother will give them
to me if she were here. I'll take a big handful." So he reached into the jar
and grabbed as many as he could hold.
2、But when he tried to pull his hand out, he found the neck of the jar was too
small. His hand was held fast, but he did not want to drop any of the nuts.
He tried again and again, but he couldn't get the whole handful out. At last he
began to cry.
3、Just then his mother came into the room. "What's the matter?" she asked.
"I can't take this handful of nuts out of the jar," sobbed the boy.
"Well, don't be so greedy," his mother replied. "Just take two or three, and
you'll have no trouble getting your hand out."
"How easy that was," said the boy as he left the table. "I might have thought
of that myself."
1、壹個小男孩有壹次看到桌上有壹瓶堅果。“我想吃些堅果，”他心裏想。“相信媽媽在
這裏也壹定會給我的，那就拿壹大把吧。”於是，他把手伸進瓶罐，盡量抓了壹大把。
2、但是當他想把手拿出來時，才發現瓶口太小，手已被緊緊地卡住了。然而他壹個堅果也
不肯少拿。他試了壹次又壹次，總是不能將整把堅果取出，終於，他哭了。
3、這時，媽媽進來了。“出了什麽事呀？”她問。
孩子抽泣著說：“我沒法子把這壹把堅果拿出來。”
“好啦，可不能太貪心哦，”媽媽說，“每次只拿兩三個，妳的手就很容易出來了。”
“原來這麽簡單”，男孩離開桌子說道：“我自己也應該想到呀。”
男孩取堅果的故事告訴我們少則得，多則惑，欲速則不達的道理。天下難事必做於易，大
事必做於細。
NO.5 The boy who cried “wolf( 狼來了)
1 there was once a shepherd boy who kept his flock at a little distance from
the village. Once he thought he would play a trick on the villagers and have
some fun at their expense. So he ran toward the village crying out, with all
his might:
“Wolf! Wolf! Come and help! The wolves are at my lambs!”
2 The kind villagers left their work and ran to the field to help him. But
when they got there the boy laughed at them for their pains; there was no wolf
there.
Still another day the boy tried the same trick, and the villagers came running
to help and were laughed at again.
3 then one day a wolf did break into the fold and began killing the lambs. In
great fright, the boy ran back for help. “wolf! wolf!” he screamed. “There
is a wolf in the flock! Help!”
The villagers heard him, but they thought it was another mean trick; no one
paid the least attention, or went near him. And the shepherd boy lost all his
sheep.
4 That is the kind of thing that happens to people who lie: even when they do
tell the truth they will not be believed.
1、從前，有壹個牧童在村外較遠的地方看守羊群。壹次，他打算和村裏的人開玩笑取樂，
於是跑到村莊大聲喊道“狼來了！狼來了！來救救我們呀！狼要撲我的小羊了！”
2、好心的村民放下工作，跑到田野去幫助牧童。他們到了那，牧童看著他們跑得氣喘籲籲
的樣子大笑，那裏根本沒有什麽狼。壹天，牧童又玩了壹次同樣的把戲，村民跑去解救，
又被嘲笑了壹頓。
3、後來有壹天，狼真的沖破圍欄，吃起羊來了。牧童恐懼萬分，急著趕回村求救。“狼來
了，狼來了，”他拼命叫喊：“狼鉆進羊圈了！救救羊吧！”，村民們聽出了牧童的聲音
，不過，他們認為這又是壹次玩笑，沒有人當回事，也沒有人過去瞧瞧。牧童失去了所有
的羊。
這就是說謊人的報應：即便他們說真話的時候也沒有人相信了。
謊言雖能愚人壹時，但撒謊者最終會失去別人的信任和自己的尊嚴。
NO.6 The tortoise and the hare(龜和兔)
1、A hare once made fun of a tortoise. “what a slow way you have!”he said:”
how you creep along!”
“Do I?”said the tortoise.”Try a race with me and I’ll beat you.”
“What a boaster you are,” said the hare. ”But come! I will race with you.
Whom shall we ask to mark off the finish line and see that the race is fair?”
“let us ask the fox.” said the tortoise.
2、 The fox was very wise and fair. He showed them where they were to start,
and how far they were to run.
The tortoise lost no time. He started out at once and jogged straight on.
3、The hare leaped along swiftly for a few minutes till he had left the
tortoise far behind. He knew he could reach the mark very quickly, so he lay
down by the road under a shady tree and took a nap.
By and by he woke and remembered the race. He sprang up and ran as fast as he
could. But when he reached the mark, the tortoise was already there!
4、”Slow and steady wins the race, ” said the fox.
這篇寓言告訴我們：有才不可傲物，驕兵必敗；笨拙不必自卑，勤能補拙。
1、兔子嘲笑烏龜說：“妳行動得多慢呀！瞧妳爬的樣子！”
“是嗎？”烏龜說，“那我們來賽跑，我壹定會贏妳。”
“妳真是個吹牛大王，”兔子說。“那來吧！我和妳比比。我們找誰定終點線，作裁判呢
？”
烏龜說：“我們去請狐貍吧。”
2、狐貍很聰明也很公平。他指定了賽跑的起點和距離。烏龜片刻也不耽擱，立刻出發，壹
步步向前爬去。
3、兔子迅速地向前跑了幾分種，直到把烏龜遠遠地甩在後面。他知道自己很快就會到達終
點，於是就在路邊的樹蔭下打了壹個盹。
過了好壹會兒兔子醒了，想起了賽跑的事。他壹躍而起，竭盡全力地跑起來。可是，等他
跑到終點，烏龜已經到了。
4、狐貍說：“不怕慢，只怕站，堅持不懈就會贏得勝利。”
NO.7The lion and the mouse
(獅子和老鼠)
1 one day a great lion lay asleep in the sunshine. A little mouse ran across
his paw and wakened him. The great lion was just going to eat him up when the
little mouse , ”Oh, please, let me go, sir. Some day I may help you.”
2 the lion laughed at the thought that the little mouse could be of any use to
him. But he was a good-natured lion, and he set the mouse free.
Not long after, the lion was caught in a net. He tugged and pulled with all his
might, but the ropes were too strong. Then he roared loudly. The little mouse
heard him, and ran to the spot.
3 “Be still, dear Lion, and I will set you free. I will gnaw the ropes.”
With his sharp little teeth, the mouse cut the ropes, and the lion came out of
the net.
“You laughed at me once,” said the mouse. “You thought I was too little to
do you a good turn. But see, you owe your life to a poor little mouse.”
1、壹天，壹頭大獅子曬著太陽睡著了。壹只小老鼠竄過他的腳爪，把他驚醒了。大獅子正
準備吃掉老鼠，老鼠哭著說：“哦，先生，求求妳放了我吧，說不定哪壹天我可以幫助妳
。”
2、想到小老鼠說可能對他有用，獅子不禁大笑。不過，他是壹頭和善的獅子，就把小老鼠
放了。過了不久，獅子被陷阱網住了。他拼命地掙紮著，拉扯著，可是繩子太結實。他急
得大聲吼叫。小老鼠聽到吼聲，連忙跑到現場。
3、“別急，親愛的獅子，我來救妳，我會把繩子咬斷的。”
老鼠用他尖銳的小牙齒咬斷了繩子，獅子從網中跑了出來。老鼠說：“上壹次妳笑過我，
認為我壹丁點大，怎麽可能報答妳。可是現在妳瞧，是我這只不起眼的小老鼠救了妳的命
。”
這則寓言告訴我們尺有所短,寸有所長的道理。同時也贊美了受恩必報的美德。