When a lion was asleep, a little mouse began running up and down beside him. This soon wakened the lion. He was very angry, and caught the mouse in his paws.
"Forgive me, please." cried the little mouse. "I may be able to help you someday." The lion was tickled at these words.
He thought, "How could this little mouse help me?" However he lifted up his paws and let him go.
A few days later, the lion was caught in a trap.
The hunters wanted to take him alive to the king, so they tied him to a tree, and went away to look for a wagon.
Just then the little mouse passed by, and saw the sad lion.
He went up to him, and soon gnawed away the ropes. "Was I not right?" asked the little mouse.
A hillbilly was visiting the big city for the first time. Entering an office building, he saw a pudgy older woman step into a small room. The doors closed, lights flashed, and after a while the door slid open and a beautiful young model stepped off the elevator.
Blinking in amazement, the hillbilly drawled, "I should have brought my wife!"
乡下人惊奇地眨着眼睛,慢吞吞地说:“我应该把我的老婆带来!”
First Flight
第一次坐飞机
Mr. Johnson had never been up in an aerophane before , so one day when a friend offered to take him for a ride in his own small phane, Mr. Johnson was very worried about accepting. Finally, however, his friend persuaded him that it was very safe, and Mr. Johnson boarded the plane.
His friend started the engine and began to taxi onto the runway of the airport. Mr. Johnson had heard that the most dangerous part of a flight were the take-off and the landing, so he was extremely frightened and closed his eyes.
After a minute or two he opened them again, looked out of the window of the plane, and said to his friend, "Look at those people down there. They look as small as ants, don't they?"
"Those are ants," answered his friend. "We're still on the ground."
“那些就是蚂蚁,”他的朋友答道,“我们还在地面上。”
风和太阳
(The Wind And The Sun)
One day the wind said to the sun, “Look at that man walking along the road. I can get his cloak off more quickly than you can.”
(有一天风跟太阳说: “看看那个沿着路上走的人.我可以比你快让他把披风脱下来.)
“We will see about that,” said the sun. “I will let you try first.”
(“我们等着看吧,”太阳说, “我让你先试.)
So the wind tried to make the man take off his cloak. He blew and blew, but the man only pulled his cloak more closely around himself.
(因此风尝试让那个人把披风脱下来.他用力地吹,可是那个人把披风拉得更紧.)
“I give up,” said the wind at last. “I cannot get his cloak off.” Then the sun tried. He shone as hard as he could. The man soon became hot and took off his cloak.
Youth’s first duty is to show their respect to parents.
青年人的第一责任,就是孝敬父母。
The lark, according to an ancient legend, was created before the earth, she could find for her no place of burial. She left her mother lying for five days.
据古代传说,百灵鸟诞生于地球未成形以前;母亲死于一场重病,那时因为没有泥土,她找不到地方葬母。
On the sixth day, she had no way out and bury her mother in her own head. So she got her crest, which is popularly said to be her mother’s grave-hillock.
Between the States of Jin and Guo was the State of Yu.
晋国和虢国的中间,隔着一个虞国。
Once, the State of Jin intended to invade the state of Guo and had to seek for permission to go by way of the State of Yu. The King of Jin was worried that the State of Yu would refuse to consent.
有一次,晋国要去进攻虢国,得向虞国借路,国王担心虞国不答应。
Xun Xi, a high official of the State of Jin, offered his scheme to the King. He said: “If you offer that piece of round jade and that fine steed as gifts to the King of Yu to ask his permission, he is sure to give his consent.”
“The round jade from Chuji is an heirloom from my ancestors. The fine steed from Qudi is a gret favorite of mine. If the King of Yu accepted our gifts, yet would not give us permission, what shall we do then?”:
As the legend goes, during ancient times, in the expansive open county of North China, there was a kind of birds called “rocs”. The roc was very huge, with its back like a big mountain, and its wings like a stretch of cloud which could cover the sky. When it spread its wings, it could break through a storm and soar at a height of 90000 li(1/2 kilometre)in the sky towards the sea in the south.
A small bird called the quail bounced on the ground, free and happy. It looked up at the roc soaring in the sky and couldn’t help laughing. “Hey, see how cocky you are! Look at me, one jump can take me over 10 Chi,, How delightful! Every day I come and go amid these weeds and thickets and fly freely. Don’t I fly quite well too? But, where can you fly to anyway?”