1.Once there was a king. He likes to write stories, but his stories were not good. As people were afraid of him, they all said his stories were good.

　　One day the king showed his stories to a famous writer. He waited the writer to praise these stories. But the writer said his stories were so bad that he should throw them into fire. The king got very angry with him and sent him to prison.

　　After some time, the king set him free. Again he showed him some of his new stories and asked what he thought of them.

　　After reading them, the writer at once turned to the soldiers and said: Take me back to prison, please.

　　从前有一个国王,他喜欢写故事,但是他写的故事很不好。人们怕他,都说他的故事好。有一天国王把他的故事给一名作家看,他想要作家赞扬他的这些故事,而作家说他的故事是如此的差以至于该扔进火里。国王很生气,把他送到监狱。

　　过了些日子,国王给了作家自由。国王重新将自己的一些新故事给作家看并问他感觉怎么样。

　　作家看了之后立刻转身对士兵说着;请把我送回监狱吧。

　　2.My uncle has two dogs. One is big and the other is small. He likes them very much.

　　One day, Mr. Smith came to visit him. When the friend saw two holes in the door, a large hole and a small hole, he was surprised and said, My dear friend, why are there two holes in your door? Let my dogs come in and come out, of course, Mr. Smith asked. But why are there two holes? One is enough! But how can the big dog go through the small hole? my uncle said.

　　Sometimes a clever man may make such mistakes.

　　我的叔叔有两条狗。一只是大的,另一只是小狗的。他很喜欢它们。

　　有一天,史密斯先生来看他。当这个朋友看见门口上有连个洞,一个是大洞和一个小洞时,他感到吃惊并说,我亲爱的朋友,为什么你的门上有连个洞?我的叔叔回答说:当然是让我的两条狗进出了。 史密斯先生问到: 为什么门上要两个洞呢?一个就足够了。 我叔叔说:大狗怎能走小洞呢?

　　有时聪明的人可能会犯这样的错误。

　　3.A boy was playing in the fields when he was stung by a nettle . He ran home to tell his mother what had happened. I only touched it lightly, he said, and the nasty thing stung me. It stung you because you only touched it lightly, his mother told him. Next time you touch a nettle grasp it as tightly as you can. Then it wont sting you at all. Face danger boldly.

　　有个男孩子在地里玩耍，被荨麻刺痛了。他跑回家去，告诉妈妈出了什么事。 我不过轻轻地碰了它一下，他说，那讨厌的东西就把我刺痛了。 你只轻轻地碰了它一下，所以它才刺痛你，妈妈对他说，下一回你再碰到荨麻，就尽量紧紧地抓住它。那它就根本不会刺痛你了。 要敢于面对危险。

　　4.Mike is a little boy. He is only five years old. He is too small to go to school. So he can not read and write.

　　One day he stood at my desk with a pencil in his hand. There was a big piece of paper on the desk. He wanted to draw a picture of himself. He drew lines and cleared them out, then drew more and cleared them out again. When I looked at the picture, he wasnt happy. Well, he said at last to me, ll put a tail on it and make it a monkey.

　　He began to add the tail. I began to laugh.

　　迈克是一个小男孩,他只有5岁。他太小还没有上学,因此也不会读和写。

　　一天,他手里拿着一支铅笔站在我的桌子前。桌子上放着一张大纸,他要画自画像。他画了几笔就擦掉了,再画几笔,有擦掉了。当我看一幅画时,他很不高兴。 好吧,他最后和我说,我就再加一条尾巴,把他画成一只猴子吧!

　　他开始加上小尾巴,我大笑起来。

　　5.One day, Mikes mother needed a pot. She asked Mike to borrow one from her friend. So Mike went to the friends house. She gave him a big pot. On the way home Mike put it down on the road and looked at it. It was made of clay and had three legs.

　　Then he said to the pot, You have three legs and I have only two. You can carry me for a few minutes. Then Mike sat down inside the pot. But the pot didnt move.

　　Mike got angry and broke it then carried the broke pot home. His mother was angry. You are stupid. She said. But Mike thought, m not stupid. Only a stupid person carried something with three legs.

　　一天,迈克的妈妈需要一口锅,她让迈克向她朋友借一口锅。于是,迈克去了她的朋友家,她的朋友借个他一口大锅。在回家的路上,迈克把锅放在路上看了看它,它是一口粘土制成的三条腿的锅。

　　然后他对锅说:你有三条腿而我只有两条腿。 你应该背我一会儿。然后,迈克坐在锅里,但是锅一动也不动。

　　迈克很生气地把锅打破了,但后拿着破锅向家里走去。到家后他的妈妈很生气地说:你真笨。但迈克认为:我不笨,只有愚蠢的人才会带回三条腿的锅。

　　6.Once a simpletons wife told him to buy some ice.

　　Two hours later, he didnt come back. She wanted to know why he didnt come back and went out to have a look. She saw he was standing in the sun at the gate and watching the ice melting.

　　Whats the matter? She asked him. Why dont you bring it in?

　　I saw the ice was wet and I was afraid that you would scold me so Im running it dry. The simpleton answered.

　　从前有一个笨人的妻子让她的丈夫买几块冰。

　　两个小时后,他还没回来。

　　她想知道他为什么没回来,就出去看了看,发现她的丈夫在门口站着,在太阳下晒冰,看着冰融化。

　　她问他:怎么啦?你为什么不把它拿进来?

　　我看见冰是湿的,恐怕你会训斥我,因此,我正在把它晒干。笨人回答道。

　　Unhappily the fox came running past that minute. A whiff of scent3 soon brings him to a pause, And the fox sights the cheese and licks his jaws4.

　　The rascal5 steals on tip-toe to the tree. He curls his tail, and, gazing earnestly. He speaks so soft, scarce whispering each word:

　　How beautiful you are, sweet bird! What a neck, and oh! what eyes, Like a dream of Paradise! Then, what feathers! What a beak6! And, sure, an angels voice if only you would speak! Sing, darling; dont be shy! Oh, sister, truth to tell, if you, with charms like these, can sing as well, Of birds youd be the queen adorable! the silly creatures head turns giddy with his praise. Her breath, for very rapture7, swells8 her throat; the foxs soft persuasion9 she obeys. And high as crow can pitch she caws one piercing note.

　　Down falls the cheese! Both cheese and fox have gone their ways.

　　How often have they told us, please, and always to no use-that flatterys mean and base. The flatterer in our hearts will always find a place.

　　上帝不知何故赏给了乌鸦一小块奶酪。于是,乌鸦高高地躲在枞树的树梢,似乎要安顿下来开始享用美味。但是嘴里含着那一小块奶酪,心里还要思量一番。

　　可是倒霉得很,一只狐狸从旁边经过,奶酪的飘香让狐狸止住了奔跑。狐狸看着奶酪,舔舔嘴。

　　这狡猾的东西踮起脚尖偷偷走近枞树。它卷起尾巴,目不转睛地瞅着,非常柔和的说话了,几乎每个字都是窃窃私语:

　　心肝宝贝,你长得多么美妙啊!瞧那脖子,瞧那眼睛,美的像个天堂的梦!多好的羽毛,多好的嘴巴,你一开口,一定会有天使的声音,唱吧!亲爱的,别害羞!啊!小妹妹, 说实话,你这么美丽迷人,要是再唱得悦耳动听,那你就是令人拜倒的鸟中皇后了!那蠢鸟被赞美地晕头转向,高兴地都要透不过气来。它听从了狐狸的柔声劝诱,尽其所能提高了嗓门,发出了呱呱的叫声。

　　奶酪坠地,狐狸衔起它就没影了。

　　对于阿谀奉承的卑鄙和恶劣,我们接受过多少次告诫,然而一切都是徒劳,马屁精总会在我们心里占据一席之地。

　　8.There was once a blind man who had so fine a sense of touch that, when any animal was put into his hands, he could tell what it was merely by the feel of it. One day the cub of a wolf was put into his hands, he was asked what it was. He felt it for some time, and then said, Indeed, I am not sure whether it is a wolfs cub or a foxs: but this I know -- it would never do to trust it in a sheepfold.

　　Evil tendencies are early shown.

　　从前,有一个人眼睛虽然瞎了,可是他精于嗅觉,只要用手摸一摸,凭借着触感就便能说出这是什么动物。有一天,一只小狼崽被送到他的手中,请他告知这是什么东西。他用手摸了一会儿,然后说:我不太确定,这到底是一只小狼崽,还是一只狐狸的幼崽,但是有一点我十分确定,千万别让它进羊圈。

　　恶劣的本性从小便知。

　　9.A fir-tree was boasting to a bramble, and said, somewhat contemptuously, You poor creature, you are of no use whatever. Now, look at me: I am useful for all sorts of things, particularly when men build houses; they cant do without me then. But the bramble replied, Ah, thats all very well: but you wait till they come with axes and saws to cut you down, and then youll wish you were a Bramble and not a fir.

　　Better poverty without a care than wealth with its many obligations.

　　一棵冷杉树用轻蔑的口吻对着荆棘夸口道:你这个可怜的东西,一点用处也没有,你看看我,我可是对万物都有益处,尤其是当人类要盖房子的时候,没有我根本就不行。但是,荆棘回答:是啊!那确是很好,不过,等他们拿着斧头把你砍到时候,你就会希望自己是荆棘,而不是冷杉树了。

　　宁可贫穷而无人问津,也不要富贵而责任缠身。

　　10.There was once a charcoal1-burner who lived worked by himself. A fuller, however, happened to come settle in the same neighbourhood; the charcoal-burner, having made his acquaintance finding he was an agreeable sort of fellow, asked him if he would come and share his house: We shall get to know one another better that way, he said, and, beside, our household expenses will be diminished. The fuller thanked him, but replied, I couldnt think of it, sir: why, everything I take such pains to whiten would be blackened in no time by your charcoal.

　　从前,有一个自力更生的烧炭工人独自在家做工作。碰巧,一个漂洗工搬至隔壁,与他成了邻居。结实漂洗工后,烧炭工人经过了解发现,这个邻居是一个很好的合作伙伴,就问漂洗工愿不愿意搬到他的铺子里一起工作。那样我们会更加亲密。烧炭人说:不仅如此,我们还可以节省生活开销呢?漂洗工谢绝了他,回答说:我可不这样看,先生,因为不管我的衣服漂洗的多么白,都会立刻被你的木炭染黑了。