1.Hercules and the waggoner
A waggoner was once driving a heavy load on a very muddy road.
Suddenly the wheels of the wagon sank into the mire, and the horse could not pull them out.
The waggoner threw down his whip. He knelt down and prayed to Hercules. “Hercules, help me,please,“ he said.
But Hercules appeared to him, and said, “Man, don’t kneel there. Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel.“
大力神与车夫
●一名车夫赶着货车沿着一条非常泥泞的小路前行。
●突然，马车的轮子陷入了泥潭，马无法将它们拉出来。
●车夫扔下鞭子，跪在地上，祈求大力神出现，“大力神啊，请来帮助我。”他说。
●大力神出现了，却说：“朋友，用你的肩膀把车轮扛起来，再驱赶马拉车出来。跪在那里祈求我有什么用呢?”
2.The two pots
There were two pots on the bank of a river. One was made of brass, and the other was made of clay.
When the water rose they both floated off down the river. The earthen pot tried to stay away from the brass one.
So the brass pot cried out, "Fear nothing, friend, I will not hit you."
"But I may come in contact with you," said the earthen pot. "If I come too close, whether I hit you or you hit me, I shall suffer for it."
After that the earthen pot floated away.
两口锅
●河中漂流着一个瓦锅和一个铜锅。
●每当潮涨潮落时，瓦锅就尽量地远离铜锅。铜锅大叫：“别害怕，朋友，我不会撞你的。”
●“但是我有可能会和你接触，”瓦锅对铜锅说,“如果我离你太近，无论是你碰到我，或者是我自己不小心碰到你，我都会碎的。”
●然后，瓦锅就漂走了。
3.The milkmaid and her pail
A milkmaid was going to the market. She carried her milk in a pail on her head.
As she went along she began calculating what she would buy after she had sold the milk.
"I'll buy a new dress, and when I go to the ball, all the young men will dance with me!"
As she spoke she tossed her head back. The pail immediately fell off her head, and all the milk was spilt.
The girl went back without anything. She felt very sad. "Ah, my child," said her mother. "Do not count your chickens before they are hatched."
挤牛奶的姑娘
●一个农家挤奶姑娘头顶着一桶牛奶，前往集市。
●走了一会儿，她开始算计起卖完牛奶后要买的东西：“我要买一身新衣服，好去参加舞会，年轻的小伙子都会邀请我跳舞。”
●想到这里，她真地摇起头来，牛奶桶随之倾倒在地，牛奶都流了出去。
●女孩很伤心，两手空空地回到家里，母亲对她说：“我的孩子，不要过早地打如意算盘。”
4.The young thief and his mother
A young man was caught stealing, and sentenced to death three days later.
He wanted to speak with his mother before the execution. Of course this was granted.
When his mother came to him, he said, "I want to tell you something." He said something but she could not hear. He whispered again, and when she came close to him, she put her ear to his mouth. He nearly bit off her ear. All the bystanders were horrified.
"It is to punish her," he said. "When I was young I began stealing little things, and brought them home to mother. "Instead of punishing me, she laughed and said, 'It will not be noticed.' It is because of her that I am here today."
小偷和他的母亲
●一个小偷被抓住了，被判处死刑，三天后执行。
●他想在行刑前与他的母亲话别，得到了允许。
●当他妈妈来到他的面前，他说：“告诉你一件事。”他轻轻说了一遍，但是她听不到；等她走近些，小偷又轻声说了一遍。母亲将耳朵贴近时，儿子突然咬住母亲的耳朵，差点撕下来，周围的人都惊呆了。
●“这是对她的惩罚，”小偷说，“我小时候小偷小摸，把偷的东西带回家时，她不但不惩罚我，反而笑着说'别让人看见。’就是因为她我才落个今天这样的下场。”
5.The eagle and the arrow
An eagle was flying in the sky. As soon as it saw a rabbit, it swooped down on its prey.
Suddenly it was hit by an arrow.
It fluttered slowly down to the earth, and blood was pouring from the wound.
When the eagle looked down, he found that the shaft of the arrow was feathered with one of its own plumes.“Alas!”it cried.“We often give our enemies the means for our own destruction.”
鹰和箭
●鹰在天空中飞翔，当他看见一只野兔时，就俯冲下来捕捉猎物。
●突然，有人一箭射中了它。
●鹰扇着翅膀降落在地面上。鲜血从伤口中喷涌而出。
●它低头看到箭尾竟是由一根它自己的羽毛制成的，就痛苦地说：“唉，我们总是给敌人提供毁灭我们自己的工具！”
6.The miser and his gold
Once upon a time there was a miser. He hid his gold under a tree. Every week he used to dig it up.
One night a robber stole all the gold. When the miser came again, he found nothing but an empty hole.
He was surprised, and then burst into tears.All the neighbors gathered around him.
He told them how he used to come and visit his gold.
"Did you ever take any of it out?" asked one of them. "No," he said, "I only came to look at it." "Then come again and look at the hole," said the neighbor, "it will be the same as looking at the gold."
守财奴
●从前，有个守财奴将他的金块埋到一棵树下，每周他都去把他挖出来看看。
●一天晚上，一个小偷挖走了所有的金块。 守财奴再来查看时，发现除了一个空洞什么都没有了。
●守财奴便捶胸痛哭。哭声引来了邻居，他告诉他们这里原来有他的金块。
●问明了原因后，一个邻居问：“你使用过这些金块吗？” “没用过，” 他说，“我只是时常来看看。”“那么，以后再来看这个洞，”邻居说，“就像以前有金块时一样。”
7.The fox and the lion
When the fox first saw the lion he was terribly frightened. He ran away, and hid himself in the woods.
The second time, however, he came near the lion. He stopped at a safe distance, and watched him pass by.
The third time they came near one another.
The fox went straight up to the lion, and stayed the whole day with him. He asked the lion how his family was, and when they would meet again.
They soon became good friends.
狐狸和狮子
●狐狸第一次见到狮子时非常害怕，赶紧藏到森林里。
●当他第二次遇到狮子时，则站在附近看狮子经过。
●第三次遇到狮子时，他竟有胆量，走了上去，与狮子进行十分亲切的谈话。
●不久，他们变成了好朋友
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