哲理英語小故事
***一***The Ram Butts Against the Fence
There was a sturdy ram with a pair of thick horns upright on its head.
It strutted about proudly and saw a fence built with bamboo and wood in front, which blocked its way. It cast a sidelong glance at the fence, lowered its neck and lunged at the fence, hoping to knock it down. The fence remained intact but the ram injured its own horns.
If it had not injured its horns, the ram would have persisted obstinately in butting against the fence, even against the spokes of a wheel until it bled with a fractured skull.
As a result, with its horns caught in the fence, the ram could neither advance nor retreat but bleat helplessly.
【譯文】
公羊觸籬
一頭長得非常雄壯的公羊的頭上，挺立著一對粗大的犄角。
公羊驕傲地踱著步，看見前面有一道竹木編成的籬笆擋住了它的去路。公羊斜著眼睛看看，便彎下脖子呼的一聲撞上去，想把籬笆撞倒。結果籬笆紋絲不動，反把自己的犄角碰上了。
假如公羊沒有碰傷犄角的話，那麼它還會一個勁兒地撞下去，甚至向車輪的輻條上撞去，直到頭破血流為止。
結果呢?公羊的犄角被籬笆夾住，進也不得，退也不得，只能“咩咩”不停地叫喚。
***二***Drunk
One day, a father and his little son were going home. At this age, the boy was interested in all kinds of things and was always asking questions. Now, he asked, "What's the meaning of the word 'Drunk', dad?" "Well, my son," his father replied, "look, there are standing two policemen. If I regard the two policemen as four then I am drunk."
"But, dad," the boy said, " there's only ONE policeman!"
【譯文】
醉酒
一天，父親與小兒子一道回家。這個孩子正處於那種對什麼事都很感興趣的年齡，老是有提不完的問題。他向父親發問道：“爸爸，‘醉’字是什麼意思?” “唔，孩子，”父親回答說，“你瞧那兒站著兩個警察。如果我把他們看成了四個，那麼我就算醉了。” “可是，爸爸， ”孩子說，“那兒只有一個警察呀!”
***三***The Old Cat
An old woman had a cat. The cat was very old; she could not run quickly, and she could not bite, because she was so old. One day the old cat saw a mouse; she jumped and caught the mouse. But she could not bite it; so the mouse got out of her mouth and ran away, because the cat could not bite it.
Then the old woman became very angry because the cat had not killed the mouse. She began to hit the cat. The cat said, "Do not hit your old servant. I have worked for you for many years, and I would work for you still, but I am too old. Do not be unkind to the old, but remember what good work the old did when they were young."
【譯文】
老貓
一位老婦有隻貓，這隻貓很老，它跑不快了，也咬不了東西，因為它年紀太大了。一天，老貓發現一隻老鼠，它跳過去抓這隻老鼠，然而，它咬不住這隻老鼠。因此，老鼠從它的嘴邊溜掉了，因為老貓咬不了它。
於是，老婦很生氣，因為老貓沒有把老鼠咬死。她開始打這隻貓，貓說：“不要打你的老僕人，我已經為你服務了很多年，而且還願意為你效勞，但是，我實在太老了，對年紀大的不要這麼無情，要記住老年人在年青時所做過的有益的事情。”
***四***
are you late for school every morning?
time I come to the corner,a sign says,"School-Go slow".
老師:為什麼你每天早晨都遲到?
湯姆:每當我經過學校的拐角處,就看見一個牌子上寫著"學校----慢行".
A Good Boy
Little Robert asked his mother for two cents. "What did you do with the money I gave you yesterday?"
"I gave it to a poor old woman," he answered.
"You're a good boy," said the mother proudly. "Here are two cents more. But why are you so interested in the old woman?"
"She is the one who sells the candy."
好孩子
小羅伯特向媽媽要兩分錢。
“昨天給你的錢幹什麼了?”
“我給了一個可憐的老太婆，”他回答說。 “你真是個好孩子，”媽媽驕傲地說。“再給你兩分錢。可你為什麼對那位老太太那麼感興趣呢?”
“她是個賣糖果的。”
***五***The Ant
Ants were once men and made their living by tilling the soil. But, not content with the results of their own work, they were always eating longing eyes upon the crops and fruits of their neighbours, which they stole, whenever they got the chance, and added to their own store. At last their covetousness made Jupiter so angry that he changed them into ants. But, though their forms were changed, their nature remained the same: and so, to this day, they go about among the cornfields and gather the fruits of others' labour, and store them up for their own use.
You may punish a thief, but his bent remains.
【譯文】
螞蟻
很久很久以前，螞蟻本來是人，以耕地為生。但是，他們不滿足於自己的勞動所得，總是盯著鄰居的水果和莊稼羨慕不已，只要一有機會，他們就會偷鄰居的食物，放在自己的儲藏室。後來，他們的貪婪讓朱庇特十分生氣，便把他們變成了現在的螞蟻。然而，雖然他們的模樣改變了，本性卻依然未變。直到現在，他們仍然會到別人的田裡採集人家的勞動成果，貯存起來留作自己的食物。
你可以懲罰小偷，但他們的惡習依然如故。
***六***
A hound, roaming in the forest, spied a lion. He thought the lion might be a good prey and chased, thinking he would make a fine quarry. Presently the lion perceived that he was being pursued, so, stopping short, he rounded on his pursuer and gave a loud roar. The hound immediately turned tail and fled. A fox, seeing him running away, jeered at him and said, "Ho! Ho! There goes the coward who chased a lion and ran away the moment the roared!"
【譯文】
有一條獵狗，正在森林裡閒逛，猛然看見了一隻獅子，心想這可是一個不錯的獵物，便追了上去，想施展一下自己的小伎倆。很快，獅子覺察到自己被追蹤了，便突然停住，回過頭來衝著追捕者大聲吼叫。獵狗立刻轉身逃跑了。一隻狐狸見狀，便嘲笑起獵狗：“呵呵，真是個膽小鬼，竟然還敢追獅子，只要獅子一聲吼，你可就落荒而逃了!”
***七***The City Mouse and the Country Mouse
Once there were two mice. They were friends. One mouse lived in the country; the other mouse lived in the city. After many years the Country mouse saw the City mouse; he said, "Do come and see me at my house in the country." So the City mouse went. The City mouse said, "This food is not good, and your house is not good. Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have nice food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city."
The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was a very good house. Nice food was set ready for them to eat. But just as they began to eat they heard a great noise. The City mouse cried, " Run! Run! The cat is coming!" They ran away quickly and hid.
After some time they came out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, "I do not like living in the city. I like living in my hole in the field. For it is nicer to be poor and happy, than to be rich and afraid."
【譯文】
城裡老鼠和鄉下老鼠
從前，有兩隻老鼠，它們是好朋友。一隻老鼠居住在鄉村，另一隻住在城裡。很多年以後，鄉下老鼠碰到城裡老鼠，它說：“你一定要來我鄉下的家看看。”於是，城裡老鼠就去了。鄉下老鼠領著它到了一塊田地上它自己的家裡。它把所有最精美食物都找出來給城裡老鼠。城裡老鼠說：“這東西不好吃，你的家也不好，你為什麼住在田野的地洞裡呢?你應該搬到城裡去住，你能住上用石頭造的漂亮房子，還會吃上美味佳餚，你應該到我城裡的家看看。”
鄉下老鼠就到城裡老鼠的家去。房子十分漂亮，好吃的東西也為他們擺好了。可是正當他們要開始吃的時候，聽見很大的一陣響聲，城裡的老鼠叫喊起來：“快跑!快跑!貓來了!”他們飛快地跑開躲藏起來。
過了一會兒，他們出來了。當他們出來時，鄉下老鼠說：“我不喜歡住在城裡，我喜歡住在田野我的洞裡。因為這樣雖然貧窮但是快樂自在，比起雖然富有卻要過著提心吊膽的生活來說，要好些。”
***八***
A man was going to the house of some rich person. As he went along the road, he saw a box of good apples at the side of the road. He said, "I do not want to eat those apples; for the rich man will give me much food; he will give me very nice food to eat." Then he took the apples and threw them away into the dust.
He went on and came to a river. The river had become very big; so he could not go over it. He waited for some time; then he said, "I cannot go to the rich man's house today, for I cannot get over the river."
He began to go home. He had eaten no food that day. He began to want food. He came to the apples, and he was glad to take them out of the dust and eat them.
Do not throw good things away; you may be glad to have them at some other time.
【譯文】
一個人正朝著一個富人的房子走去，當他沿著路走時，在路的一邊他發現一箱好蘋果，他說：“我不打算吃那些蘋果，因為富人會給我更多的食物，他會給我很好吃的東西。”然後他拿起蘋果，一把扔到土裡去。
他繼續走，來到河邊，河漲水了，因此，他到不了河對岸，他等了一會兒，然後他說：“今天我去不了富人家了，因為我不能渡過河。”
他開始回家，那天他沒有吃東西。他就開始去找吃的，他找到蘋果，很高興地把它們從塵土中翻出來吃了。
不要把好東西扔掉，換個時候你會覺得它們大有用處。
***九***
A crab once left the sea-shore and went and settled in a meadow some way inland, which looked very nice and green and seemed likely to be a good place to feed in. But a hungry fox came along and spied the crab and caught him. Just as he was going to be eaten up, the crab said, "This is just what I deserve, for I had no business to leave my natural home by the sea and settle here as though I belonged to the land."
Be content with your lot.
【譯文】
有一次，一隻螃蟹離開海邊，定居在內陸的一塊草地上，那裡看著很美，有青青的綠草，是個養分充足的好地方。然而，一隻飢餓的狐狸走過來，看見螃蟹並捉住了他。就在狐狸將要吃掉他之前，螃蟹說：“我真是活該，我沒有理由要離開海邊那個天然的家，像陸地棲息的動物一樣，偏要到這裡來定居。”
知足才能常樂。
***十***
A lion on a lamb had settled down to sup. A mongrel pup about the royal board allowed to wander. Snatched almost from his claws a piece of meat down wander.
The king of beasts looked on, not minding in the least, for puppy was a young and foolish beast. Observing this, the wolf began to ponder, "This lion seems so meek, he must be very weak!"
He too put out a paw, some dainty snack to seek. But woe befell the sinner. He went to swell the lion's dinner.
"My friend," said Lion, as he calmly tore him up. "You saw me spare the dog, it's true. But so indulgent I should hardly be with you. He's young and stupid still, but you are not a pup."
【譯文】
獅子大王坐下來吃羔羊，一隻准許走近大王餐桌的***小狗，幾乎就是從大王的腳爪下撈走了一塊羊肉。
眾獸之王淡淡地一眼，心裡一點也不介意，因為小狗是一隻年紀輕輕不懂事的野獸。狼看到這件事，心中想道：“獅子好像很溫順，它一定很軟弱!”
於是它也伸出一隻腳爪來找點好吃的東西。可是，這犯罪的傢伙可倒黴了，它自己就成了大王豐盛的大餐。
“我的朋友，”獅子大王一面平靜地撕著狼，一面對它說道，“你看見我放過了小狗，那是真的，然而我可不能這樣放縱你，它年紀小，還不懂事，可你不是什麼年幼的畜生啊!”