英文寓言故事

适合3--6年级阅读。

The Frog in the Shallow Well（井底之蛙）

Have you heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea, "I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home, I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I jump into the water,it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks. If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly worms, crabs and tadpoles, and none of them can compare with me. I am lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. I’m happy. My dear sir, why don"t you come over and look around my place?"

Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the East Sea.

"Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea"s width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. In the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea." After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization of his own insignificance and became very ill at ease.

The Sick Lion （生病的狮子）

A lion had come to the end of his days. He lay helpless under a tree.

The animals came around him. When they saw that he was going to die, they thought to themselves, "Now is the time to pay him back."

So the boar came up and rushed at him with his tusks.

Then a bull gored him with his horns. The lion still lay helpless before them.

So the ass felt quite safe. He turned his tail to the lion and kicked up his heels into his face. "This is a double death." growled the lion.

The Ass and His Purchaser(驴和买驴的人)

A man wanted to buy an ass. He went to the market, and saw a likely one. But he wanted to test him first.

So he took the ass home, and put him into the stable with the other asses. The new ass looked around, and immediately went to choose a place next to the laziest ass in the stable.

When the man saw this he put a halter on the ass at once, and gave him back to his owner.