100篇英文小故事，轻松突破3500核心词汇！（音频跟读）
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英语口语·吉米老师说
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11 A Magical Book 神奇的书12 The Crazy Artist 疯狂的艺术家13 Princess Rose and the Creature 罗斯公主与怪物14 The First Peacock 第一只孔雀15 The Starfish 海星16 The Race for Water 关于水的比赛17 The Little Red Chicken 红色的小鸡18 Shipwrecked 海难19 The Seven Cities of Gold 七座金城20 Katy 凯蒂
21
A Better Reward
更好的奖励
Jenny delivered food for a restaurant. She read the newspaper and said, "Uh oh." There was a story about a thief. He stole food, and no one had seen him. Even the police couldn't catch him. Jenny was a little scared. She worked close to that area.
珍妮是一家餐馆的外卖员。她看到报纸上一则关于小偷的新闻后说道：“唉呀。”报纸上说这个小偷专偷食物，而且至今仍未被抓住。就连警察也找不到他。珍妮感到一丝害怕，因为她的工作区域就在那附近。
The newspaper included a message from the police: "If anything strange occurs, call us. If you help us catch the thief, you'll earn a reward."
报纸上还刊登了警方的告示：“看到任何可疑的人请立即与我们联系。如提供有利线索，将给予奖励。”
Jenny talked to Jim. He managed the restaurant. "Do you know about the thief?"
珍妮对吉姆说了这件事。吉姆是这家餐馆的负责人。“你听说过这个贼吗？”
Yes, he said. "But he steals more than one person can eat. And why haven't the police stopped him yet? It's a mystery. If you see him, contact the police. Don't run after him."
“听说过，”吉姆回答说。“但他每次偷的东西够好几个人吃的。不知道为什么警察至今还没有把他抓住？这是个谜。你如果见到他就报警，别自己追赶他。”
Jenny drove to a customer's house. She left her car and opened the gate to the house. But then she heard a noise by her car. She yelled, "Thief!" She wasn't scared. She wanted the reward! She did the opposite of what Jim told her to do.
珍妮开着车到客户家里送餐。她下车并打开了客户家的大门。但随后她就听到自己的车在发出响亮的警报。她喊道：“有小偷！”她一点都没感到害怕，她想要得到警方的奖励！她没有照着吉姆跟她说的那样去做。
Hey, she yelled. "Get back here!" She set the food on the ground and ran to her car.
“嘿，”她喊道。“你别跑！”她把食物放在地上，向自己的车跑去。
But the thief had already left with the food. Jenny followed a noise around the corner. She was amazed. She saw a dog and some puppies. They were eating her food! They looked thin and scared. "The actual thief is just a dog. She's feeding her puppies," she said. "That's why she steals so much food."
但小偷早就拿着食物跑掉了。她听到拐角处有声音，就循着声音找了过去。眼前的景象让她吃了一惊。她看见一只狗和几只小狗。它们正吃着自己给客户送的食物！它们看起来瘦骨嶙峋，惊恐地看着她。“真正的小狗原来只是只狗。它这是用这些食物来喂养自己的孩子罢了，”她自言自语。“怪不得每次都要偷这么多呢。”
Jenny felt bad. She tried to comfort the dogs with another plate of food. Then she took them back to the store. Everyone there took a puppy home. Jenny called the police. She told them there was no real thief.
珍妮心情很不好。她又拿出一盒盒饭喂这些小狗。她把它们带回了店里，店里每个人都领养了一只。珍妮打电话叫来警察并对他们说明了事情的真相。
Jenny didn't do it to receive the reward anymore. She said, "It was just a dog. But there's no charge for catching this ‘thief,'" she said. "My new dog is a better reward."
珍妮不是为了拿奖励才这么做。她说：“偷东西的只是只小狗罢了，抓这些“小偷”毫不费力。我抓到的这只小狗就是对我更好的奖励。”
单词
actual adj.真实的，实际的
amaze v.使吃惊
charge n.费用
comfort v.安慰
contact v.联系
customer n.顾客
deliver v.传递
earn v.赚
gate n.大门
include v.包括
manage v.管理
mystery n.秘密
occur v.出现，发生
opposite n.对立面，反义词
plate n.盘子
receive v.收到，接待
reward n.奖励
set v.安装
steal v.偷
thief n.小偷
22
The Camp
夏令营
Stacie wanted to stay at a nice hotel for vacation. But her parents sent her to a terrible camp instead. For breakfast, Stacie liked fresh juice and chocolate milk, but she got water at the camp. In the afternoon she wanted to write poems, but she had to swim. The camp was near an airport with loud planes. Spider webs hung over her bed. To her, the kids' average behavior was very bad. No girl matched her personality. She hated it.
史黛西本想找个好酒店好好享受假期，没想到她爸妈却给她报名了夏令营。史黛西早餐喜欢喝巧克力牛奶和鲜榨果汁，但在营里时早上只能喝水。到了下午，她想写几首诗，但却又不得不跟着去游泳。营地靠近一个大机场。她睡觉的地方悬挂着蜘蛛网。在她眼里，其他小孩得表现都很差，没有一个人能与她合得来。所以她讨厌这里。
One day, they had a class. Mental exercise sounded good to Stacie. But it was a course on water safety. They learned how to be safe passengers on a boat. Stacie didn't ever plan to go on a boat.
一天，他们上了一堂课。史黛西喜欢动脑筋，但这节课讲的是水上安全。他们学着如何在船上保持安全。史黛西却根本没打算上船。
The next day, they played a game. There were a red team and a blue team. Stacie was on the blue team. Each team had to try to remove the other team's flag from a pole. They also had to use water guns. "I'm not much of an athlete,"she said. But she still had to play.
第二天，他们分成红队和蓝队两组玩了一个游戏。史黛西被分在了蓝队。两队只要努力把对方旗杆上的旗子摘掉就算赢。玩这个游戏要用到水枪。“我不擅长运动，”她说。但她还是得一起参与游戏。
Stacie took a water gun and looked for somewhere to hide. A boy said, "Stacie, you advance to the middle. I will go right. Those two will go left."
史黛西拿了一把水枪，找了一个地方躲了起来。一个男孩说：“史黛西，你从中部突进，我从右侧迂回，剩下两人从左侧包抄。”
Stacie still didn't want to play. She walked into the forest and saw a red team player coming. Stacie hid behind a tree and then jumped out and shot the other player. "This is fun!" Stacie thought.
史黛西还是不想参与。她走进林子，发现对面来了一个红队队员。她躲在一棵树后面，等对方走近突然跳出来开枪射击。她心想：“这还挺有趣的！”
Several minutes after advancing further, Stacie saw the red flag. A red team member was watching over it. She shot him with her water gun. Then she lowered the flag and ran back to her team."I got it!" she yelled. The blue team won! Stacie was the hero.
向前推进几分钟后，史黛西看见了对方的旗子。对方派了一个人守护旗子。她用水枪打了对方队员，然后拿下旗子跑回自己队伍中。“我拿到旗子了！”她喊道。蓝队赢得了比赛！史黛西成了蓝队的英雄。
For the rest of the week, Stacie had fun. She even made new friends.
接下来的几天，史黛西过得很开心，还结交了新朋友。
单词
advance v.前进
athlete n.运动员
average adj.平均的，普通的
behavior n.行为
behind prep.在...后面
course n.课程
lower v.减弱，减少
match v.匹配
member n.成员
mental adj.脑力的
passenger n.乘客
personality n.个性，品格
poem n.诗歌
pole n.杆，极点
remove v.移动
safety n.安全
shoot v.射击
sound v.发出声响
swim v.游泳
web n.网
23
A Strong Friendship
坚固的友谊
Tim was the strongest man in the town. When he played sports, he always won. He performed and exercised in the public park. He did this to show everyone how strong he was. Most people liked him, but one man didn't. His name was Jack.
蒂姆是镇子上最强壮的人。他参加的体育比赛从未输过。他在公园里表演和锻炼，以此来展示自己健壮的躯体。大多数人都喜欢他，但有一个人却不一样。那就是杰克。
Jack hated Tim. Jack was a movie critic and the smartest man in town. He could solve complex math problems. But no one cared. Jack wanted to be famous like Tim.
杰克讨厌蒂姆，他是个影评家，也是镇子上最聪明的人。他能解开复杂的数学难题，但大家都不在乎他的智慧。杰克想要成为蒂姆那样的名人。
One day, there was an unusual event. A big storm came suddenly. Snow covered the town. No one could get out. They needed food. The people said,"This is a task for a strong man." Tim was under pressure to save them. But Jack wanted to be the hero, so they both went. Tim said, "You can't help because of your lack of strength."
有一天，镇子上发生了不寻常的事。一阵暴风雪突然袭来，把镇子覆盖了，没有人能逃出去。大家需要食物。人们说：“强壮的人需要担起这个责任。”迫于压力，蒂姆不得不同意拯救乡亲。但杰克也想成为一名英雄，所以也跟着一起出去寻找食物。蒂姆对他说：“你帮不上忙，因为你手无缚鸡之力。”
But Jack found some small passages under the snow. One of them led toward another town. That town had food. Because Tim was so big and strong, he almost couldn't fit inside. They walked until there was a block of ice in their way. Jack said, "We can't get past it. But if you strike it, it might break." Tim knew that was probable.
但杰克在白雪覆盖下找到了一些小道，可以通往另一个镇子，那个镇子上有食物。但是蒂姆因为太强壮，块头太大，所以无法穿过这些小道。他们继续走着，直到被一块冰块挡住去路。杰克说：“我们过不去了。但如果你用力击打这块冰，说不定能把它打碎。”蒂姆也知道这是有可能做到的。
He broke it. When there were more ice blocks, Tim broke them. That made him tired. He couldn't walk anymore.Jack said, "Let's unite and support each other. I'll get the food alone. You rest here."
蒂姆把冰块打碎了，但他们一路上遇到了不少冰块，蒂姆累得走不动路。杰克说：“我们携手并进吧。我会自己去取食物，你在这休息把。”
Jack came back with food. Tim couldn't remember which passage led home. He needed Jack to be his guide. The men became friends by working together.
杰克带着食物回来了。蒂姆忘了来时的路，需要杰克在前面带路。这两人就这样成为了朋友。
In town, people saw Jack with the food and cheered. They called Jack a hero. But Jack didn't care. He was thinking of something else. He said to Tim, "I thought I was smart, but I learned a new term today: friendship."
回到镇子后，人们看到杰克拿着食物，大家都欢呼起来。他们把杰克称作英雄。但杰克却并不在意这个称号，他在想别的事情。他对蒂姆说：“我本以为自己很聪明，但我今天学到了一个新词，那就是：友情。”
单词
block n.块
cheer v.欢呼
complex adj.复杂的
critic n.批评家，评论家
event n.事件
exercise v.锻炼
fit v.合适的
friendship n.友谊
guide n.向导
lack n.缺乏
passage n.通道，走廊
perform v.表演
pressure n.压力
probable adj.很可能的
public adj.公众的
strike v.重击
support v.支持
task n.任务
term n.术语
unite v.使联合
24
Joe's Pond
乔的池塘
Joe made the world a better place. He got the idea to do that at school. He watched a video there. It was about a factory. This factory produced a lot of trash and put it in a river. The trash and water were a bad mix. People populated the area by the river and drank its water. This made them sick. Many of them needed medicine and made regular visits to doctors.
乔让世界变得更美好。他在学校里看了一部关于工厂的视频后灵机一动产生了想法。视频讲述的工厂产生很多垃圾，他们把垃圾倒进了河里，小河变成了一条垃圾河。人们依水而居，喝的是河里的水。这样一来，喝了脏水的人们就会生病。很多人因此需要看医生和吃药。
But the video wasn't all bad news. It showed ways to pick up trash and why it's important to do this. It said people can make a difference to their environment. The video's important features made Joe associate trash with hurting people.
然而这部视频里讲述的也并不全是坏消息。里面还提及了处理垃圾的方法以及这样做的重要性。视频还提到人们可以为保护环境尽一份力。视频中这一重要的部分让乔想到了垃圾和因此生病的居民。
One day Joe walked through a park. He recognized some of the problems from the video. One instance of these problems was the trash in the pond. It was full of plastic cups. There was too much trash. Joe didn't want it to hurt anyone.
有一天，乔在公园里散步，他发现了视频中提到的一些问题。其中一个就是池塘里的垃圾。池塘里面扔满了垃圾，全是塑料杯子。乔不想任何人因此受到伤害。
He told his grandfather about the park. His grandfather said, "You know, it's a tradition in our family to help people. That's why we give food to poor people. Maybe you can help people by cleaning the park."
他把公园的所见告诉了爷爷。爷爷对他说：“你知道的，助人为乐是我们家的传统。我们会救济穷人就是这个原因。或许你可以帮忙把公园里的垃圾清理掉。”
Cleaning the park would involve hard work. Joe decided to organize a group to help him. He chose a wide area of the park. It had the most trash. He asked his family and friends to come. On Saturday, he gave everyone a sharp stick. They wondered why. He said, "You use the stick's tip to pick up trash. This makes it easier." They worked for six weeks. Different people helped each time, but Joe was always there.
这可不是意见容易的事。乔决定号召多点人帮忙。他选了公园里一片开阔的区域，那也是垃圾最多的地方。他叫上家人和朋友前来帮忙。周六那天，乔给来帮忙的人没每人发了一根锋利的棍子。大家都不解其意。乔解释说：“用棍子尖的一头捡垃圾会更容易一些。”他们连续去了六个星期。每一次都有不同的人前来帮忙，但乔却从未缺席。
In that period of time,Joe saw a range of results.There was no trash in the water. People could swim in it. Joe knew that was a good sign. He was happy because he helped his environment.
在那段时间里，乔看到了一些成果。人们不再往水里扔垃圾，还可以在里面游泳。乔知道这是个好预兆。他很开心，因为自己为保护环境尽了一份力。
单词
associate v. 联合
environment n. 环境
factory n. 工厂
feature n. 特征
instance n. 例子
involve v. 包括
medicine n. 药物
mix n. 混合
organize v. 组织
period n. 期间
populate v. 居住于
produce v. 生产
range n. 排
recognize v. 认出
regular adj. 常规的
sign n. 标志
tip n. 尖端
tradition n. 传统
trash n. 垃圾，废物
wide adj. 广泛的，宽的
25
Archie and His Donkey
阿奇和他的驴
Old Archie needed some money. He decided to sell his donkey. So he and his son Tom went to town. It was situated many miles away.
年迈的阿奇需要些钱。他决定卖掉自己的驴。所以他和儿子汤姆一起去了许多英里外的镇子。
Soon, they met a woman. "Where are you going?" she asked.
不久，他们遇到了一个女人，她问他们：“你们这是上哪去呀？”
"To town," said Archie.
“去镇上。”阿奇回答。
Any smart person would ride the donkey, she said.
“但凡聪明的人都会骑着驴走。”女人说。
"What are you implying?" Archie asked. "I'm very smart!" Archie wanted to look smart. So he climbed onto the donkey. Then they continued in the direction of the town.
阿奇问道：“你这话什么意思？我很聪明的！”阿奇想要表现得看起来聪明一点。所以他骑上驴继续往镇子的方向走去。
Further along the road, they met a farmer.
走了一会他们在路上又遇到了一个农夫。
Hello, said Archie. "We want to sell this donkey. Do you want to buy it?"
“你好，”阿奇说。“我们想要卖驴，你要买吗？”
I don't need a donkey, said the farmer. "But if you want my advice, don't ride it. The donkey needs to be in good physical condition."
“我不需要驴，”农夫说。“但如果你愿意听我的，那我建议你不要骑着它。驴要保持体力。”
"Good idea," said Archie. "Tom, I want you to ride it. You're lighter?"
“有道理，”阿奇说。“汤姆，你来骑吧。你体重比我轻。”
Neither you nor your son should ride it. It looks very tired. You should carry the donkey, suggested the farmer.
“你们两个都不该骑着它。它看起来很累了。你们应该抬着它走。”农夫建议说。
You're right, said Archie. "Come on, Tom! We'll carry it for the final few miles!"
“你说得对，”阿奇说。“来吧，汤姆，我们抬着它走完最后这点路！”
The donkey was very heavy, and they couldn't maintain a good speed. They didn't arrive until late in the evening. At last, they walked into the town. But there they attracted the attention of some teenage boys. They laughed at Tom and Archie. They started to throw stones at them. The donkey reacted by kicking. Tom and Archie dropped the donkey. It fell on the ground and then ran away. Archie lost his donkey. He went home with no money.
驴很重，他们抬着它根本走不快。他们直到天黑才感到镇子。最后，他们走进城里。但他们吸引了一帮孩子，孩子们嘲笑他和汤姆并朝他们扔石头。驴开始踢腿反击，阿奇父子俩把驴扔在了地上，驴趁机逃走了。阿奇丢了驴，两手空空地回家了。
What does this story teach us? We cannot please everyone in our society. Don't take everyone's advice, but set your own standards. Prove to everyone that you can make decisions by yourself. Otherwise, you may end up with nothing at all.
这则故事告诉了我们什么道理？我们无法取悦生活中的每一个人，不要听从每个人的建议，要有自己的立场。向所有人证明你可以自己做决定。否则，最后你将一事无成。
单词
advice n.建议
along prep.沿着
attention n.注意力
attract v.吸引
climb v.爬
drop v.落下
final adj.最终的
further adj.更远的
imply v.暗示
maintain v.保持
neither adv.两个都不
otherwise adv.否则
physical adj.物理的，身体的
prove n.证明
react v.反应
ride v.骑马，乘车
situated adj.位于...的
society n.社会
standard n.标准
suggest v.建议
26
The Spider and the Bird
蜘蛛和小鸟
There was once a very big spider. If a bug got into his web, he would examine it. However, he didn't eat the bug right away. He asked the bug a question first. It was always quite a difficult puzzle. If the bug's answer was correct, he let it go. If not, he ate it.
曾经有一只很大的蜘蛛，每次有虫子掉进它的网里时，它都不会马上把猎物吃掉，而是首先问虫子一个问题，通常问得是难度很大的问题。如果虫子答对了，它就把它们放走。反之，蜘蛛则会吃掉虫子。
One day, a small bird on a journey flew into the spider's web. The spider couldn't imagine eating a bird. It was so big! But his hunger was too great. He said to the bird, "If you cannot give me a specific answer, I will eat you."
有一天，一只小鸟掉进了蜘蛛网。这只蜘蛛想都没想过吃一只小鸟，因为小鸟体积太大了！但是蜘蛛却又饿得难受。它对小鸟说：“如果你无法给出详细的答案，我就吃了你。”
The bird laughed. "I could eat you!" But the bird was actually scared. She had used all her energy trying to get out of the web. And a spider's bite can be very effective in killing animals.
小鸟笑着说：“我吃了你还差不多！”但它心里其实很害怕。它试过用尽全力挣扎，但没有逃脱蜘蛛网。被蜘蛛咬一口可是致命的。
Please don't eat me, the bird said. "I would rather make a deal with you."
“请别吃我，”小鸟说。“我和你做个交易吧。”
OK, the spider said. "If your answer is right, I will let you go. If not, you must give me a gift. It must be something of great value?"
“好，”蜘蛛说，“如果你答对了，我就让你走。反之你必须送我一样东西，而且必须是价值连城的东西。”
The bird said, "You can pick anything you want to eat. I will find it for you?" The spider agreed.
小鸟说：“你可以挑任何你想吃的东西。我都会给你带来。”蜘蛛同意了。
“Where can you take a trip to the coast, the desert, and the mountains at the same time?” the spider asked.
蜘蛛问道：“你在哪里可以同时去海岸，沙漠和山上？”
The bird asked, "Does this place have earthquakes?" But the spider did not say anything. "I can see those places when I fly. Is the 'sky' the right answer?"
小鸟问：“这个地方有地震吗？”蜘蛛却没有回答。“我飞着的时候能看见这些地方。答案是‘天空’，对吗？”
“False!” said the spider. "The answer is Hawaii! Now you must find some bugs for me."
“答错了！”蜘蛛说。“答案是夏威夷！现在你去给我找些虫子来。”
The spider climbed on the bird's back. They flew and ate bugs together. They took a tour of the forest. Then the bird took the spider home. From that day on, they were friends. And they never tried to eat each other again.
蜘蛛爬到小鸟背上，它们一起飞起来去抓虫子。它们去了森林，然后小鸟把蜘蛛送回了家。从那天起，它们就成为了朋友，再也不会想着吃掉彼此。
单词
actually adv.实际上
bite n.咬
coast n.海岸
deal n.协议
desert n.沙漠
earthquake n.地震
effective adj.有效的
examine v.检查
false adj.错误的
gift n.礼物
hunger n.饥饿
imagine v.想象
journey n.旅途
puzzle n.难题
quite adv.很，相当，完全
rather adv.宁可
specific adj.详细的
tour n.旅行
trip n.旅行
value n.价值
27
The Party
派对
Cody's family moved to a new house. His dad got a new job as a professor. Cody liked his new town, but he missed his grandparents. For his birthday, Cody wanted to have a party. His dad said, "Yes,we could even have a band play!"
科迪一家搬进了新房子。他爸爸重新找了一份当教授的工作。科迪喜欢这个新的城镇，但他又想念他的祖父母。科迪想要举办一场生日派对。他爸爸说：“可以，我们甚至可以请一支乐队过来演奏！”
On the day of the party, Cody woke up and rushed to get ready. He started to check his list of things to do. He was so excited! But then he noticed something terrible. There was snow on the ground and lots of it! "Dad!" he yelled. "How can the band play their instruments outside?"
生日当天，科迪醒来之后就开始忙着准备派对。他开始核对清清单，上面写着他需要做的事。他很激动！但他注意到了一个可怕的事情：他看见地上有雪，而且积雪很多！“爸爸！”他喊道。“这样乐队怎么在外面演奏呢？”
Dad said, "We'll move the stage inside." It barely fit within the garage because there were some boxes and garbage there. But when they finished, they got a call from the band. They did not want to come in the snow storm.
爸爸说：“我们把舞台移到屋子里。”车库里除了原有的一些盒子和垃圾，刚好能容下舞台。但当他们忙活完了之后，乐队打了个电话来表示不想在大雪天过来演奏了。
Dad said, "Let's get someone to perform magic." But no one would come because of the snow.
爸爸说：“那我们就请魔术家来表演魔术把。”但没人愿意冒雪前来。
Finally, Dad said, "Cody, there's too much snow. We need to cancel the party."
最后，科迪爸爸说：“儿子，雪太大了，我们把派对取消吧。”
Yes, sir, Cody said sadly. "It's going to be a boring birthday," he predicted. Cody wanted to share his birthday with someone. He wanted to be at his old home. He wanted to see his grandparents.
“好吧，”科迪伤心地说。“这个生日肯定很无聊，”他推测。他想和别人分享生日的喜庆，他想回到老房子，也想见到祖父母。
But then something got his attention. He noticed a car in the driveway. His grandparents owned a car like that!
但他随后注意到了什么。他看到有辆车开进了私人车道。那正是他祖父母的车！
Cody was right. His grandparents came for his birthday! Happy birthday, Cody!We're sorry we are late. But there was so much snow. It made us go off schedule. We tried to leave a message to tell you.
科迪猜对了。他祖父母来为他庆祝生日了！生日快乐，科迪！很抱歉我们迟到了，但路上积雪太多了，我们不得不慢慢前行。本想发信息告诉你一声的，
Cody told them what happened. "I'm sorry," said Grandpa.
科迪把之前的事都和爷爷奶奶说了。“那真是遗憾，”爷爷说。
I was sad, Cody said. "But I'm not anymore. I'm so happy to see you." Dad brought out Cody's birthday treat. It was his favorite type, a sundae with whipped cream on top. Then Cody told his grandparents about the new town. It was his best birthday ever.
“我本来很伤心，”科迪说。“但我现在不伤心了，看到你们我很高兴。”他爸爸把生日蛋糕拿了出来。那是一个上面铺满奶油的圣代冰激淋，是科迪最喜欢吃的类型。随后，科迪对爷爷奶奶说了一些新城市的情况。这是他有史以来最棒的生日。
单词
band n.乐队
barely adv.几乎不
boring adj.无聊的
cancel v.取消
driveway n.私人车道
garbage n.垃圾
instrument n.乐器，工具
list n.清单
magic n.魔法
message n.信息
notice v.注意到
own v.拥有
predict v.预测
professor n.教授
rush v.匆忙地做
schedule n.计划表
share v.分享
stage n.舞台
storm n.风暴
within prep.在...之内
28
How the World Got Light
世界之光的来源
The president of Darkland was a pig-a very bad pig. He was a pig of major importance. He was rich, and he had a lot of strength. But he was mean to all the animals in Darkland. He kept all of the world's light in a bag. He preferred to keep the world cool and dark. He wanted to stop the progress of the city. The animals couldn't work in the dark. He didn't have any respect for them. "Light is too good for them," he said. "Only I should have light."
黑暗之地的国王是一只猪—一只很坏的猪。它地位很高，很富有也很强大。但它对所有领地内的动物都很残酷。它把光装在一个袋子里，因为它喜欢让世界变得冷漠和黑暗。它想要阻止城市的发展，人们没有光就无法工作。它对其它动物一点都不尊重。“光对它们来说太高尚了，”它说。“只有我才配拥有。”
But the animals needed light. So they decided to hold a competition. They wanted to find the smartest animal in Darkland. That animal had to steal light from the president. They advertised the competition everywhere. All the animals came.
但动物们需要光明，所以它们决定举行一个比赛，以此找出国土中最聪明的人。被选中的人要去偷国王的光明袋。它们竞赛到处张贴，所有的动物都来了。
The animals all showed off their skills. The audience watched and then voted for the animal with the most knowledge. The winner was a tall bird named Raven. They assigned him the job of getting light.
参赛的动物们都一一展示了自己的技能。观众们从中选出了最聪明的一个。最终胜出的是一只名叫雷文的大鸟。大家推举它去偷国王的光明袋。
The next morning, Raven ate breakfast and then left his home. "How will I gain light from the president?" thought Raven. He needed to trick the president somehow. Then, Raven had an idea. Raven could make his voice sound like anything!
第二天一早，雷文吃过早饭就出门了。“我要怎么才能拿到光明袋呢？”雷文心想。它必须骗一骗国王。过了一会，它想出了一个主意。它能模仿所有声音。
Raven walked up to the president's door. He made the sound of a crying baby. He cried very loudly. Soon, the president opened the door.
它走到国王门前并开始学婴儿啼哭。它哭的声音很大，很快就把国王引了出来。
Be quiet! the president yelled. Right then, Raven quickly made his move. He flew by the pig and found the soft bag. He took it outside. The sun was inside the bag!
“安静点！”国王喊道！说时迟那时快，雷文以迅雷不及掩耳之势找到了光明袋。它把袋子拿到外面。袋子里装的是太阳！
Raven flew high and put the sun in the sky. The president was very mad. Raven tricked him! But the other animals were very happy. At last, they had light-all because of Raven's smart thinking.
雷文高高飞上天，把太阳放在了天上。国王很生气，因为雷文骗了它！但其它动物却乐坏了。终于，它们看见了光明-这都归功于雷文的灵机一动。
单词
advertise v. 做广告
assign v. 指派
audience n. 观众
breakfast n. 早餐
competition n. 竞争
cool adj. 凉爽的
gain v. 增加
importance n. 重要性
knowledge n. 知识
major adj. 主要的
mean adj. 卑鄙的
prefer v. 偏爱
president n. 总统
progress n. 进展
respect n. 尊重
rich adj. 富有的
skill n. 技能
somehow adv. 以某种方法
strength n. 力量
vote v. 投票
29
Cats and Secrets
猫与秘密
In English, there is a common idiom "let the cat out of the bag." It means to tell a secret. But where did this idiom start?
在英语中有一个成语叫做“把袋子里的猫放出来”，这个成语的意思是说出某个秘密。那么这个成语又是怎么来的呢？
It came from a section of England. Long ago, people there went from town to town to sell things like vegetables, clothes, and pigs. They had strong beliefs about honesty. They didn't like lying. One day, a man went to the section's center to sell things.
这个成语来源于英格兰的一个地区。很久以前，人们互相去到彼此的城市售卖诸如蔬菜，衣服和猪等商品。大家都很诚实，不喜欢撒谎。有一天，这个地区的中部来了一个卖东西的商贩。
“I have a baby pig for sale! It won't cost much,” he said. He held the animal above his head. His style was different from honest people's style. He was a master of tricking people and lying.
“我有一只小猪仔要卖！我要价不高，”他说。他把猪仔举过头顶。他和这些诚实的人做法不同，他善于骗人和撒谎。
A woman named Beth scanned his pig. He offered her the pig for one gold coin. That was a very small amount. Beth gave him the coin. He put it in his pocket. He walked ahead of Beth to get the pig.
一个叫贝斯的女人端详了一下他手里的猪仔。他把猪卖给了贝斯，只收了一个金币，这个价算很便宜很便宜了。他接过贝斯给的金币放进口袋，走在贝斯前面去抓猪仔。
He gave her a closed bag and said, "Here's your pig." He then left very quickly.
他把一个系好的袋子给了贝斯并说道：“这就是你买的猪仔。”说完很快就离开了。
Beth looked at the bag's surface. It was moving. She opened it to let the pig out. A cat was inside! "He tricked me! That isn't proper," she said.
贝斯看着袋子，发现里面的东西在动。她解开袋子把猪仔放出来。结果却出来一只猫！”他骗我！骗人是不对的。“她说。
Later, the man returned to trick more people. Beth saw him and the memory of the cat came back. She told her friends. They stopped him. But no one knew what to do next.
后来，那个男人再次回到这个地区骗了更多的人。贝斯看到了他就想起上次那只猫的事情。她把这件事告诉了朋友。大家把这个男人拦下了。但谁也不知道接下来改怎么办。
Someone said, "We need an independent and fair person to decide that." They went to the judge. Beth told him about the cat in the bag.
有人说：“我们要找一个不相干而又公正的人来决定怎么处置他。”他们去了法庭，贝斯把袋子里装猫的事说了一遍。
The judge asked, "Is there evidence? Can you demonstrate how he did it?"
法官问道：“有证据吗？你们能演示一下他是怎么骗人的吗？”
Look in his bag, said Beth. She opened it and let a cat out of the bag. They learned the man's secret, and he went to jail.
“检查他的袋子，”贝斯说。她打开袋子，里面跑出来一只猫。大家识破了这个男人的诡计，他也因此锒铛入狱。
That's how the idiom "let the cat out of the bag" came to mean to tell a secret.
这就是“let the cat out of the bag”这个成语含义的由来。
单词
above prep.在...上面
ahead adv.向前地
amount n.总额
belief n.信仰
center n.中心
common adj.普通的
cost v.花费
demonstrate v.展示
different adj.不同的
evidence n.证据
honesty n.诚实
idiom n.成语
independent adj.独立的
inside n.里面，内部
master n.大师
memory n.记忆
proper adj.适当的
scan v.浏览
section n.部分
surface n.表面
30
The Twelve Months
十二个月
An awful woman lived with her daughter and stepdaughter in her household. She possessed feelings of hate for her stepdaughter, Anna. Anna worked while her stepsister did nothing. On a cold January night, Anna's stepmother remarked, "Your stepsister desires flowers. Go and find some."
有一个可怕的女人带着她的女儿和继女一起生活。她讨厌继女安娜，让她不停地工作，而她的女儿却什么都不用做。在寒冷的1月的某个夜晚，她对安娜说道：“你妹妹想要一朵花，你出去帮她找一些来。”
Anna wasn't anxious to walk through the chilled landscape. The cold air made her lungs burn. She walked at a slow pace because of the snow. Soon she saw a group of people. It consisted of twelve men. Anna told them about the flowers.
安娜并不想走在冰天雪地中，她因为寒冷而感觉肺部在发热。由于地上有积雪，她走得很慢。不久之后，她看到了一群人，总共有12个人。安娜把找花的事和他们说了。
One of the man said they were the twelve months and that they would help Anna. January walked to her and made a motion with his hand. The days of the month passed rapidly until it was February's turn. February also made the month speed up. Then March made the sun shine and flowers grew in the field.
其中一个人说他们是十二个月份的化身，会帮助安娜找花。一月份走向安娜并向她作了一个手势，瞬间一月份就过去了，转眼间进入了二月份。同样，二月份也做了同样的事情。三月份把太阳召唤了出来，花儿开始在地里生长。
Anna loaded her basket with so many flowers that she could hardly lift it. Then she gave a quick but polite "thank you" to the twelve men and returned home. She was very eager to show her stepmother all the flowers. Back at the house, she spilled the flowers onto the table. Then she told her stepmother about the twelve men. Anna's stepmother and stepsister went to seek the twelve months. Their intent was to ask for gifts. They looked and looked. They became very lost and never found their way home. Anna lived happily by herself.
安娜摘了满满一筐花，直到拎不动。她礼貌地对十二个人说了声“谢谢”之后很快就回家了。她迫不及待把花拿回家给继母看。回到家后，她把花倒在桌上，并把路上的事说了一遍。安娜的继母和妹妹听了之后也出门去找这十二个人，但她们的意图是想要索取礼物。她们找啊找，找啊找，直到最后迷路了，再也无法回家。安娜从此自己过上了快乐的生活。
单词
anxious adj.焦虑的
awful adj.可怕的；极坏的
consist v.由...组成
desire v.欲望；要求
eager adj.热切的
household n.一家人；一户
intent n.意图；目的
landscape n.风景；景色
lift v.举起
load v.装载
lung n.肺
motion n.动作；手势
pace n.步伐
polite adj.礼貌的
possess v.控制
rapidly adv.迅速地
remark v.评论
seek v.寻求；寻找
shine v.照亮
spill v.溢出，流出
70篇英文小故事，突破基础词汇1600（上）
70篇英文小故事，突破基础词汇1600（下）
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