大家好,上一课关于丑小鸭的故事,我们讲到,丑小鸭刚刚遇到两只友好的野鹅,就被人类猎杀了,草丛里的其他野鹅都逃走了,他又变成了孤单一个人。后来这只丑小鸭飞啊飞,逃到了另外一个地方,又碰上了猛烈的暴风雨,幸好找到一个小房子,躲了进去。

今天的音频资料里,讲的是关于[the ugly duck 丑小鸭]、[the tom cat 公猫]、[the hen 母鸡]的故事。
地点:in the old cottage 在一栋破烂的老房子里。在这个有些奇怪的老房子里,主人是一个老妇人,她不关心 丑小鸭,母鸡和公猫俨然成了房子的主人,他们坐井观天,自以为是,都不太喜欢丑小鸭,觉得他的想法很奇怪。
《THE UGLY DUCKLING》
好,我们带着问题去听下面的双语故事,第一个问题:为什么 the hen 对 the ugly duckling 说,会下蛋的才是有智慧的动物?
第二个问题: 为什么 the cat 和 the hen 要丑小鸭管住他的舌头?
- A woman 一个妇人, a tom cat 一只公猫, and a hen 还有一只母鸡 lived in this cottage 住在这个小房子里.
- The tom cat 那只公猫, whom the mistress called 那个妇人叫他, “My little son 我的小儿子,” 的 was a great favorite 是最受欢迎的;
- he could raise his back 他可以弓起背, and purr 他还可以在喉咙里发出呼噜噜的声音, and could even 他甚至可以 throw out sparks from his fur 从皮毛中蹦出闪光来 if it were stroked the wrong way 如果有人以错误的方式抚摸他的话.
- The hen 那只母鸡 had very short legs 有一双很短的腿,
- so she was called 所以它被叫做 “Chickie short legs 短腿鸡.”
- She laid good eggs 她倒是很会下蛋,
- and her mistress loved her 她的女主人也爱她 as if she had been her own child 就好象母鸡是自己的孩子.
- In the morning 早上, the strange visitor 这个奇怪的来访者 was discovered 被发现了, and the tom cat began to purr 公猫开始紧张地呼噜噜, and the hen to cluck 母鸡也惊慌地咯咯叫唤.
- “What is that noise about 吵吵闹闹地啥事啊?” said the old woman 老妇人说,
- looking round the room 满屋子找,
- but her sight was not very good 但她的视力不是很好;
- therefore 因此, when she saw the duckling 当她看见小鸭的时候 she thought 她以为 it must be a fat duck 它应该是一只肥鸭, that had strayed from home 从家里跑出来迷路了.
- “Oh what a prize 天上掉馅饼了!” she exclaimed 她高兴极了,
- “I hope 我希望 it is not a drake 这不是一只公鸭, for then I shall have some duck’s eggs 那样的话我就会有鸭蛋吃了.
- I must wait and see 我等等看.”
- So the duckling 所以这只小鸭子 was allowed to remain on trial 被允许在破房子里留下来观察 for three weeks 待了三个礼拜, but there were no eggs 但是三周后,(小鸭子)没有下蛋.
- Now 现在 the tom cat was the master of the house 公猫成了房子里的男主人, and the hen was mistress 母鸡成了女主人,
- and they always said 他们总是说,
- “We and the world 我们和这个世界,”
- for they believed 因为他们相信 themselves to be half the world 他们自己就是半个世界,
- and the better half too 而且还是比另外一半更好的半个世界.
- The duckling thought 小鸭子想 that others might hold a different opinion on the subject 其他动物肯定不会同意这个看法,
- but the hen would not listen to such doubts 但是母鸡根本不愿意听这样的怀疑声音.
- “Can you lay eggs 你会下蛋吗?” she asked 她问道.
“No 不会.”
“Then have the goodness to hold your tongue 那就麻烦你管住你的舌头.”
“Can you raise your back 你会弓着背, or purr 或者呼噜噜, or throw out sparks 或者,从皮毛里蹦出闪光吗?” said the tom cat 公猫问.
“No 不会.”

- “Then 那么 you have no right to express an opinion when sensible people are speaking 那么当聪明人说话的时候,你无权发表意见.”
- So the duckling 所以小鸭子 sat in a corner feeling very low spirited 只好坐在角落里,郁闷死了。
- till the sunshine 直到阳光 and the fresh air 和新鲜空气 came into the room through the open door 从打开的门那里进到房子里,
- and then 然后 he began to feel such a great longing for a swim on the water 他开始觉得特别想去水里游泳, that he could not help 他忍不住 telling the hen 就(把想法)告诉了母鸡. “
- “What an absurd idea 这主意太荒唐了,” said the hen 母鸡说. “You have nothing else to do 你吃饱了撑着是吧? therefore you have foolish fancies 怎么会有这些愚蠢的幻想?
- If you could purr 要是你也可以从喉咙里发出呼噜噜的声音 or lay eggs 或者会下蛋, they would pass away 这些幻想就会消失的.”
- “But 但是,it is so delightful to swim about on the water 在水里游来游去,多令人开心啊,” said the duckling 小鸭子说,
- “and so refreshing to feel it close over your head while you dive down to the bottom 你知道吗?当你下潜到池塘底的时候.,感觉到水就在头顶 上方,想想就令人激动。”
OK,这是《THE UGLY DUCKLING》《丑小鸭》第六集:与猫和鸡一起生活的日子
今天英语课开始提到的两个问题,我们现在来讨论一下。Question 1:
为什么 the hen 对 the ugly duckling 说,会下蛋的才是有智慧的动物?.
And my opinion is:
因为公猫和母鸡一辈子生活在一个很小的地方,他们不知道什么才是智慧。
Question 2:
为什么 the cat 和 the hen 要丑小鸭管住他的舌头?,
my opinion is:
因为公猫和母鸡沉醉在自己的世界里,认为自己是世界主人,自己是最聪明的动物,不希望丑小鸭的不同看法打破他们的世界观。
Question from previous lesson:
the two wild geese 被猎杀了,为什么 the ugly duckling 没有?,
因为 the ugly duckling 躲在草丛中,猎狗没有发现他。
昨天第二个思考题:
你害怕 storm 吗?,
storm 是暴风雨的意思,几乎所有人都害怕 storm。
