英国语文第三册 第26期:寒鸦借来的羽毛

 　　LESSON 25 The daw in borrowed feathers 第二十五课 寒鸦借来的羽毛

　　A number of jackdaws lived very happily in the tower of an old church. 大量的寒鸦很高兴住在老教堂的塔。

　　Close at hand was a poultry¹-yard, belonging to a large house. 近在咫尺是保尔特瑞花园,属于一个大的房子。

　　Among the poultry lived some peacocks, which were allowed to wander about the garden, and in front of the house, that their beautiful feathers might be seen. 住了一些孔雀,可以漫步花园,在房子前面,他们可以看到美丽的羽毛。

　　Now one of the jackdaws thought that there was nothing he should like so much as to strut² about like a peacock, 现在的寒鸦认为他应该像一只骄傲的孔雀一样昂首阔步,

　　spreading his long tail in the sun, or drawing it up behind him in the shape of a wheel. 传播他的长尾在阳光下,或画它身后圆形状的圈。

　　Then, if he could shake all his feathers at once, and let them down as the peacocks did, 然后,如果他能动摇他所有的羽毛,和孔雀一起,

　　while everybody gazed at him, he thought how proud he should be. 大家都盯着他时,他认为他应该感到无比自豪。

　　So he resolved what he would do. He gathered up the peacocks' cast-off feathers, dressed himself in them, 所以他决定他会做什么。他聚集了孔雀的羽毛,打扮自己,

　　and began to strut about the poultry-yard, in the hope of passing for a peacock! 并开始对着花园的支柱,希望通过对孔雀!

　　But he was quite mistaken: not only peacocks, but turkeys, guinea-fowls and even chickens and ducks, mocked him! 但他是错误的:不仅孔雀,还有火鸡,几内亚家禽、甚至鸡鸭,都嘲笑他!

　　And, being provoked by his foolish vanity, they tore the borrowed feathers from him,pecked him, and drove him out of the yard. 被他激起了愚蠢的虚荣,他们拔了他借来的羽毛,啄他,把他赶出院子。

　　The unhappy jackdaw then wished to return to his old friends in the church-tower, 然后不幸的寒鸦希望回到教堂里他的老朋友那,

　　and would have been glad to lead his former happy life with them. 并将一直很高兴过他以前幸福的生活。

　　But they would not notice him, and he was obliged to leave them, and lead a life of loneliness and misery³. 但是他们不会注意到他,他被迫离开他们,过一种孤独的生活和痛苦。

　　This fable⁴ shows the folly⁵ of those who set their hearts on fine clothes, and who try to lead a life above their station. 这寓言显示了愚蠢的人把他们的心好衣服,和那些试图领导生活高于自己。

　　So long as we keep in the place which God has given us, we are happy, and people honour and respect us; 只要我们保持神赐给我们的地方,我们是快乐的,和人民的荣誉和尊重我们,

　　but nothing is so absurd as the vanity which makes us try to seem finer, or richer, than we really are. 但没有那么荒谬的虚荣心,让我们尝试看起来更好,或者比我们富裕,。

1 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

2 strut   

v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆

参考例句：

• The circulation economy development needs the green science and technology innovation as the strut.循环经济的发展需要绿色科技创新生态化作为支撑。
• Now we'll strut arm and arm.这会儿咱们可以手挽着手儿，高视阔步地走了。

3 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

4 fable   

n.寓言；童话；神话

参考例句：

• The fable is given on the next page. 这篇寓言登在下一页上。
• He had some motive in telling this fable. 他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

5 folly   

n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话

参考例句：

• Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
• Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。