读点好英文:The Toad Looks for Food 蟾蜍寻食

The Toad Looks for Food 蟾蜍寻食

It was new year once again. All the families in the village were busy preparing rice cakes to celebrate the new year.

In the village pond there lived a toad. When the snow began to fall, the toad left his home and went to live in the hilly area near the village.There he met a monkey.

One day, the monkey asked the toad，“How shall we steal some of the rice cakes to eat?”They talked about this for some time. In the end, they came up with an idea.They came down from the hills and went to the village.The monkey and the toad reached the village headman's house.Then they carried out their plan to steal the rice cakes.The monkey hid behind the door and waited for the chance to steal the rice cakes.Meanwhile, the toad moved away from the house and then jumped into the village well.

At that time, a servant of the village headman was busy cooking the rice cakes for the new year. She heard the sound of something falling into the well.She screamed loudly because she thought that her master's son had fallen into the well.She immediately left the wooden basins that contained the rice cakes on the table and ran towards the well.

The monkey, who had been hiding behind the door, quickly entered the house. He took a basin containing a rice cake and ran away towards the hills.Not long after, the toad met the monkey there.

The greedy and selfish monkey wanted to eat the rice cake all by himself. He did not want to share the rice cake with the toad.He told the toad that he would roll the basin downhill.“Whoever succeeds in getting the basin first can have the rice cake，”said the monkey.

“That's not fair，”replied the toad.“I can't run as fast as you.”

“You must race with me. If you don't, the whole rice cake will be mine.”said the monkey.

The toad did not have any choice but to agree to the monkey's plan.“All right, I agree，”the toad answered reIuctantIy.

“One, two, three！”rolling basin. They started racing.The basin began to roll downhill.

The monkey ran as fast as he could and was soon in front of the toad. He chased after the rolling basin.

Suddenly, the rice cake fell out of the basin and stopped beside a big rock.

“Thank God，”whispered the toad. He stopped at the hillside and began to eat the rice cake.

The monkey carried on chasing after the basin. When he finally reached the basin, he found it empty.The monkey was surprised and he climbed the hill once more.He soon found the toad eating the rice cake.He wanted to have a part of the rice cake too but he was too ashamed to ask for it.

He regretted trying to cheat his friend and finally went away.

新的一年即将到来。村子里家家户户都忙着准备米糕来庆祝新春佳节。

在村子里的一个池塘里住着一只蟾蜍。当开始下雪时，蟾蜍便离开自己的家园，移居到村子附近一个多山地区。在那里，蟾蜍碰见了一只猴子。

有一天，猴子对蟾蜍说：“我们为什么不去偷些米糕回来吃呢？”它们讨论了好久，终于想出了一个办法。于是它们下了山，走向村子。猴子和蟾蜍来到村长的家，开始它们的偷米糕计划。首先，猴子躲在村长家的大门后面，等机会入屋偷米糕。与此同时，蟾蜍则离开屋子，跳入一口井内。

村长家的一名女工正忙着调制新年米糕。忽然听见外面“扑通”一声，她以为主人的儿子掉入井里了，就大声叫起来，并赶紧把装有米糕的木盆放在桌上，奔向井边。

躲在门后的猴子立刻潜入屋里，拿起装着米糕的木盆便拼命地往山上跑。不久，蟾蜍也跑了回来和猴子会合。

贪心、自私的猴子想独吞所有的米糕，不愿与蟾蜍分享。它跟蟾蜍说让木盆滚下山去。“谁先抢到米糕的便可占为己有。”猴子说。

“那不公平，”蟾蜍说，“我跑得没你快。”

“所以你必须尽力而为啊！要不然，全部米糕都将归我所有啦！”猴子说。

蟾蜍别无选择，只好同意猴子的建议。“好吧！就这样决定。”蟾蜍无可奈何地说道。

“一、二、三！”滚木盆比赛开始了。那木盆率先滚下山去。

猴子拼命地跑，不一会儿就超过了蟾蜍，它拼命地追着木盆。

忽然，米糕从木盆中掉了出来，被一块大石头挡着。

“谢谢老天爷！”蟾蜍低声说，它停下来，开始吃米糕。

猴子继续追着木盆，当追上木盆时，发现里边竟然是空的！它莫明其妙，只好折了回去。不一会儿，它就看见蟾蜍正吃着米糕！饥肠辘辘的它也很想吃米糕，可是却不好意思开口。

它后悔欺骗了朋友，最后只好离开了。

Practising&Exercise 实战提升篇

单词注解

trembIe['trembl]v.发抖，颤抖；焦虑，担忧

sneak[sni：k]v./n.潜行；偷偷溜走；鬼鬼祟祟的人

greedy['gri：di]a.贪婪的；渴望的

reIuctantIy[ri'lʌktəntli]ad.不情愿地；勉强地

chase[tʃeis]v.追捕，追逐；寻找

实用句型

If anyone else were to treat us like this, we would tear him into pieces.

要是别人像你这样做的话，我们早就把它撕成碎片了。

Or else he would not be friends with you at all.

不然的话，它也不会跟你们做朋友。

Then they carried out their plan to steal the rice cakes.

开始它们的偷米糕计划。

智慧点津

Be cautious in your choice of friends.

交友一定要慎重。

He laughs best who laughs last.

谁笑到最后，谁笑得最好。