Lion and Mouse 獅子和老鼠

When a lion was asleep， a little mouse began running up and down beside him. This soon wakened the lion. He was very angry， and caught the mouse in his paws (爪子).

“Forgive me， please，” cried the little mouse. “I may be able to help you someday.” The lion was tickled (發(fā)笑) at these words.

He thought， “How could this little mouse help me?” However， he lifted up his paws and let him go.

A few days later， the lion was caught in a trap (陷阱).

The hunters wanted to take him alive to the king， so they tied(系) him to a tree， and went away to look for a wagon (馬車).

Just then the little mouse passed by (經過)， and saw the sad lion.

He went up to him， and soon gnawed (咬) away the ropes. “Was I not right?” asked the little mouse.

寓意

有些朋友也許平時看似微不足道，但卻有可能在我們身處困境的時候提供巨大的幫助。

Wolf and Crane 狼與鷺鷥

When a wolf was eating an animal， a small bone from the meat got stuck(卡住的) in his throat. He could not swallow(吞) it， so he felt a terrible pain. He ran up and down， and tried to find something to relieve(減輕) the pain. He tried to convince(使相信) anyone to remove the bone. “I would give anything，” he said， “if you would take it out.” At last the crane (鷺鷥) agreed to try. It told the wolf to open his mouth， and then put its long neck down the wolf’s throat. The crane finally got the bone out with its beak(嘴). “Will you kindly give me the reward?” asked the crane. The wolf showed his teeth， and said， “Be content， you have put your head into a wolf’s mouth and taken it out again in safety. That is a great reward for you.”

寓意

一個貪得無厭的人是不會因為得到別人的幫助而心存感激的。