讀點好英文:The Scorpion and the Tortoise 蝎子和烏龜

The Scorpion and the Tortoise 蝎子和烏龜

A tortoise and scorpion had contracted a great intimacy, and bound themselves with such ties of friendship, that the one could not live without the other.

One day these inseparabIe companions, finding themselves obliged to change their habitation, travelled together. But in their meeting with a large and deep river, the scorpion making a stop, said to the tortoise：

“My dear friend, you are well provided for what we see before us, but how shall I get over this water?”

“Never trouble yourself, my dear friend, for that，”replied the tortoise，“I will carry you upon my back secure from all danger.”

On this, the scorpion, without hesitation, got upon the back of the tortoise, who immediately took water and began to swim. But he had hardly got halfway across the river, when he heard a terrible rumbling upon his back, which made him ask the scorpion what he was doing.

“Doing！”replied the scorpion，“Why, I am whetting my sting, to see whether I can bore this horny cuirass of yours that covers your flesh like a shield from all injuries.”

“Oh, ungrateful wretch！”cried the tortoise，“Wouldst thou at a time when I am giving thee such a demonstration of my friendship, wouldst thou at such a time, pierce with thy venomous sting the defence that Nature has given me, and take away my life?It is well, however, I have it in my power both to save myself and reward thee as thou deserve.”

So saying, he sunk his back to some depth under water, threw off the scorpion, and left him to pay with his life for his monstrous ingratitude.

烏龜和蝎子建立了深厚的友誼，友情的紐帶將它們緊緊維系在一起，彼此依存。

一天，這對形影不離的伙伴不得不搬家，于是，它們一同上路了。它們在路上遇到一條又寬又深的大河，蝎子停下來對烏龜說：

“親愛的朋友，你的自身條件足以使你應(yīng)付眼前的情況，可是，我怎么才能過河呢？”

“不要擔(dān)心，我親愛的朋友，這樣，”烏龜回答道，“我背著你過河，這樣就不會有任何危險了。”

蝎子一聽，毫不猶豫地跳到烏龜?shù)谋成希瑸觚斄⒓刺滤?，游了起來。可是，剛游到河中央，就聽到背上傳來可怕的隆隆聲。于是它問蝎子在干什么?/p>

“干什么！”蝎子回答道，“我把我的刺磨利些。你那堅硬的殼像盾牌一樣保護(hù)著你的身體使你免受任何傷害，我倒要看看能不能刺穿它?！?/p>

“嘿，你這個忘恩負(fù)義的家伙！”烏龜叫道，“我對你這么好，你卻企圖用你的毒刺來刺穿大自然賜予我的盔甲，想要我的命嗎？可是，我有能力拯救自己并讓你受到應(yīng)有的懲罰?！?/p>

說著，烏龜沉入水底，把蝎子從身上甩掉，讓它為自己的忘恩負(fù)義付出了生命的代價。

Practising&Exercise 實戰(zhàn)提升篇

單詞注解

trap[tr?p]n.陷阱；困境；騙局

intimacy['intim?si]n.親密，密切；親密的言語（或行為）

inseparabIe[in'sep?r?bl]a.形影不離的；分不開的

whet[（h）wet]v.磨（刀、斧等）；引起，刺激（食欲、興趣等）

cuirass[kwi'r?s]n.胸甲；鐵甲

venomous['ven?m?s]a.惡毒的；惡意的；有毒的

實用句型

……and bound themselves with such ties of friendship, that the one could not live without the other.

……友情的紐帶將它們緊緊維系在一起，彼此依存。

……the defence that Nature has given me, and take away my life?……大自然賜予我的盔甲，想要我的命嗎？

智慧點津

Keep good men company and you shall be of the number.

近朱者赤，近墨者黑。

To friends one should be kind and sincere. Doing bad things to who does you a big favor will be paid anyway.

朋友之間要真誠相待。受人恩惠卻要在背后傷害對方，終將受到懲罰。