The Farmer and the Snake农夫与蛇   
ONE WINTER a Farmer found a Snake stiff and frozen with cold. He had
compassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. The Snake was
quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming its natural instincts, bit its
benefactor, inflicting on him a mortal wound. "Oh," cried the Farmer with his
last breath, "I am rightly served for pitying a scoundrel."   
The greatest kindness will not bind the ungrateful.      
冬天，农夫发现一条蛇冻僵了，他很可怜它，便把蛇放在自己怀里。蛇温暖后，苏醒了 过来，恢复了它的本性，咬了它的恩人一口，使他受到了致命的伤害。农夫临死前说：“我 该死，我怜悯恶人，应该受恶报。”
这故事说明，即使对恶人仁至义尽，他们的邪恶本性也是不会改变的。

The Farmer and the Stork农夫和鹳


A FARMER placed nets on his newly-sown plow lands and caught a


number of Cranes, which came to pick up his seed. With them he trapped a


Stork that had fractured his leg in the net and was earnestly beseeching the


Farmer to spare his life. "Pray save me, Master," he said, "and let me go free


this once. My broken limb should excite your pity. Besides, I am no Crane, I


am a Stork, a bird of excellent character; and see how I love and slave for


my father and mother. Look too, at my feathers-- they are not the least


like those of a Crane." The Farmer laughed aloud and said, "It may be all


as you say, I only know this: I have taken you with these robbers, the


Cranes, and you must die in their company."   


Birds of a feather flock together.      


农夫在刚刚播种的田里布下许多网，许多来吃种子的鹤都被捉住了，并捉到一只鹳，鹳的腿被网折断了，它哀求农夫说：“饶了我吧，可怜可怜我吧。我又不是鹤，而是一只鹳，我是性情优美的鸟。你瞧，我多么孝顺父母，为他们辛勤劳作，再仔细看看我的羽毛，与鹤也完全不同。”农夫大笑说：“你说的话也许不错；但我只知道，你和这些偷吃种子的鹤一 起被捉到，那末你就得和他们一起死。”     


这是说人们切莫与坏人交朋友。

The Flies and the Honey-Pot苍蝇与蜜A NUMBER of Flies were attracted to a jar of honey which had been overturned in a housekeeper's room, and placing their feet in it, ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could not use their wings, nor release themselves, and were suffocated. Just as they were expiring, they exclaimed, "O foolish creatures that we are, for the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves."    Pleasure bought with pains, hurts.      房里有蜜漏流出来，许多苍蝇便飞去饱餐起来。蜂蜜太甜美了，他们舍不得走。然而， 就在这时他们的脚被蜜粘住，再也飞不起来了。他们后悔不已，嗡嗡乱叫：“我们真不幸， 因贪图一时的享受而丧了命。”     对于许多人来说，贪婪是许多灾祸的根源。

The Tortoise and the Eagle乌龟与鹰A TORTOISE, lazily basking in the sun, complained to the sea-birds ofherhard fate, that no one would teach her to fly. An Eagle, hovering near,heard her lamentation and demanded what reward she would give him if he would take her aloft and float her in the air. "I will give you," she said, "allthe riches of the Red Sea ." "I will teach you to fly then," said the Eagle; andtaking her up in his talons he carried her almost to the clouds suddenly he lether go, and she fell on a lofty mountain, dashing her shell to pieces . The Tortoise exclaimed in the moment of death: "I have deserved my present fate;for what had I to do with wings and clouds, who can with difficulty moveabout on the earth?'    If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.      乌龟看见鹰在空中飞翔，便请求鹰教他飞行。鹰劝告他，说他不能飞行。可乌龟再三恳 求，鹰便抓住他，飞到高空，然后将他松开。乌龟落在岩石上，被摔得粉身碎骨。     这故事说明，那些好高鹜远，不切实际的人必将失败。