正文
An oyster(牡蛎) that was very proud was talking with a fish. “Let"s be friends and we can look after each other whenever the fisherman"s net comes along,” the fish suggested.
一只高傲的牡蛎和一条鱼聊天。“咱俩做朋友吧,渔夫来撒网的时候也好有个照应。”鱼建议说。
The proud oyster replied, “I have a strong shell and I feel safe when I close my shell, for no harm can happen to me.” “But when you close your shell, you may not know what is happening?” answered the fish.
高傲的牡蛎回答说:“我的外壳无比坚固,只要我闭紧外壳,我就安全了,没有什么能伤害到我。” “可是你一闭紧外壳,不就不知道外面的情况了吗?”鱼问道。
Still the oyster boasted that he was perfectly safe and he needs no friends to warn him. Suddenly, there was a great splashing(飞溅) sound and the oyster closed his shell and very quickly kept quiet.
牡蛎继续吹嘘说他安全得很,不需要谁来提醒他。 突然传来一阵水花溅起的巨响,牡蛎合上了外壳,赶紧闭上了嘴。
“What could the splashing have been? Was it a net, or was the fish caught?” the oyster wondered.
“那水花声是怎么回事?是撒网的声音呢,还是鱼被抓住了呢?”牡蛎琢磨着。
When at last the oyster opened his shell, he found himself in a strange place. “Where am I?” He looked for the fish but it was no longer around.
终于,他张开外壳的时候,发现自己待在一个陌生的地方。 “我这是在哪儿?”他到处找那条鱼,可是鱼不见了。
Sadly, the oyster found he was at a fishmonger"s stall. A ticket on his back marked, “For Sale!”
可悲的是,牡蛎发现自己躺在鱼贩子的货摊上,背上还贴了一张票,上面写着:“牡蛎出售!”
生词
splash [splæʃ] v.使(液体)溅起
fishmonger [ˈfɪʃmʌŋɡə(r)] n.鱼贩子
stall [stɔːl] n.货摊
莎士比亚在戏剧《一报还一报》(Measure for Measure)中这样写道:“一个骄傲的人,结果总是在骄傲里毁灭了自己,他一味对镜自赏,自吹自擂,遇事只顾浮夸失实,到头来只是事事落空而已。”