寓言故事(英文)

The Witchs Steed 故事 滥竽充数故事班主任管理故事5分钟二年级语文看图讲故事传统美德小故事50字120个国学经典故事ppt     A BROOMSTICK which had long served a witch as a steed complained of     the nature of its employment, which it thought degrading.     "Very well," said the Witch, "I will give you work in which you     will be associated with intellect - you will come in contact with     brains.  I shall present you to a housewife."     "What!" said the Broomstick, "do you consider the hands of a     housewife intellectual?"     "I referred," said the Witch, "to the head of her good man." A Causeway故事     A RICH Woman having returned from abroad disembarked at the foot of     Knee-deep Street, and was about to walk to her hotel through the     mud.     "Madam," said a Policeman, "I cannot permit you to do that; you     would soil your shoes and stockings."     "Oh, that is of no importance, really," replied the Rich Woman,     with a cheerful smile.     "But, madam, it is needless; from the wharf to the hotel, as you     observe, extends an unbroken line of prostrate newspaper men who     crave the honour of having you walk upon them."     "In that case," she said, seating herself in a doorway and     unlocking her satchel, "I shall have to put on my rubber boots." Alarm and Pride故事     "GOOD-MORNING, my friend," said Alarm to Pride; "how are you this     morning?"     "Very tired," replied Pride, seating himself on a stone by the     wayside and mopping his steaming brow.  "The politicians are     wearing me out by pointing to their dirty records with ME, when     they could as well use a stick."     Alarm sighed sympathetically, and said:     "It is pretty much the same way here.  Instead of using an opera-     glass they view the acts of their opponents with ME!"     As these patient drudges were mingling their tears, they were     notified that they must go on duty again, for one of the political     parties had nominated a thief and was about to hold a gratification     meeting. The Member and the Soap故事     A MEMBER of the Kansas Legislature meeting a Cake of Soap was     passing it by without recognition, but the Cake of Soap insisted on     stopping and shaking hands.  Thinking it might possibly be in the     enjoyment of the elective franchise, he gave it a cordial and     earnest grasp.  On letting it go he observed that a portion of it     adhered to his fingers, and running to a brook in great alarm he     proceeded to wash it off.  In doing so he necessarily got some on     the other hand, and when he had finished washing, both were so     white that he went to bed and sent for a physician. - The Sagacious Rat故事     A RAT that was about to emerge from his hole caught a glimpse of a     Cat waiting for him, and descending to the colony at the bottom of     the hole invited a Friend to join him in a visit to a neighbouring     corn-bin.  "I would have gone alone," he said, "but could not deny     myself the pleasure of such distinguished company."     "Very well," said the Friend, "I will go with you.  Lead on."     "Lead?" exclaimed the other.  "What!  I precede so great and     illustrious a rat as you? No, indeed - after you, sir, after you."     Pleased with this great show of deference, the Friend went ahead,     and, leaving the hole first, was caught by the Cat, who immediately     trotted away with him.  The other then went out unmolested. The Shadow of the Leader故事     A POLITICAL Leader was walking out one sunny day, when he observed     his Shadow leaving him and walking rapidly away.     "Come back here, you scoundrel," he cried.     "If I had been a scoundrel," answered the Shadow, increasing its     speed, "I should not have left you." The Two Poets故事     Two Poets were quarrelling for the Apple of Discord and the Bone of     Contention, for they were very hungry.     "My sons," said Apollo, "I will part the prizes between you.  You,"     he said to the First Poet, "excel in Art - take the Apple.  And     you," he said to the Second Poet, "in Imagination - take the Bone."     "To Art the best prize!" said the First Poet, triumphantly, and     endeavouring to devour his award broke all his teeth.  The Apple     was a work of Art.     "That shows our Master's contempt for mere Art," said the Second     Poet, grinning.     Thereupon he attempted to gnaw his Bone, but his teeth passed     through it without resistance.  It was an imaginary Bone. The Bumbo of Jiam故事     THE Pahdour of Patagascar and the Gookul of Madagonia were     disputing about an island which both claimed.  Finally, at the     suggestion of the International League of Cannon Founders, which     had important branches in both countries, they decided to refer     their claims to the Bumbo of Jiam, and abide by his judgment.  In     settling the preliminaries of the arbitration they had, however,     the misfortune to disagree, and appealed to arms.  At the end of a     long and disastrous war, when both sides were exhausted and     bankrupt, the Bumbo of Jiam intervened in the interest of peace.     "My great and good friends," he said to his brother sovereigns, "it     will be advantageous to you to learn that some questions are more     complex and perilous than others, presenting a greater number of     points upon which it is possible to differ.  For four generations     your royal predecessors disputed about possession of that island,     without falling out.  Beware, oh, beware the perils of     international arbitration! - against which I feel it my duty to     protect you henceforth."     So saying, he annexed both countries, and after a long, peaceful,     and happy reign was poisoned by his Prime Minister. - The Tried Assassin故事     AN Assassin being put upon trial in a New England court, his     Counsel rose and said: "Your Honour, I move for a discharge on the     ground of 'once in jeopardy': my client has been already tried for     that murder and acquitted."     "In what court?" asked the Judge.     "In the Superior Court of San Francisco," the Counsel replied.     "Let the trial proceed - your motion is denied," said the Judge.      "An Assassin is not in jeopardy when tried in California." - The Pavior故事     AN Author saw a Labourer hammering stones into the pavement of a     street, and approaching him said:     "My friend, you seem weary.  Ambition is a hard taskmaster."     "I'm working for Mr. Jones, sir," the Labourer replied.     "Well, cheer up," the Author resumed; "fame comes at the most     unexpected times.  To-day you are poor, obscure, and disheartened,     and to-morrow the world may be ringing with your name."     "What are you giving me?" the Labourer said.  "Cannot an honest     pavior perform his work in peace, and get his money for it, and his     living by it, without others talking rot about ambition and hopes     of fame?"     "Cannot an honest writer?" said the Author. - The Australian Grasshopper故事     A DISTINGUISHED Naturalist was travelling in Australia, when he saw     a Kangaroo in session and flung a stone at it.  The Kangaroo     immediately adjourned, tracing against the sunset sky a parabolic     curve spanning seven provinces, and evanished below the horizon.      The Distinguished Naturalist looked interested, but said nothing     for an hour; then he said to his native Guide:     "You have pretty wide meadows here, I suppose?"     "No, not very wide," the Guide answered; "about the same as in     England and America."     After another long silence the Distinguished Naturalist said:     "The hay which we shall purchase for our horses this evening - I     shall expect to find the stalks about fifty feet long.  Am I     right?"     "Why, no," said the Guide; "a foot or two is about the usual length     of our hay.  What can you be thinking of?"     The Distinguished Naturalist made no immediate reply, but later, as     in the shades of night they journeyed through the desolate vastness     of the Great Lone Land, he broke the silence:     "I was thinking," he said, "of the uncommon magnitude of that The Life-Savers故事     SEVENTY-FIVE Men presented themselves before the President of the     Humane Society and demanded the great gold medal for life-saving.     "Why, yes," said the President; "by diligent effort so many men     must have saved a considerable number of lives.  How many did you     save?"     "Seventy-five, sir," replied their Spokesman.     "Ah, yes, that is one each - very good work - very good work,     indeed," the President said.  "You shall not only have the     Society's great gold medal, but its recommendation for employment     at the various life-boat stations along the coast.  But how did you     save so many lives?"     The Spokesman of the Men replied:     "We are officers of the law, and have just returned from the     pursuit of two murderous outlaws." - The Opossum of the Future故事     ONE day an Opossum who had gone to sleep hanging from the highest     branch of a tree by the tail, awoke and saw a large Snake wound     about the limb, between him and the trunk of the tree.     "If I hold on," he said to himself, "I shall be swallowed; if I let     go I shall break my neck."     But suddenly he bethought himself to dissemble.     "My perfected friend," he said, "my parental instinct recognises in     you a noble evidence and illustration of the theory of development.      You are the Opossum of the Future, the ultimate Fittest Survivor of     our species, the ripe result of progressive prehensility - all     tail!"     But the Snake, proud of his ancient eminence in Scriptural history,     was strictly orthodox, and did not accept the scientific view. - The Ashes of Madame Blavatsky故事     THE two brightest lights of Theosophy being in the same place at     once in company with the Ashes of Madame Blavatsky, an Inquiring     Soul thought the time propitious to learn something worth while.      So he sat at the feet of one awhile, and then he sat awhile at the     feet of the other, and at last he applied his ear to the keyhole of     the casket containing the Ashes of Madame Blavatsky.  When the     Inquiring Soul had completed his course of instruction he declared     himself the Ahkoond of Swat, fell into the baleful habit of     standing on his head, and swore that the mother who bore him was a     pragmatic paralogism.  Wherefore he was held in high reverence, and     when the two other gentlemen were hanged for lying the Theosophists     elected him to the leadership of their Disastral Body, and after a     quiet life and an honourable death by the kick of a jackass he was     reincarnated as a Yellow Dog.  As such he ate the Ashes of Madame     Blavatsky, and Theosophy was no more. - An Invitation故事     A PIOUS Person who had overcharged his paunch with dead bird by way     of attesting his gratitude for escaping the many calamities which     Heaven had sent upon others, fell asleep at table and dreamed.  He     thought he lived in a country where turkeys were the ruling class,     and every year they held a feast to manifest their sense of     Heaven's goodness in sparing their lives to kill them later.  One     day, about a week before one of these feasts, he met the Supreme     Gobbler, who said:     "You will please get yourself into good condition for the     Thanksgiving dinner."     "Yes, your Excellency," replied the Pious Person, delighted, "I     shall come hungry, I assure you.  It is no small privilege to dine     with your Excellency."     The Supreme Gobbler eyed him for a moment in silence; then he said:     "As one of the lower domestic animals, you cannot be expected to     know much, but you might know something.  Since you do not, you     will permit me to point out that being asked to dinner is one     thing; being asked to dine is another and a different thing."     With this significant remark the Supreme Gobbler left him, and     thenceforward the Pious Person dreamed of himself as white meat and     dark until rudely awakened by decapitation. - The Unchanged Diplomatist故事     THE republic of Madagonia had been long and well represented at the     court of the King of Patagascar by an officer called a Dazie, but     one day the Madagonian Parliament conferred upon him the superior     rank of Dandee.  The next day after being apprised of his new     dignity he hastened to inform the King of Patagascar.     "Ah, yes, I understand," said the King; "you have been promoted and     given increased pay and allowances.  There was an appropriation?"     "Yes, your Majesty."     "And you have now two heads, have you not?"     "Oh, no, your Majesty - only one, I assure you."     "Indeed?  And how many legs and arms?"     "Two of each, Sire - only two of each."     "And only one body?"     "Just a single body, as you perceive."     Thoughtfully removing his crown and scratching the royal head, the     monarch was silent a moment, and then he said:     "I fancy that appropriation has been misapplied.  You seem to be     about the same kind of idiot that you were before." - The Poetess of Reform故事     ONE pleasant day in the latter part of eternity, as the Shades of     all the great writers were reposing upon beds of asphodel and moly     in the Elysian fields, each happy in hearing from the lips of the     others nothing but copious quotation from his own works (for so     Jove had kindly bedeviled their ears), there came in among them     with triumphant mien a Shade whom none knew.  She (for the newcomer     showed such evidences of sex as cropped hair and a manly stride)     took a seat in their midst, and smiling a superior smile explained:     "After centuries of oppression I have wrested my rights from the     grasp of the jealous gods.  On earth I was the Poetess of Reform,     and sang to inattentive ears.  Now for an eternity of honour and     glory."     But it was not to be so, and soon she was the unhappiest of     mortals, vainly desirous to wander again in gloom by the infernal     lakes.  For Jove had not bedeviled her ears, and she heard from the     lips of each blessed Shade an incessant flow of quotation from his     own works.  Moreover, she was denied the happiness of repeating her     poems.  She could not recall a line of them, for Jove had decreed     that the memory of them abide in Pluto's painful domain, as a part     of the apparatus. The Party Over There故事     A MAN in a Hurry, whose watch was at his lawyer's, asked a Grave     Person the time of day.     "I heard you ask that Party Over There the same question," said the     Grave Person.  "What answer did he give you?"     "He said it was about three o'clock," replied the Man in a Hurry;     "but he did not look at his watch, and as the sun is nearly down, I     think it is later."     "The fact that the sun is nearly down," the Grave Person said, "is     immaterial, but the fact that he did not consult his timepiece and     make answer after due deliberation and consideration is fatal.  The     answer given," continued the Grave Person, consulting his own     timepiece, "is of no effect, invalid, and absurd."     "What, then," said the Man in a Hurry, eagerly, "is the time of     day?"     "The question is remanded to the Party Over There for a new     answer," replied the Grave Person, returning his watch to his     pocket and moving away with great dignity.     He was a Judge of an Appellate Court. -