第12课

Lesson Twelve

Two Fables

Pulling On Seedlings to Help Them Grow

1.In ancient times, there was a man who wanted the seedlings in his field to grow faster, so every day he went to the field to check them.

2.But one day, two days, three days went by… and the seedlings did not seem to have grow at all.

3.He paced anxiously beside the field, and said to himself: “I have to do something to help them grow.”

4.Then one day, he finally thought of a way, so he hurried to the field and pulled on the seedlings one by one.

5.He worked tirelessly from noon until sunset and was completely exhausted.

6.When he returned home, panting, he said, “I am so exhausted today!

7.But my efforts were not in vain, since the seedlings all have gotten taller.”

8.His son did not understand what happened. The next day, he went to the field, only to find that all the seedlings had died.

生词表：

fables 寓言（复数）

pull up 拔起

seedlings   小苗（复数）

grow   生长

ancient times 古代

wanted   想要（过去式）

field   田地

faster   更快

check on   检查

not... at all 根本不

paced    踱步（复数）

anxiously   焦急地

help   帮助

finally   终于

figured out 想到（过去式）

way   办法

hurried   急忙（过去式）

one by one 一个一个

tirelessly   不知疲倦地

sunset    日落

exhausted   精疲力尽

returned   返回（过去式）

panting   喘气

efforts   努力（复数 ）

in vain   徒劳

seedlings    禾苗

taller   更高

understand    明白

find     发现

had died 已经死了（过去完成时）

It Is Never Too Late to Mend the Fence

1.There once was a man who raised a few sheep.

2.One morning, when he went to herd the sheep, he found one sheep was missing.

3.It turned out that there was a hole in the sheepfold, so at night, a wolf had gotten in through the hole and stolen a sheep.

4.His neighbors advised him: “Hurry up and fix the sheepfold!”

5.He said: “The sheep is already lost. There's no point in fixing the sheepfold now.”

6.The next morning, when he went to herd the sheep, he found another sheep was missing.

7.It turned out that the wolf had gotten in through the hole again and stolen another sheep.

8.He regretted not accepting the advice of his neighbors, but realized that it was not too late to mend the sheepfold.

9.He hurriedly plugged the hole and mended the sheepfold so that it was sturdy.

10.Since then, he has never lost another sheep.

生词表：

late   晚的

mend   修补

fence   围栏

once    从前

raised   饲养

sheep   羊

herd   放牧

found   发现（过去式）

was missing 失踪了

turned out 结果是

hole   窟窿

sheepfold   羊圈

wolf   狼

stole   偷走（过去式）

neighbors    邻居（复数）

advised   建议（过去式）

hurry up 赶紧

fix    修补

already   已经

lost   丢失

no point 没意义

herd the sheep 放羊

another    另一个

through   通过

again    再次

stole    偷走

regretted   后悔（过去式）

acting on    按照

advice   建议

realized    意识到

mend   修理

hurriedly   赶紧

plugged   堵上（过去式）

mended    修理（过去式）

sturdy   坚固的

never   从未

寓言二则

揠苗助长

1.古时候有个人，他巴望自己田里的禾苗长得快些，天天到田边去看。

2.可是，一天，两天，三天，禾苗好像一点儿也没有长高。

3.他在田边焦急地转来转去，自言自语地说:“我得想个办法帮它们长。”

4. 一天，他终于想出了办法，就急忙跑到田里，把禾苗一棵一棵往高里拔。

5.从中午一直忙到太阳落山，弄得筋疲力尽。

6.他回到家里，一边喘气一边说:“今天可把我累坏了!

7.力气总算没白费，禾苗都长高了一大截。”

8.他的儿子不明白是怎么回事，第二天跑到田里看，禾苗都枯死了。

亡羊补牢

1.从前有个人，养了几只羊。

2.一天早上，他去放羊，发现羊少了一只。

3.原来羊圈破了个窟窿，夜里狼从窟窿钻进去，把羊叼走了。

4.街坊劝他说:“赶紧把羊圈修一修，堵上那个窟窿吧!”

5.他说:“羊已经丢了，还修羊圈干什么?”

6.第二天早上，他去放羊，发现羊又少了一只。

7.原来狼又从窟窿钻进去，把羊叼走了。

8.  他很后悔没有接受街坊的劝告，心想，现在修还不晚。

9.他赶紧堵上那个窟窿，把羊圈修得结结实实的。

10.从此，他的羊再也没丢过。