讀點好英文:The Dog and the Cat 狗和貓

The Dog and the Cat 狗和貓

Long ago, only the cats had the ability to trace their prey by its odour, while the other animals used their vision to discover their prey.

The dog knew that was the best way to hunt a prey so he decided to visit the cat.

“Mr. Cat, can you teach me the skill to trace the prey by its odour?It is very efficient and convenient.”

The cat agreed to teach the dog and to let him stay in his house during the lessons. After a few days, the dog thought that he could use the skill and he wanted to go home.

“You have not learnt the skill yet，”said the cat.“You have to stay longer.”

“But I have to go home now，”the dog insisted.

“All right，”the cat said，“you may go back tomorrow but not today.”

The next morning, the cat said to his wife，“When the dog comes to bid farewell, tell him that I have gone out. When he asks where, tell him that you don't know.”

After a while, the dog came.“Where is the teacher?”he asked.

“He went out early in the morning and I don't know where he went，”the cat's wife answered.

Actually, the cat intended to test whether the dog had learnt how to trace any prey by its odour. The dog started by following the footprints of the cat.However, after a short distance, the cat had jump from one rock to another and then gone into a cave.Then he came out from the other side and leapt onto a tree.

The dog followed the seemingly vanishing footprints of the cat and he came to the two rocks. He entered the cave and managed to come out from the other side of it.At last, he came to the tree but he could not find any footprint.The dog could not trace the cat though he kept going round and round the tree.

The cat stayed on top of the tree watching every move of the dog. Finally, he said，“Look up！You have not completely learnt the skill and yet you are ready to leave.You can see now that you are still ignorant.”

Since then, the dog only knows how to trail its prey on the ground.

上古時期，只有貓有根據(jù)氣味來追尋獵物的本領(lǐng)，而別的動物只能靠眼睛去發(fā)現(xiàn)獵物。

狗知道這是一種極好的狩獵方法。于是，狗決定去找貓。

“貓先生，根據(jù)氣味來追尋獵物這種方法既靈驗又方便，你能傳授我這門本領(lǐng)嗎？”

貓答應(yīng)了狗的請求，并讓狗在學(xué)習(xí)時間住在自己的家里。過了幾天，狗認(rèn)為自己已經(jīng)掌握了這門本領(lǐng)，便想回家。

貓說：“你還沒有學(xué)會全部的本事呢！你還得再待些日子！”

“但是我現(xiàn)在必須回家呀?！惫穲猿终f。

“那好吧！”貓說，“但你今天別回，明天再回吧！”

第二天一早，貓對妻子說：“狗來告別時，你就告訴它我出去了。它問我到哪兒去了，你就說不知道?！?/p>

不一會兒，狗來了?！袄蠋熌兀俊惫穯柕?。

“它一早就出門了，我不知道它上哪兒去啦。”貓的妻子回答道。

其實貓是要考驗一下狗是否已學(xué)會了根據(jù)氣味來尋找獵物的本領(lǐng)。于是，狗開始順著貓的腳印去追蹤貓的去向。可是，貓離開家走了一段路后，就沒有在地上行走了。它從一塊石頭跳到另一塊石頭上，然后跳進(jìn)一個山洞，又從另一個洞口爬出來，最后跳到了一棵大樹上。

狗根據(jù)貓那若隱若現(xiàn)的腳印，找到了兩塊石頭。它也進(jìn)了山洞，并竭力從另一個洞口出來。最后，當(dāng)狗走到樹下時，貓的腳印沒有了。狗找不到貓的痕跡，就繞著樹走來走去。

貓在樹上，把這一切情形看得清清楚楚。最后，貓說：“往上看！你還沒有學(xué)好本事，就打算匆匆離去，結(jié)果還不是一只沒學(xué)問的狗！”

直到今天，狗都只會在地面上追尋獵物。

Practising&Exercise 實戰(zhàn)提升篇

單詞注解

cave[keiv]n.洞穴；山洞

vanish['v?ni?]v.消失，消沒

trace[treis]v.跟蹤，追蹤

ignorant['ign?r?nt]a.無知的，愚昧的

實用句型

The badger happily carried the big fat hen into his cave while the fox quickly ran off.

獾興高采烈地把它叼進(jìn)洞穴里去了。狐貍飛快地逃走了。

You have not completely learnt the skill and yet you are ready to leave.

你還沒有學(xué)好本事，就打算匆匆離去。

智慧點津

An actual blessing may be misfortune.

福兮禍之所伏。

We need perseverance to learn something well.

學(xué)習(xí)要持之以恒。