讀名著學英語：世界寓言（Series 1）

2022年9月19日 星期一 祝福早安 天氣晴朗 氣溫20℃ 《世界寓言》 The Wolf and the Lion A wolf, roaming by the mountain’s side, saw his own shadow, as the sun was setting, become greatly extended and magnified, and he said to himself, “Why should I, being of such an immense size, and extending nearly an acre in length, be afraid of the lion? Ought I not to be acknowledged as King of all the collected beasts?” While he was indulging in these proud thoughts, a lion fell upon him, and killed him. He exclaimed with a too-late repentance, “Wretched me!this over-estimation of myself is the cause of my destruction.” —— Aesop roam v 徘徊；漫步 magnified adj 放大了的 acre n 一英畝，喻指很大 collected adj 全體的 indulge in v 沉迷於 repentance n 後悔 wretched adj 可憐的；不幸的 over-estimation n 高估 中譯　狼和獅子 狼在山坡下徘徊，正值落日斜照，看見自己的影子變得又長又大，於是自言自語道：“我這麼巨大的個子，身長百尺，難道還要害怕獅子麼？我不該被公認為百獸之王嗎？”正當牠顧影自憐，想入非非之際，一頭獅子猛撲上來，一口把牠咬死。狼死前後悔地哀歎：“哎呀！過高地估計自己，是我送命的禍根。” ——伊索 The Cock and the Jewel As a cock was scratching up the straw in a farmyard, in search of food for the hens, he hit upon a jewel that by some chance had found its way there. “Ho!”said he, “you are a very fine thing, no doubt, to those who prize you; but give me a barley-corn before all the pearls in the world.” —— Aesop scratch up v 挖起 straw n 稻草 hit upon v 找到 prize v 高度重視，珍視 中譯　公雞和寶石 一隻公雞正在農家院子裹扒開稻草給母雞找喫的。忽然，他發現一顆寶石不知怎的落在那兒。“哼！”公雞說：“對於賞識寶石的人來說，你倒是寶貝；但我現在情願要一顆麥粒，也不稀罕世上所有的珠寶。” ——伊索 原來如此！ 此篇喻指一件對某人也許是無價之寶的東西，對另一人來說，也許一文不值。英語諺語A barley corn is better than a diamond to a cock.就是出自此篇。更常用的一句是：One man’s meat is another man’s poison.（對甲有利的對乙可能有害）。每個人的需要都不同，如果能得到對他來說最需要的東西，那比得到金銀財寶更有價值。 另一方面，表示某些人對寶物不懂欣賞，給了他們就是明珠暗投，對牛彈琴。英諺也有一句：cast pearls before swine.（向豬投珠是枉然）。 增值英語 …in search of food… 句式　in search of解“尋找，尋求”。 He spent almost an hour in search of his notes.他花了差不多一小時尋找筆記。 They came all the way from the U.S. in search of their relations.他們從美國遠道來尋找親屬。 by some chance had found its way there. 句式　by (some)chance解“碰巧”，“偶然”。 He met with his old friend in the street yesterday by (some) chance.昨天他偶然在路上遇到他的老友。 By (some) chance, I found the book under my pillow.碰巧我在枕頭下面找到那書。 句式　to find one’s way to/into解“設法到達”、“找到了…的途徑”。 With the help of a policeman, the old man found his way home.得到警察的幫助，那位老人找到路回家。 The student has found her way to the solution for the sticky issue.那學生找到了難題的答案。 …no doubt… no doubt解“無疑地”，同義詞為undoubtedly，doubtless；在口語中使用時，解“不用說”，“難怪”。 No doubt, she has changed her attitude towards learning.無疑，她已改變了對學習的態度。 No doubt, you know the story so well.難怪你對這故事非常熟悉。 The Astronomer An astronomer used to walk out every night to gaze upon the stars. It happened one night that, as he was wandering in the outskirts of the city, with his whole thoughts rapt up in the skies, he fell into a well.On his hollering and calling out, one who heard his cries ran up to him, and when he had listened to his story, said, “My good man, while you are trying to pry into the mysteries of heaven, you overlook the common objects that are under your feet.” —— Aesop outskirt n 郊外（= suburbs） rapt (up) adj 全神貫注 pry v 窺探 overlook v 忽略(= neglect/ignore) 中譯　天文學家 一位天文學家每天晚上出外觀察星宿。一天晚上，他在市郊躑躅前行，只顧仰頭觀察夜空，一不留神掉進一口井着。他大聲喊叫呼救。有人聽到喊聲，跑過來救起他。聽了天文學家所說的因由後，他說：“老兄啊，你只顧探索天上的奧祕，卻連跟前的普通事物也視而不見了。” ——伊索 原來如此！ 此篇喻指任何人在從事某項專業工作或專心於某事或某人的同時，也要注意周圍其他的事或人。同樣，我們也不能專注枝節而忽略主體，以偏蓋全。英語裹也有一句成語：One cannot see the wood for the trees.（見樹不見林）。 增值英語 …used to walk out every night 句式　used to是過去式，表示“過去常常，過去慣常”，不能有現在或將來式。 He used to come here by bus.他以往常坐公共汽車來這裹。 I do not swim in summer as I used to.我現在不再像以前那樣常在夏天游泳了。 It happened one night that… 句式　It happened (that)…解“碰巧”，其中It是形式主語，沒有實義。 It happened that he did not go there yesterday.他昨天碰巧不去那裹。 It happened last week that there was a terrible train accident in the city.上週在市裹，碰巧發生了一場嚴重的火車交通事故。 On his hollering and calling out, … 句式　介詞on意為“在…的時候”、“在…後立即”，一般需接動名詞或名詞。 On arriving there, we all set to work enthusiastically.到達那裹後，我們大家都積極地投入了工作。 On analysis, he found out the cause of his failure.經過分析，他找出了失敗的原因。 while you are trying…, you overlook… 句式　while 連接詞，解“和…同時”、“當…的時候”。 Strike while the iron is hot.趁熱打鐵。 While I’m working at the computer, he’s preparing his proposal.我在電腦上工作時，他在草擬他的計劃書。 to pry into the mysteries of heaven pry into解“窺探”；“打聽、探問”或“ ［喻］挖掘”。 The Boys and the Frogs A troop of boys were playing at the edge of a pond, when, perceiving a number of frogs in the water, they began to pelt at them with stones. They had already killed many of the poor creatures, when one more hardy than the rest putting his head above the water, cried out to them, “Stop your cruel sport, my lads; consider, what is play to you is death to us.” —— Aesop perceive v 覺察 pelt at v 連續地投擊 creature n 生物，動物 hardy adj 耐苦的，堅強的 中譯　男孩和青蛙 一羣孩子在池塘邊玩耍，看見水裹有許多青蛙，就用石子擲牠們。可憐的青蛙被他們砸死了不少。這時，一隻最堅強的青蛙把頭伸出水面，向他們喊道：“孩子們，停止這種殘忍的遊戲吧。要知道，你們的玩樂卻是我們的死亡哩。” ——伊索 原來如此！ 此篇說的是一羣孩子用石子砸死青蛙、破壞生態平衡的故事，喻指世上有些人將自己的幸福建築在別人的痛苦上（building one’s happiness on others’ suffering），從而告誡我們必須尊重別人、尊重大自然及各種生命，並保護生態環境。 增值英語 …playing at the edge of a pond. 句式　at/on the edge of意為“在…邊”或“在…邊緣”。 The town stands at the edge of a plain.這城鎮位於平原邊沿。 I know the company is on the edge of bankruptcy.我瞭解這家公司已瀕臨破產。 they began to pelt at them with stones. 動詞pelt表示“向…投擲（以打擊）”，用途較廣： We were pelting at the enemy troops severely.我們向敵軍猛烈地開火。 The news reporters pelt her with questions.記者們連珠炮似地向她發問。 After I got back yesterday, the rain was pelting down.昨天，我到家後，就下起了傾盆大雨。 what is play to you is death to us. 句式　用作比較時的句型結構是：what is + n/adjto/for oneis +n/adj to/for another。 What is good (useful) for you is bad (useless) for us.對你們來說是好（有用）的，對我們來說卻是壞（毫無用處）的。 What is convenience to you is trouble to us.對你們來說是一種方便，而對我們來說卻是一種麻煩。 The Travellers and the Bear Two friends were travelling on the same road together, when they met with a bear. The one in great fear, without a thought of his companion, climbed up into a tree, and hid himself. The other seeing that he had no chance, single-handed, against the bear, had nothing left but to throw himself on the ground and feign to be dead; for he had heard that the bear will never touch a dead body. As he thus lay, the bear came up to his head, nuzzling and snuffing at at his nose, and ears, and heart, but the man immovably held his breath, and the beast supposing him to be dead, walked away. When the bear was fairly out of and the beast s sight, his companion came down out of of the tree, and asked what it was that the bear whispered to to him; “For, ” says he, he, “I observed he put his mouth very close to your ear.” “Why, ” replied the other, “it was no great secret; he only bade me have a care how I kept company with and the beast s those who, when they get into and the beast s a difficulty, leave their friends in the lurch.” —— Aesop feign v 假裝，佯作 nuzzle v （用鼻子）拱，觸 immovably adj 不動地 bade (bid) v 囑咐 leave (sb) in the lurch n ［口語］丟棄（某人）在危難中 中譯　旅行者和熊 兩個朋友結伴旅行，路上遇見一隻熊。其中一個人嚇壞了，丟下他的同伴不顧，爬到樹上藏起來。另一個人深知單憑自己的力量對付不了這隻熊，只好急忙倒在地上裝死，因為他聽說熊是決不喫死人的。 他躺下不久，熊走近他的頭，把他的鼻子、耳朵和心嗅了一遍。這人一動不動地屏住呼吸。熊以為他真是死人，就走開了。熊走遠後，他的同伴才從樹上爬下來，問他那隻熊跟他嘀咕了些甚麼。還說：“我看見熊把嘴湊到你耳朵上哩。”那人回答說：“哦，這不是甚麼了不起的祕密；熊只不過囑咐我，跟那些遇到危難就把朋友拋棄不顧的人打交道，要多加小心。” ——伊索 原來如此！ 一些平時關係似乎較密切，但遇到困難或危機時卻把朋友拋下不顧的假朋友，連敵人也不如。英語中有一句諺語：Better an open enemy than a false friend.（公開的敵人比虛偽的朋友還好）。相反地，A friend in need is a friend indeed.（患難之交纔是真朋友）。 增值英語 …had nothing left but… 這裹的but是介詞，解作“除了”(= except)。常與否定代詞nothing、nobody等連用。 Nobody knew it but me.除了我以外，沒有人知道這件事。 Last evening I did nothing but read some newspapers.昨晚我除了看些報紙外，沒有做其他的事情。 …held his breath 句式　to hold one’s breath解“（由於激動、害怕等原因而）屏住呼吸”。 I held my breath in excitement when I first saw my idol.當我首次見到我的偶像時，我激動得屏住了呼吸。 They all held their breath when they were waiting for the announcement of results.他們屏息靜氣，等待宣佈成績。 句式　與breath有關的習語還包括： out of breath（喘不過氣來）(= breathless) By the time she had reached the top floor of the house, she was out of breath.當她走到房屋的頂層時，她已喘不過氣來了。 The Miser A miser, to make sure of his property, sold all that he had and converted it into a great lump of gold, which he hid in a hole in the ground, and went continually to visit and inspect it. This roused the curiosity of one of his workmen, who, suspecting that there was a treasure, when his master’s back was turned, went to the spot, and stole it away. When the miser returned and found the place empty, he wept and tore his hair. But a neighbour who saw him in this extravagant grief, and learned the cause of it, said, “Fret yourself no longer, but take a stone and put it in the same place, and think that it is your lump of gold; for, as you never meant to use it, the one will do you as much good as the other.” The worth of money is not in its possession, but in its use. —— Aesop miser n 守財奴 convert v 使變成(= change) inspect v 視察 rouse v 引起；喚起 extravagant adj 極大的 fret v 折磨；使難受 possession n 佔有 中譯　守財奴 一個守財奴，為了確保自己的財產，把所有的一切變賣，換成一大塊金子。他把金子藏在地洞裹，經常到那裹去查看。他的行動引起了一個幫工的好奇；這人猜想那裹必定有寶藏，所以當他的主人走開了，便跑到地洞裹，把金子偷走。 守財奴回來發現洞裹空無一物，急得亂扯頭髮痛哭起來。鄰居看見他那傷心欲絕的樣子，明白了原因以後說：“別傷心了，拿塊石頭放在原處，當做你那塊金子就行了。既然你從不打算用它，那麼，石頭和金塊對你來說不都是一樣嗎。” 金錢的價值不在於佔有，而在於使用。 ——伊索 原來如此！ 人盡其才，物盡其用，才能促進人類社會的繁榮昌盛，正如本篇的結語說：The worth of money is not in its possession but in its use。守財奴則反其道而行，把原有的一切都變賣換成金子，藏在地洞裹。那“原有的一切”倒可能對他有點用處，且不會被偷掉，而這塊埋藏了的金子卻是毫無用處。明智的鄰居一言中的：石頭和金子對守財奴而言都是一樣的。這就是守財奴的悲劇，正如英諺有云：Fools live poor to die rich（只有蠢人才會困苦一生，為的是抱錢而終）。現代美國電腦巨擘比爾·蓋茨(Bill Gates)曾引用美國鋼鐵大王卡內基(Andrew Carnegie, 1835－1919)的一句名言：“The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.”（死時富有，死也蒙羞）。 增值英語 …converted it into a great lump of gold… to convert…into…意為“使…變為…”，與change/turn…into…同義。 We can convert solid into gas.我們能夠把固體變為氣體。 She wants to convert pounds into dollars.她需要把英鎊兌換成美元。 This roused the curiosity of… rouse指“引起；激發”，與arouse相同；可用於一些情緒，如rouse/arouse feelings、interest、anger、sympathy、suspicion等。 His long absence from school aroused the teacher’s suspicion.他長期缺課，惹起老師懷疑。 The poor beggar rouses the sympathy of the passers-by.那可憐的乞丐引起路人同情。

這本書很好，尤其對我這種英文爛的，裏面的故事也很有趣，是一些寓言故事，不長，而且還有對於難詞解釋，五星⭐推薦！