THE SICK MAN AND THE DOCTOR
病人和医生
A Sick Man received a visit from his Doctor，who asked him how he was.“Fairly well，Doctor，”said he，“but I ？nd I sweat a great deal.”“Ah，”said the Doctor，“that’s a good sign.”On his next visit he asked the same question，and his patient replied，“I’m much as usual，but I’ve taken to having shivering ？ts，which leave me cold all over.”“Ah，”said the Doctor，“that’s a good sign too.”When he came the third time and inquired as before about his patient’s health，the Sick Man said that he felt very feverish.“A very good sign，”said the Doctor；“you are doing very nicely indeed.”Afterwards a friend came to see the invalid，and on asking him how he did，received this reply：“My dear friend，I’m dying of good signs.”
｛中文阅读｝
有个人生了病，请医生来看病，医生问他感觉如何。“还好，医生，”他说，“就是发现有点出汗过多。”医生说：“这是好事。”第二次来看病人时，医生又问他同样的问题，他回答说：“和以前差不多，就是有点发抖，总感觉冷。”医生又说：“这也是好现象。”医生第三次来看他，又询问他的健康状况时，病人说感觉自己在发烧。“非常好的现象，”医生说，“其实，你的身体很正常。”随后，病人的一个朋友来看他，并且问他感觉如何，他说：“我就要因为这些好现象而丧命了。”
THE TRAVELLERS AND THE PLANE-TREE
旅人和法国梧桐树
Two Travellers were walking along a bare and dusty road in the heat of a summer’s day.Coming presently to a Plane-tree，they joyfully turned aside to shelter from the burning rays of the sun in the deep shade of its spreading branches.As they rested，looking up into the tree，one of them remarked to his companion，“What a useless tree the Plane is！It bears no fruit and is of no service to man at all.”The Plane-tree interrupted him with indignation.“You ungrateful creature！”it cried：“you come and take shelter under me from the scorching sun，and then，in the very act of enjoying the cool shade of my foliage，you abuse me and call me good for nothing！”
Many a service is met with ingratitude.
｛中文阅读｝
夏季里的一天，正值中午酷热难耐时，两个行人走在空旷且尘土飞扬的马路上。不久，他们来到一棵梧桐树下，躺在茂密树叶遮蔽的阴凉地里休息，从而躲避太阳的毒晒。在休息时，他们抬头看着枝叶四散的大树，其中一人对同伴说：“这棵树没什么用处呀！它没有结果，对人类没有什么好处。”梧桐树生气地打断了他们的谈话。“你们这些不知好歹的家伙！”它吼道，“你们走过来在这里寻找遮挡太阳的避难所，一边享受着我的树叶带来的阴凉，一边还骂我，说我是无用之材！”
好心提供帮助，却遇上了忘恩负义之徒。
THE FLEA AND THE OX
跳蚤和公牛
A Flea once said to an Ox，“How comes it that a big strong fellow like you is content to serve mankind，and do all their hard work for them，while I，who am no bigger than you see，live on their bodies and drink my ？ll of their blood，and never do a stroke for it all？”To which the Ox replied，“Men are very kind to me，and so I am grateful to them：they feed and house me well，and every now and then they show their fondness for me by patting me on the head and neck.”“They’d pat me，too，”said the Flea，“if I let them：but I take good care they don’t，or there would be nothing left of me.”
｛中文阅读｝
有一次，跳蚤问公牛：“像你这般高大强壮的家伙，竟然满足于终日为人类服务，为他们付出辛勤的劳动；而像我这样连你都看不清楚的小虫子，却在人类的肉体上生活，毫无顾忌地吸他们的鲜血，什么劳动也不用付出，你怎么会受得了呢？”公牛回答说：“人类对我很好，所以我很感激他们。他们给我吃的，给我住的，还经常抚摸、拍打我的头和脖子，以示喜爱。”“他们也打我，”跳蚤说，“如果我愿意挨打的话，可是，我很小心地不让他们打我，否则，我的小命可就保不住了。”
THE BIRDS，THE BEASTS，AND THE BAT
鸟、兽和蝙蝠
The Birds were at war with the Beasts，and many battles were fought with varying success on either side.The Bat did not throw in his lot definitely with either party，but when things went well for the Birds he was found ？ghting in their ranks；when，on the other hand，the Beasts got the upper hand，he was to be found among the Beasts.No one paid any attention to him while the war lasted：but when it was over，and peace was restored，neither the Birds nor the Beasts would have anything to do with so double-faced a traitor，and so he remains to this day a solitary outcast from both.
｛中文阅读｝
鸟类和野兽开战了，双方各有胜负，都没占到什么便宜。蝙蝠显然没有明确地加入到任何一方之中，而总是依附强的一方。当鸟类占上风时，就会发现他在鸟群中；而当兽类占上风时，他又跑到了兽群之中。在战争过程中，谁也没有注意到他。然而，战争一结束，鸟和兽宣告和平相处时，都不想要蝙蝠这样的两面派。所以，从此以后，蝙蝠总在白天躲起来，让双方都看不到他。
THE EAGLE，THE JACKDAW，AND THE SHEPHERD
老鹰、寒鸦和牧羊人
One day a Jackdaw saw an Eagle swoop down on a lamb and carry it off in its talons.“My word，”said the Jackdaw，“I’ll do that myself.”So it ？ew high up into the air，and then came shooting down with a great whirring of wings on to the back of a big ram.It had no sooner alighted than its claws got caught fast in the wool，and nothing it could do was of any use：there it stuck，？apping away，and only making things worse instead of better.By and by up came the Shepherd.“Oho，”he said，“so that’s what you’d be doing，is it？”And he took the Jackdaw，and clipped its wings and carried it home to his children.It looked so odd that they didn’t know what to make of it.“What sort of bird is it，father？”they asked.“It’s a Jackdaw，”he replied，“and nothing but a Jackdaw：but it wants to be taken for an Eagle.”
If you attempt what is beyond your power，your trouble will be wasted and you court not only misfortune but ridicule.
｛中文阅读｝
有一天，一只寒鸦看到老鹰从高岩上直飞而下，抓起一只羊羔就飞走了。“我的天呀，”寒鸦说，“我也要试试。”于是，他飞上高空，接着又扑腾着翅膀俯冲下来，扑通一声猛扑到一只公羊背上。刚一飞下来，它的爪子就被羊毛缠住了，无论如何也拔不出来。尽管他使劲拍打着翅膀，可仍然被卡在那里，不但于事无补，反倒更加糟糕了。不久，牧羊人走过来了。“哦，”他说，“这就是你想做的事情，是吗？”他拿起寒鸦，剪断了他的翅膀，带回家给孩子玩。寒鸦的样子非常奇怪，孩子们都不知道它是什么东西。“爸爸，这是一种什么鸟呀？”孩子们问道。牧羊人回答道：“这是一只寒鸦，只不过是一只寒鸦而已，可他却想当一只老鹰。”
如果你想做些超出自己能力范围之外的事，不但徒劳无功，还会给自己带来不幸和世人的嘲笑。
THE WOLF AND THE BOY
狼和男孩
A Wolf，who had just enjoyed a good meal and was in a playful mood，caught sight of a Boy lying ？at upon the ground，and，realising that he was trying to hide，and that it was fear of himself that made him do this，he went up to him and said，“Aha，I’ve found you，you see；but if you can say three things to me，the truth of which cannot be disputed，I will spare your life.”The Boy plucked up courage and thought for a moment，and then he said，“First，it is a pity you saw me；secondly，I was a fool to let myself be seen；and thirdly，we all hate wolves because they are always making unprovoked attacks upon our flocks.”The Wolf replied，“Well，what you say is true enough from your point of view；so you may go.”
｛中文阅读｝
