轻松背单词新浪微博 轻松背单词腾讯微博
轻松背单词微信服务号
当前位置:首页 -> 10级英语阅读 - > 格林童话英文版:The Good Bargain
格林童话英文版:The Good Bargain
添加时间:2014-03-06 14:18:59 浏览次数: 作者:Grimms
Tip:点击数字可快速查看单词解释  
  • There was once a peasant who had driven his cow to the fair, and sold her for seven talers. On the way home he had to pass a pond, and already from afar he heard the frogs crying, aik, aik, aik, aik. Well, said he to himself, they are talking without rhyme or reason, it is seven that I have received, not eight. When he got to the water, he cried to them, stupid animals that you are. Don't you know better than that. It is seven thalers and not eight. The frogs, however, stuck to their, aik aik, aik, aik. Come, then, if you won't believe it, I can count it out to you. And he took his money out of his pocket and counted out the seven talers, always reckoning four and twenty groschen to a taler. The frogs, however, paid no attention to his reckoning, but still cried, aik, aik, aik, aik. What, cried the peasant, quite angry, if you know better than I, count it yourselves, and threw all the money at them into the water. He stood still and wanted to wait until they were through and had returned to him what was his, but the frogs maintained their opinion and cried continually, aik, aik, aik, aik. And besides that, did not throw the money out again. He still waited a long while until evening came on and he was forced to go home. Then he abused the frogs and cried, you water-splashers, you thick-heads, you goggle-eyes, you have great mouths and can screech1 till you hurt one's ears, but you cannot count seven talers. Do you think I'm going to stand here till you get through. And with that he went away, but the frogs still cried, aik, aik, aik, aik, after him till he went home sorely vexed2. After a while he bought another cow, which he slaughtered3, and he made the calculation that if he sold the meat well he might gain as much as the two cows were worth, and have the hide into the bargain. When therefore he got to the town with the meat, a great pack of dogs were gathered together in front of the gate, with a large greyhound at the head of them, which jumped at the meat, sniffed4 at it, and barked, wow, wow, wow. As there was no stopping him, the peasant said to him, yes, yes, I know quite well that you are saying wow, wow, wow, because you want some of the meat, but I should be in a fine state if I were to give it to you. The dog, however, answered nothing but wow, wow. Will you promise not to devour5 it all then, and will you go bail6 for your companions. Wow, wow, wow, said the dog. Well, if you insist on it, I will leave it for you, I know you well, and know whom you serve, but this I tell you, I must have my money in three days or else it will go ill with you, you can just bring it out to me. Thereupon he unloaded the meat and turned back again. The dogs fell upon it and loudly barked, wow, wow. The countryman, who heard them from afar, said to himself, hark, now they all want some, but the big one is responsible to me for it. When three days had passed, the countryman thought, to-night my money will be in my pocket, and was quite delighted. But no one would come and pay it. There is no trusting any one now, said he. At last he lost patience, and went into the town to the butcher and demanded his money. The butcher thought it was a joke, but the peasant said, jesting apart, I will have my money. Did not the big dog bring you the whole of the slaughtered cow three days ago. Then the butcher grew angry, snatched a broomstick and drove him out. Wait, said the peasant, there is still some justice in the world, and went to the royal palace and begged for an audience. He was led before the king, who sat there with his daughter, and asked him what injury he had suffered. Alas7, said he, the frogs and the dogs have taken from me what is mine, and the butcher has paid me for it with the stick. And he related at full length what had happened. Thereupon the king's daughter began to laugh heartily8, and the king said to him, I cannot give you justice in this, but you shall have my daughter to wife for it - in her whole life she has never yet laughed as she has just done at you, and I have promised her to him who could make her laugh. You may thank God for your good fortune. Oh, answered the peasant, I do not want her at all. I have a wife already, and she is one too many for me, when I go home, it is just as if I had a wife standing9 in every corner. Then the king grew angry, and said, you are a boor10. Ah, lord king, replied the peasant, what can you expect from an ox, but beef. Stop, answered the king, you shall have another reward. Be off now, but come back in three days, and then you shall have five hundred counted out in full. When the peasant went out by the gate, the sentry11 said, you have made the king's daughter laugh, so you will certainly receive something good. Yes, that is what I think, answered the peasant, five hundred are to be counted out to me. Listen, said the soldier, give me some of it. What can you do with all that money. As it is you, said the peasant, you shall have two hundred, present yourself in three days, time before the king, and let it be paid to you. A Jew, who was standing by and had heard the conversation, ran after the peasant, held him by the coat, and said, oh, wonder of God, what a child of fortune you are. I will change it for you, I will change it for you into small coins, what do you want with the great talers. Jew, said the countryman, three hundred can you still have, give it to me at once in coin, in three days from this, you will be paid for it by the king. The Jew was delighted with the small profit, and brought the sum in bad groschen, three of which were worth two good ones. After three days had passed, according to the king's command, the peasant went before the king. Pull his coat off, said the latter, and he shall have his five hundred. Ah, said the peasant, they no longer belong to me, I presented two hundred of them to the sentry, and three hundred the Jew has changed for me, so by right nothing at all belongs to me. In the meantime the soldier and the Jew entered and claimed what they had gained from the peasant, and they received the blows strictly12 counted out. The soldier bore it patiently and knew already how it tasted, but the Jew said sorrowfully, alas, alas, are these the heavy talers. The king could not help laughing at the peasant, and when all his anger was spent, he said, as you have already lost your reward before it fell to your lot, I will give you compensation. Go into my treasure chamber13 and get some money for yourself, as much as you will. The peasant did not need to be told twice, and stuffed into his big pockets whatsoever14 would go in. Afterwards he went to an inn and counted out his money. The Jew had crept after him and heard how he muttered to himself, that rogue15 of a king has cheated me after all, why could he not have given me the money himself, and then I should have known what I had. How can I tell now if what I have had the luck to put in my pockets is right or not. Good heavens, said the Jew to himself, that man is speaking disrespectfully of our lord the king, I will run and inform, and then I shall get a reward, and he will be punished as well. When the king heard of the peasant's words he fell into a passion, and commanded the Jew to go and bring the offender16 to him. The Jew ran to the peasant, you are to go at once to the lord king in the very clothes you have on. I know what's right better than that, answered the peasant, I shall have a new coat made first. Do you think that a man with so much money in his pocket should go there in his ragged17 old coat. The Jew, as he saw that the peasant would not stir without another coat, and as he feared that if the king's anger cooled, he himself would lose his reward, and the peasant his punishment, said, I will out of pure friendship lend you a coat for the short time. What people will not do for love. The peasant was contented18 with this, put the Jew's coat on, and went off with him. The king reproached the countryman because of the evil speaking of which the Jew had informed him. Ah, said the peasant, what a Jew says is always false - no true word ever comes out of his mouth. That rascal19 there is capable of maintaining that I have his coat on. What is that, shrieked20 the Jew, is the coat not mine. Have I not lent it to you out of pure friendship, in order that you might appear before the lord king. When the king heard that, he said, the Jew has assuredly deceived one or the other of us, either myself or the peasant. And again he ordered something to be counted out to him in hard thalers. The peasant, however, went home in the good coat, with the good money in his pocket, and said to himself, this time I have made it.



    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 screech [skri:tʃ] uDkzc   第10级
    n./v.尖叫;(发出)刺耳的声音
    参考例句:
    • He heard a screech of brakes and then fell down. 他听到汽车刹车发出的尖锐的声音,然后就摔倒了。
    • The screech of jet planes violated the peace of the afternoon. 喷射机的尖啸声侵犯了下午的平静。
    2 vexed [vekst] fd1a5654154eed3c0a0820ab54fb90a7   第8级
    adj.争论不休的;(指问题等)棘手的;争论不休的问题;烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 );使苦恼;使生气;详细讨论
    参考例句:
    • The conference spent days discussing the vexed question of border controls. 会议花了几天的时间讨论边境关卡这个难题。
    • He was vexed at his failure. 他因失败而懊恼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    3 slaughtered [ˈslɔ:təd] 59ed88f0d23c16f58790fb11c4a5055d   第8级
    v.屠杀,杀戮,屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    4 sniffed [snift] ccb6bd83c4e9592715e6230a90f76b72   第7级
    v.以鼻吸气,嗅,闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 );抽鼻子(尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气);抱怨,不以为然地说
    参考例句:
    • When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣,吸了吸鼻子,擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    5 devour [dɪˈvaʊə(r)] hlezt   第7级
    vt.吞没;贪婪地注视或谛听,贪读;使着迷
    参考例句:
    • Larger fish devour the smaller ones. 大鱼吃小鱼。
    • Beauty is but a flower which wrinkle will devour. 美只不过是一朵花,终会被皱纹所吞噬。
    6 bail [beɪl] Aupz4   第8级
    vt.舀(水),保释;n.保证金,保释,保释人
    参考例句:
    • One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out. 犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
    • She has been granted conditional bail. 她被准予有条件保释。
    7 alas [əˈlæs] Rx8z1   第10级
    int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)
    参考例句:
    • Alas! The window is broken! 哎呀! 窗子破了!
    • Alas, the truth is less romantic. 然而,真理很少带有浪漫色彩。
    8 heartily [ˈhɑ:tɪli] Ld3xp   第8级
    adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很
    参考例句:
    • He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse. 他痛快地吃了一顿,就出去找他的马。
    • The host seized my hand and shook it heartily. 主人抓住我的手,热情地和我握手。
    9 standing [ˈstændɪŋ] 2hCzgo   第8级
    n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
    参考例句:
    • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing. 地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
    • They're standing out against any change in the law. 他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
    10 boor [bʊə(r)] atRzU   第12级
    n.举止粗野的人;乡下佬
    参考例句:
    • I'm a bit of a boor, so I hope you won't mind if I speak bluntly. 我是一个粗人,说话直来直去,你可别见怪。
    • He is skettical to the intellectual, and he despises the boor. 他对知识分子有戒心,更瞧不起乡下人。
    11 sentry [ˈsentri] TDPzV   第10级
    n.哨兵,警卫
    参考例句:
    • They often stood sentry on snowy nights. 他们常常在雪夜放哨。
    • The sentry challenged anyone approaching the tent. 哨兵查问任一接近帐篷的人。
    12 strictly [ˈstrɪktli] GtNwe   第7级
    adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地
    参考例句:
    • His doctor is dieting him strictly. 他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
    • The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence. 客人严格按照地位高低就座。
    13 chamber [ˈtʃeɪmbə(r)] wnky9   第7级
    n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
    参考例句:
    • For many, the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber. 对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
    • The chamber was ablaze with light. 会议厅里灯火辉煌。
    14 whatsoever [ˌwɒtsəʊ'evə] Beqz8i   第8级
    adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么
    参考例句:
    • There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion. 没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
    • All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. 你想别人对你怎样,你就怎样对人。
    15 rogue [rəʊg] qCfzo   第12级
    n.流氓;v.游手好闲
    参考例句:
    • The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on. 这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
    • They defined him as a rogue. 他们确定他为骗子。
    16 offender [əˈfendə(r)] ZmYzse   第8级
    n.冒犯者,违反者,犯罪者
    参考例句:
    • They all sued out a pardon for an offender. 他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
    • The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released. 当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。
    17 ragged [ˈrægɪd] KC0y8   第7级
    adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的
    参考例句:
    • A ragged shout went up from the small crowd. 这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
    • Ragged clothing infers poverty. 破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
    18 contented [kənˈtentɪd] Gvxzof   第8级
    adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
    参考例句:
    • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office. 不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
    • The people are making a good living and are contented, each in his station. 人民安居乐业。
    19 rascal [ˈrɑ:skl] mAIzd   第9级
    n.流氓;不诚实的人
    参考例句:
    • If he had done otherwise, I should have thought him a rascal. 如果他不这样做,我就认为他是个恶棍。
    • The rascal was frightened into holding his tongue. 这坏蛋吓得不敢往下说了。
    20 shrieked [ʃri:kt] dc12d0d25b0f5d980f524cd70c1de8fe   第7级
    v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • She shrieked in fright. 她吓得尖叫起来。
    • Li Mei-t'ing gave a shout, and Lu Tzu-hsiao shrieked, "Tell what? 李梅亭大声叫,陆子潇尖声叫:“告诉什么? 来自汉英文学 - 围城

    文章评论 共有评论 0查看全部

      会员登陆
      热门单词标签
    我的单词印象
    我的理解: