was fast
dying of hunger and thirst．highlyamused ，dionysus told him to visit the source
of the river pactolus and there wash himself．he obeyed，and was at oncefreed from
the golden touch，but the sands of the river pactolusare bright with gold to this day．
狄俄尼索斯一直在为西勒诺斯担心。现在，他派人问弥达斯有什么要求，他应 该怎样报答他。弥达斯毫不迟疑地回答说，“请恩准使我摸到的一切都变成金子。”然而，变
成金子的不仅仅是石块、花朵和屋内的陈设。他坐下吃饭时，他吃的食物和喝的水也都变成金
子。过了不久，弥达斯恳求狄俄尼索斯使他从他那愿望中解脱开来，因为他饥渴交加，快死
了。狄俄尼索斯逗弄弥达斯，开心得很。他叫弥达斯前往帕克托罗斯河的源头，在河里洗个
澡。弥达斯依法行事，立即解除了点金术，但帕克托罗斯河的沙子至今因含金而闪闪发光。 13/22
英语故事：四只老鼠
英语故事：
Once upon a time, there were four mice that lived in a wall in the field.
很久以前，在田野中的一筑围墙里住着四只老鼠。
Summer was coming, and so the mice came out of the wall to collect berries, nuts, corn and straw. Everyone was working very hard, day and night.
Everyone was working very hard, except, Frederick.
夏天来了，老鼠们走出墙外去收集浆果、坚果、玉米粒和稻草。他们从早到晚玩 努力工作，除了弗雷德里克。
“Why aren’t you working, Frederick?” his friends asked him. “oh, but I am.” Frederick told them. “I’m collecting the sunshine for the cold, dark winter.”
“弗雷德里克，你为什么不工作？”他的朋友们问他。“我在工作吖。”弗雷德
里克说,\我在为寒冷的深冬收集阳光呢。”
A few days later his friends asked him again “why aren’t you working, Frederick?” “Oh, but I am.” Frederick told them. “I’m collecting colors for
the long, grey winter.”
几天过后，他的朋友们再一次问道，“弗雷德里克，你为什么不工作？”他的朋 友们问他。“我在工作吖。”弗雷德里克说,\我在为漫长的灰白色冬天收集色彩呢。”
A few days later his friends asked him again “why aren’t you working, Frederick?” “Oh, but I am.” Frederick told them. “I’m collecting words for
the long, quiet winter.”
几天过后，他的朋友们再一次问道，“弗雷德里克，你为什么不工作？”他的朋 友们问他。“我在工作吖。”弗雷德里克说,\我在为漫长寂静的冬天收集言语呢。” Soon, the first snow came, and the four mice went back into the wall. 14/22
They ate their berries and they ate their nuts and they ate their corn and they
ate their straw. But time passed, and time passed, and soon there were no more
berries, and soon there were no more nuts and soon there were no more corn and
soon there were no more straw.
很快，第一场雪就到了，四只老鼠回到了洞中。他们吃着浆果、坚果、玉米粒和 稻草。但是随着时间的推移，他们没有浆果、坚果、玉米粒和稻草这些吃的东西了。
Now the winter was cold and dark, long and quiet. The mice were sad and hungry. Then they remembered Frederick.
现在冬天又冷又黑暗，漫长又寂静。老鼠们饥肠辘辘。这时候他们想起了弗雷德 里克。
“Hey, Frederick, can you show us what you collected for the winter.”
“嘿，弗雷德里克，能给我们看看你为冬天收集的东西吗？”
“Ok,” said Frederick, “close your eyes. Here is my sunshine for the cold, dark winter.” And Frederick began to tell his friends some stories, and the
mice to feel warmer and warmer.
\好的,\弗雷德里克说，“闭上你们的眼睛。这里有我为寒冷冬天收集的阳光。” 接着弗雷德里克为他的朋友们讲故事，小老鼠们感觉越来越温暖起来。 “Great, Frederick! How about the colors and the words?” “ 很好，弗雷德里克！那么色彩和语言呢？”
“Ok,” said Frederick, “close your eyes” and he told them about the blue skies, and he told them about the red poppies, and he told them about the
green grass, and he told them about the purple berries, and he told them about the
yellow corn of summer.
\好的,\弗雷德里克说，“闭上你们的眼睛。他开始给他们 .夏天蓝色的天 空、红色的罂粟花、绿色的小草、紫色的浆果和黄色的玉米粒。
“That’s wonderful, Frederick, thank you.” Said the mice. “We’ve learned
something about you”, they told him.
“太棒了，弗雷德里克，谢谢你。”小老鼠们说道。“我们跟你学到了很多东 西。”
What do you think they learned? 你知道它们学到了什么吗？ 15/22
少儿英语故事:牙齿仙女
Primitive peoples believe that hair， nail clippings， and lost teeth remain
magically linked to the owner even after they have been disconnected from his
body. As any voodoo artist will tell you， if you want to grind someone into
powder， you don't need to touch him at all. It's quite enough to stamp on a
missing molar and let \magic\do the rest. This is why peoples all over
the world traditionally hide lost body parts， lest they fall into the wrong hands.
远古时期的人们认为毛发、剪下的指甲和脱落的牙齿即使离开了人的身体，仍与其主人保持着
神秘的联系。正如任何一个伏都教大师都会告诉你的，假如你想置某人于死地，根本用不着去 碰他，只需用脚踩碎那人脱落的一颗臼齿就够了，剩下的事就交给“无边的法力”去办。这就
是为什么全世界各个民族都习惯于把身体上脱落的东西藏起来，以免落入恶人之手。
American children's ritual of hiding lost teeth under their pillows probably derives distantly from this practice. But there is an obvious difference， for when Suzie conceals her baby milk-tooth， she fully expects it to be found， and
by a good magician， not an evil one. Moreover， she expects to be paid for having
surrendered it， and at the going rate. Nothing mare clearly suggests the blithe
commercial gusto of our culture than this transformation of a fearful superstition
into a cheery business transaction.
美国儿童把脱落的牙齿藏到枕头下的习惯做法很可能与这个习俗稍有联系。但两者又有明显的
差别，因为当小苏珊把她的乳牙藏起来时，她其实满心希望有个善良的，而不是邪恶的巫师能
发现她的牙齿。而且由于交出了牙齿，她还希望按现行价格得到报偿。我们把可怕的迷信变成
了愉快的商业交易，没有什么比这更明白地表明我们文化中的令人愉快的商业热情。
Because American children expect fair exchange for their lost teeth， it is likely
that the tooth fairy ritual derives more immediately from the European， and
particularly German， tradition of placing a lost tooth in a mouse or a rat hole.
The folk belief governing this practice is that when a new tooth grows in， it
will possess the dental qualities， not of the original， lost tooth， but of
whatever creature finds it， so the creatures of choice would be those
world-class
champers， the rodents.
因为美国孩子希望用他们脱落的牙齿作公平交易，所以牙齿仙女的习俗可能更直接渊源于欧洲 风俗，尤其是德国风俗中把脱落的牙齿放在老鼠洞里的传统做法。这种习俗依据的民间观念认
为，新牙长出来时不具有原先脱落的牙齿的特质，哪种动物发现了掉下来的牙，新牙就具有那
种动物的牙的特质。因此，要选那些世界一流的擅长啃咬的动物，那些啮齿目动物。
Thus the optimistic， \Germany and
was brought here by German immigrants. It was only left to America to replace the
beneficent “tooth rat” with the more agreeable fairy and to replace the traditional hope of hard molars with our more characteristic hope of hard cash.
因此，这种乐观的“公平交易”原则很可能发源于德国，并由德国移民带到了这里。美国人只
是把好心的“牙齿老鼠”换成了更可亲的仙女，而传统上人们希望长出坚固的牙齿，到我们这
儿却变成了希望拿到现金，这就更具有我们的特色。 16/22
英语故事：小马过河
How a Colt Crossed the River
One day, a colt took a bag of wheat to the mill. As he was running with the bag on his back, he came to a small river. The colt could not decide whether
he could cross it. Looking around, he saw a cow grazing nearby. He asked, “Aunt
Cow, could you tell me if I can cross the river?” The cow told him that he could
and that the river was not very deep, just knee high.
一天，一匹小马驮着麦子去磨坊。当它驮着口袋向前跑去时，突然发现一条小河 挡住了去路。小马为难了，这可怎么办呢？它向四周望了望，看见一头奶牛在河边吃草。小马
非常适合儿童英语简单小故事大全
