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A man was strolling along the beach when he suddenly noticed from afar what he thought were children dancing. “What on earth are they doing dancing on the beach?” as he quickly paced towards them. He was surprised that a boy and a girl were not dancing but picking up the starfishes which were washed ashore by the tide and throwing them back into the sea.
“Excuse me，why are you throwing the starfishes back into the sea?” he asked.
The children ignored the remark but they continued picking up the starfishes and kept throwing them back into the sea.
“Don't you think it is a waste of your time as there are hundreds of starfishes still lying around. Surely you can't keep this act all day long.”
At last the elder boy replied， “Sir，you see the sun would soon rise and the tide will ebb away. Though my sister and I can't throw all the starfishes back into the sea，we are sure it matters to the ones we succeed in throwing. Would you like to join us，it would make a difference.” The man smiled and said， “It certainly would，” so he too pick up the starfishes and threw them into the sea.
有个人在沙滩上散步，在不经意间看到远处好像有孩子们在跳舞。 “他们为什么要在沙滩上跳舞呢？” 他边想边快速地朝孩子们走去。他惊奇地发现，男孩和女孩并不是在跳舞，而是在捡被海潮冲上岸来的海星，然后把它们扔回大海。
“请问，你们为什么要把海星扔回大海呢？” 他问。
孩子们没有理会他，继续捡海星向大海扔去。
“你们不觉得这是在浪费时间吗？还有成千上万只海星躺在岸上呢！你们肯定不会一整天都这样扔下去吧。”
后来，年龄大一点儿的男孩说， “先生，你知道吗，太阳很快就要升起来了，潮水也会退去。虽然我和妹妹不能把所有的海星都扔回大海，但我相信，对于被我们扔回大海的海星来说，我们所做的是至关重要的。你想加入我们吗？这很有意义。” 那人笑了笑说： “非常愿意。” 于是，他也捡起海星，朝大海扔去。
Negligence
玩物丧志
This is a very well-known story that teaches us a lot about using our time wisely.
A grasshopper was playing on his violin where the ants were busy collecting food.
“It's the grasshopper again！” they said. “He's always playing that violin of his. He never seems to do any work.”
The grasshopper stopped when he saw the ants. “Why are you working on such a beautiful day?” he asked. “Don't you feel the gaiety of spring? Why aren't you dancing and singing while I play my violin?”
“We must collect food now，” said the Queen of ants. “If we don't ，what will we do when winter comes?”
“Oh，winter's a long way off，” said the grasshopper. “You take life much too seriously.”
“But you must work today if you want to eat tomorrow，” said the little ant. “You can play your violin after you have finished working，” said another as the ants scurried busily about.
The grasshopper didn't wish to heed their advice， “Go on with your work，my little friends，” he said. “I 'm going to dance in the meadow in the sun！” And so the grasshopper left the busy ants and went on his way，singing.
The spring soon passed and the warm days of summer came. All day long the grasshopper played his violin as he sat in the sun or just slept on a blade of grass. Soon summer was over.
One morning，the grasshopper woke up and was surprised to see that snow had fallen during the night. He shivered and looked for a great leaf for food. But although he searched and searched he could not find a thing. The long winter had come.
“Oh dear，oh dear！What shall I do?” cried the grasshopper， “I shall die of hunger. I shall freeze to death！” The grasshopper wandered around looking for a place to keep warm but there was no such place. “How silly I was not to listen to the ants. While I am dying of cold and hunger they are sitting in their warm nest with plenty to eat.”
And sobbing loudly，the grasshopper sat down in the snow. The ants heard his cry and as they were really kind creatures they came hurrying to help him. By this time the poor grasshopper was frozen stiff. The ants picked him up and carried him to their nest. They looked after the grasshopper until he felt better and spring had returned again. Never did the grasshopper forget the lesson he had been taught.
这是一个大家熟知的故事，它告诉我们要明智地利用时间。
蚱蜢在拉小提琴，而蚂蚁却在忙着收集食物。
“又是蚱蜢。” 它们说， “它总是在拉小提琴，似乎从来不工作。”
蚱蜢看见蚂蚁后停了下来。 “这么好的天气，干嘛工作呢？” 它问道， “你们不觉得在春天心情是多么的舒畅吗？我拉小提琴的时候，你们可以唱唱歌，跳跳舞啊！”
“现在我们必须要收集食物。” 蚁后说， “否则，我们冬天怎么办呢？”
“哦，冬天还很远呢！” 蚱蜢说道， “你们对待生活太认真啦。”
“但是，今天的工作是为了明天的生活。” 小蚂蚁说。 “你做完工作后再拉小提琴啊。” 另一只忙于工作的蚂蚁说。
蚱蜢却从来没有听从蚂蚁的建议。 “我的小朋友们，你们继续工作吧。” 它说， “我要到阳光照耀下的草地上跳舞去了。” 蚱蜢唱着歌离开了忙碌的蚂蚁。
春天很快过去了，炎热的夏天来了。蚱蜢只是整日坐在太阳下，或躺在草叶上拉小提琴。很快夏天也结束了。
一天早上，蚱蜢醒来后惊讶地发现昨天晚上下雪了。它哆嗦着想去寻找一片大叶子作食物，但是它找啊找，可是什么也没找到。漫长的冬天到来了。
“噢，天哪！我该怎么办呢？” 蚱蜢哀嚎着， “我要被饿死，冻死了。” 蚱蜢四处徘徊着想找一个御寒的地方，但是根本找不到。 “我真是太傻了，没有听蚂蚁们的话。我快要被冻死饿死的时候，它们却呆在温暖的巢穴里，不愁吃的。”
蚱蜢坐在雪地上大哭起来。善良的蚂蚁们听到它的哭声后，急忙赶来帮忙。等它们到那儿，可怜的蚱蜢已经冻僵了。蚂蚁把它扶起来，抬到它们的巢穴里。它们一直照料着蚱蜢直到它好转，这时春天也来了。从此，蚱蜢再也没有忘记曾经的教训。
单词注解
ashore ad. 在岸上；在陆上；上岸
gaiety n. 快乐；作乐
heed v. 听某人的劝告，留心
stiff a. 僵硬的；不灵活的
实用句型
Sir，you see the sun would soon rise and the tide will ebb away.
先生，你知道吗，太阳很快就要升起来了，潮水也会退去。
All day long the grasshopper played his violin as he sat in the sun or just slept on a blade of grass.
蚱蜢只是整日坐在太阳下，或躺在草叶上拉小提琴。
智慧点津
The assist of one person is tiny. But to those who badly need the help，it makes a difference.
一个人的力量是渺小的，但是对于那些需要这些帮助的人来说，那将是莫大的安慰。
Do right things at the proper time，or it's too late to regret for what has passed.
在合适的时节做应该做的事，否则，错过时节才顿然醒悟却已为时已晚。
Now and Then
此一时，彼一时
One day，a king was travelling in his own land. He saw a farmer so absorbed in his work that he did not even notice a snake coiling round his leg.
The king shouted， “Dear man，there is a snake on your leg！”
The farmer just shook the snake off and continued his work.
The king was very curious and asked， “Dear man，don't you know that the snake can harm you? You ignored it and kept working. Is the work more important than your life?”
The farmer said， “Your Majesty，the only thing that is threatening me is not the snake but the food. If I don't work hard，when the next spring comes，my family members will starve to death！”
The king sympathized with the farmer and he instructed his prime minister to give the farmer a big sum of money.
A year later，the king met the farmer again. He was well dressed and looked rather plump. He was not farming now but there was a bandage on his right arm.
The king asked him， “Dear man，what happened to your arm?”
“Your Majesty，” the farmer replied， “my finger was pricked by a thorn on the pumpkin. Now I need a rest to take care of my arm.”
The king was astonished. “When you were such a poor man，you were not afraid of a snake bite. You only kept working hard. But now you need a rest after being pricked by a little thorn on the pumpkin！”
The farmer said， “Your Majesty，you have forgotten what people usually say: that was before，now it is different！”
一天，国王正在他的国家巡游，看见一个农夫正专心地锄地，以至连一条蛇缠住他的脚都没有发觉。
国王大声惊叫起来： “汉子，你的脚被一条蛇缠住了呀！”
农夫抖了抖腿把蛇甩开，然后继续锄地。
国王感到很奇怪，问： “汉子，你不知道那蛇会咬伤你吗？你却满不在乎地干活，难道干活比你的命还重要吗？”
农夫说： “陛下，真正威胁我生命的不是蛇，而是食物。如果我不拼命耕作，明年春天一到，我一家老小就全饿死了！”
国王听了，很同情这个农夫的处境，他命令首相给了农夫一大笔救济金。
一年后，国王又遇见了那个农夫。他衣着华丽，脑满肠肥，甚为富裕。他没有锄地，右臂缠着绷带。
国王上前问他： “汉子，你的胳膊怎么啦？”
“陛下！” 农夫答道， “我的手指被黄瓜刺扎了一下。现在我需要休息来养养胳膊。”
国王惊叹道： “啊！想当年你穷的时候，蛇都不怕，拼命地干活。现在让南瓜刺扎了一下就想歇息了！”
农夫说： “尊敬的国王，您忘了人们常说：此一时，彼一时嘛！”
An Old Gardener and a Tortoise
园丁与乌龟
One early morning，an old gardener found his garden in a mess and lots of his flowers missing. He was so angry that he shouted， “Who dares to mess up my garden? Who has done this?”
In order to protect his remaining flowers from being destroyed，he decided to lock the garden gate in the evening.
The next morning，the old gardener discovered some of his flowers missing again. The angry old gardener decided to find out how that happened.
When night came，he sat quietly to watch his garden. Soon he saw a tortoise moving slowly into the garden. Once inside，it opened its mouth so wide that it took only one bite to swallow the whole flower.
The gardener shouted， “I've caught you this time！”
The tortoise quickly said， “Please forgive me！” But the old gardener shook his head， “no way”. “My kind lord，if you really want to punish me，” continued the poor tortoise， “I will not resist because I am the one that is guilty. But，no matter what you decide，please do not drown me in the water. It is too painful to die that way.”
“Since you have destroyed so many of my beautiful flowers，I must punish you！” said the old gardener and he immediately threw the tortoise into a lake next to his garden.
After a while，the tortoise surfaced and swam about happily. The old gardener then realised that he had been tricked because the tortoise was not afraid of the water.
一天早晨，一个老园丁发现自己的花园里一片凌乱，花儿也少了很多。老园丁很生气，他嚷道： “是谁把我的花园搞的一团糟！是谁干的！”
为了不让花儿再遭到破坏，老园丁便在夜里把栅门紧紧地关了起来。
第二天一早，老园丁发现花儿又少了。气愤的老园丁决定要查个水落石出。
到了晚上，老园丁静静地守在花丛中。这时，他看到一只乌龟慢慢地爬进花园里。乌龟进来后，张开大嘴，一口就把一朵花儿吃掉了。
“这回我可抓住你了。” 老园丁喊了起来。
乌龟哀求道： “饶了我吧！” 但是老园丁摇着头说： “门儿都没有” 。 “仁慈的老先生，如果你非要处死我不可，” 乌龟装出一副可怜的样子 “我也只好认命了，毕竟是我做了错事，理应受到惩罚。可是，你用什么方法处死我都行，就是别淹死我，因为淹死实在是太难受了。”
“你毁了我那么多漂亮的花儿，我必须惩罚你！” 话音未落，老园丁就把乌龟扔到花园旁的湖里。
不一会儿，乌龟从湖里冒出头来，自由自在地游来游去。老园丁这才意识到自己被骗了，因为乌龟根本就不怕水。
单词注解
absorbed v. 被……吸引住；专心致志；全神贯注
starve v. (使) 挨饿，饥饿
plump a. (指动物、人) 圆胖的；丰满的
swallow v. 吃掉；吞，咽
resist v. 抵抗；对抗
painful a. 疼的；痛苦的
实用句型
The king sympathized with the farmer and he instructed his prime minister to give the farmer a big sum of money.
国王听了，很同情这个农夫的处境，他命令首相给了农夫一大笔救济金。
Who dares to mess up my garden?
是谁把我的花园搞的一团糟！
智慧点津
Life is impermanent，wisdom is eternal.
生命无常，智慧永存。
A fall into the pit，a gain in your wit.
吃一堑，长一智。
The Greedy Badger
贪婪的獾
One day，at a farmhouse，a hunting dog saw a fox catching a fat hen. The fox held the hen in its jaws and ran off into the jungle. The hunting dog chased the fox who could not run fast enough because of the hen held between his jaws.
When the fox passed by a badger outside his cave，the fox put down the dead hen and said， “Brother Badger，I have stolen this hen from a farm. Would you please hide it in your cave first，and we can enjoy our dinner later together?”
The badger happily carried the big fat hen into his cave while the fox quickly ran off.
The hunting dog reached the cave and stopped when he saw some blood stains at the entrance.
The badger shouted from inside the cave， “Dear Hunting Dog，the chicken was stolen by the fox. I am not the one responsible！”
The hunting dog replied， “The fox was a thief but you are a greedy badger！” The hunting dog immediately went inside the cave and killed the badger.
有一天，狐狸在农舍偷肥母鸡时被猎狗发现了。狐狸叼起那只鸡拼命地往森林里逃。狐狸因为叼着母鸡，跑不快，猎狗在后面紧追不舍。
这时，正巧碰到一只獾在洞口附近徘徊，狐狸放下那只死鸡，说道： “獾老弟，我从农舍偷了一只肥母鸡，你先叼回洞里去吧，晚上咱们一同分享好吗？”
獾兴高采烈地把它叼进洞穴里去了。狐狸飞快地逃走了。
猎狗追到这个洞时便停了下来，因为它看见洞穴入口处有鸡的血迹。
獾在洞里吓得大叫： “猎狗大叔，鸡是狐狸偷的，不关我事！”
猎狗呵斥道： “狐狸是盗贼，而你是贪便宜的同谋！” 猎狗立即跑进洞里咬死了獾。
The Dog and the Cat
狗和猫
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.
上古时期，只有猫有根据气味来追寻猎物的本领，而别的动物只能靠眼睛去发现猎物。
狗知道这是一种极好的狩猎方法。于是，狗决定去找猫。
“猫先生，根据气味来追寻猎物这种方法既灵验又方便，你能传授我这门本领吗？”
猫答应了狗的请求，并让狗在学习时间住在自己的家里。过了几天，狗认为自己已经掌握了这门本领，便想回家。
猫说： “你还没有学会全部的本事呢！你还得再呆些日子！”
“但是我现在必须回家呀。” 狗坚持说。
“那好吧！” 猫说， “但你今天别回，明天再回吧！”
第二天一早，猫对妻子说： “狗来告别时，你就告诉它我出去了。它问我到哪儿去了，你就说不知道。”
不一会儿，狗来了。 “老师呢？” 狗问道。
“它一早就出门了，我不知道它上哪儿去啦。” 猫的妻子回答道。
其实猫是要考一考狗是否已学会了根据气味来寻找猎物的本领。于是，狗开始顺着猫的脚印去追踪猫的去向。可是，猫离开家走了一段路后，就没有在地上行走。它从一块石头跳到另一块石头上，然后跳进一个山洞，又从另一个洞口爬出来，最后跳到了一棵大树上。
狗根据猫那若隐若现的脚印，找到了两块石头。它也进了山洞，并竭力从另一洞口出来。最后，当狗走到树下时，猫的脚印没有了。狗找不到猫的痕迹，就绕着树走来走去。
猫在树上，把这一切情形看得清清楚楚。最后，猫说： “往上看！你还没有学好本事，就打算匆匆离去，结果还不是一只没学问的狗！”
直到今天，狗只会在地面上追寻猎物。
单词注解
cave n. 洞穴；山洞
vanish v. 消失，消没
trace v. 跟踪，追踪
ignorant a. 无知的，愚昧的
实用句型
The badger happily carried the big fat hen into his cave while the fox quickly ran off.
獾兴高采烈地把它叼进洞穴里去了。狐狸飞快地逃走了。
You have not completely learnt the skill and yet you are ready to leave.
你还没有学好本事，就打算匆匆离去。
智慧点津
An actual blessing may be misfortune.
福兮祸所伏。
We need perseverance to learn something well.
学习要持之以恒。
Real Courage