开口英语

The Dog and His Reflection 狗和他的倒影

Ralph is a dog. He is always hungry. His master is a very lazy man. He only feeds Ralph once a day.
Ralph: When will my master wake up?
When will he feed me today?
I’m really hungry right now.
I can’t wait any longer.
I’ll get some food by myself.

Ralph goes out of the house. He walks and walks. He looks for food. He can’t find any anywhere. Ralph also gets lost.
Ralph: I can’t find any food.
And now I am lost.
I should have stayed at home.
My master might be awake by now.
I am so hungry. Boo-hoo-hoo.

Ralph is very tired and sits down to rest for a while. He hears music coming from a house.
Ralph: Hey, what’s that sound? It’s music.
It’s coming from that house.
I’ll get closer and take a look.

Ralph looks inside the house through an open window.
Ralph: There are lots of people inside.
Any it is very noisy.
They must be having a party.
Oh, I see lots and lots of food inside, too.
How can I get some food?

Ralph tries to think of a way to get inside. Finally, he waits until no one is looking and quickly runs in. everyone is singing and dancing and having fun.
Ralph: Look at all the happy people.
Look at all the food.
They are not even eating it.
I hope I can just get a piece of meat.
Someone please throw me some meat.
Oh, please, please, please.

Ralph closes his eyes and prays. He is so hungry. He is about to faint.
Man: Hey, look at that poor Dog over there.
Man2: He looks tired and hungry.
Man: Throw him something.
Man3: You’re right. What a poor Dog!
I’ll throw him this piece of meat.
Here Doggie, have this.
It’s very good.

Ralph smells the meat and opens his eyes.
Ralph: Arf! Arf! Oh my goodness!
It’s a piece of meat.
My prayers came true.
I wonder who threw it to me.
That’s not important right now.
I better just take this and run.

Ralph quickly takes the meat and runs out of the house.
Man: Look at that Dog run！
He is really fast.
Man2: I guess he was really hungry. Poor Dog.

Ralph is very excited. He wants to take the meat to a safe place and eat it there all by himself. He looks for a good place to eat.
Ralph: Over there looks like a good place.
I better cross that bridge first.

Ralph is crossing the bridge. He looks down into the water.
Ralph: Hey, who’s that Dog down there?
He has a bigger piece of meat.
What shall I do?
I know. I’m a good swimmer.
I’ll jump into the water and take the meat away from him.
Then I can eat two pieces of meat.
Yahoo! Today is my lucky day.
Arf, arf, arf!!!

Ralph jumps into the water.
Ralph: Where did that other Dog go?
I can’t find him anywhere.

Ralph looks everywhere, but the other Dog is gone.
Ralph: Oh, forget it.
I better get out of the water.
I might catch cold.

Ralph gets out of the water and quickly shakes his whole body.
Ralph: That’s strange.
I wonder where the other Dog went?
But wait!
Where is my piece of meat?
I had it when I jumped into the water.
Now it’s gone.
Oh no! That’s it!
I dropped it when I went into the water.
My meat is gone now.
Boo-hoo-hoo!

As he is crying, Ralph sees another Dog crying in the water, too. This time Ralph sneezes and the other Dog sneezes, too.
Ralph: Achoo! Hey look!
He sneezes just like me.
He also cries just like me.
Who is he? Let me look closer.

Ralph looks closer into the water. He is surprised, because he sees himself in the water.
Ralph: This can’t be. It’s just me.
It’s just my reflection in the water.
Then the other Dog was also just my own reflection?
I can’t believe it.
I lost my piece of meat because of my reflection.
Oh, how foolish I am!!!
Today is my unlucky day!
I’m lost. And I am still hungry.
What shall I do?
Boo-hoo-hoo!

MORAL
If you are too greedy, you may even lose what you have.

The Dog and His Reflection 狗和他的倒影

Ralph is a dog. He is always hungry. His master is a very lazy man. He only feeds Ralph once a day.
Ralph: When will my master wake up?
When will he feed me today?
I’m really hungry right now.
I can’t wait any longer.
I’ll get some food by myself.

Ralph goes out of the house. He walks and walks. He looks for food. He can’t find any anywhere. Ralph also gets lost.
Ralph: I can’t find any food.
And now I am lost.
I should have stayed at home.
My master might be awake by now.
I am so hungry. Boo-hoo-hoo.

Ralph is very tired and sits down to rest for a while. He hears music coming from a house.
Ralph: Hey, what’s that sound? It’s music.
It’s coming from that house.
I’ll get closer and take a look.

Ralph looks inside the house through an open window.
Ralph: There are lots of people inside.
Any it is very noisy.
They must be having a party.
Oh, I see lots and lots of food inside, too.
How can I get some food?

Ralph tries to think of a way to get inside. Finally, he waits until no one is looking and quickly runs in. everyone is singing and dancing and having fun.
Ralph: Look at all the happy people.
Look at all the food.
They are not even eating it.
I hope I can just get a piece of meat.
Someone please throw me some meat.
Oh, please, please, please.

Ralph closes his eyes and prays. He is so hungry. He is about to faint.
Man: Hey, look at that poor Dog over there.
Man2: He looks tired and hungry.
Man: Throw him something.
Man3: You’re right. What a poor Dog!
I’ll throw him this piece of meat.
Here Doggie, have this.
It’s very good.

Ralph smells the meat and opens his eyes.
Ralph: Arf! Arf! Oh my goodness!
It’s a piece of meat.
My prayers came true.
I wonder who threw it to me.
That’s not important right now.
I better just take this and run.

Ralph quickly takes the meat and runs out of the house.
Man: Look at that Dog run！
He is really fast.
Man2: I guess he was really hungry. Poor Dog.

Ralph is very excited. He wants to take the meat to a safe place and eat it there all by himself. He looks for a good place to eat.
Ralph: Over there looks like a good place.
I better cross that bridge first.

Ralph is crossing the bridge. He looks down into the water.
Ralph: Hey, who’s that Dog down there?
He has a bigger piece of meat.
What shall I do?
I know. I’m a good swimmer.
I’ll jump into the water and take the meat away from him.
Then I can eat two pieces of meat.
Yahoo! Today is my lucky day.
Arf, arf, arf!!!

Ralph jumps into the water.
Ralph: Where did that other Dog go?
I can’t find him anywhere.

Ralph looks everywhere, but the other Dog is gone.
Ralph: Oh, forget it.
I better get out of the water.
I might catch cold.

Ralph gets out of the water and quickly shakes his whole body.
Ralph: That’s strange.
I wonder where the other Dog went?
But wait!
Where is my piece of meat?
I had it when I jumped into the water.
Now it’s gone.
Oh no! That’s it!
I dropped it when I went into the water.
My meat is gone now.
Boo-hoo-hoo!

As he is crying, Ralph sees another Dog crying in the water, too. This time Ralph sneezes and the other Dog sneezes, too.
Ralph: Achoo! Hey look!
He sneezes just like me.
He also cries just like me.
Who is he? Let me look closer.

Ralph looks closer into the water. He is surprised, because he sees himself in the water.
Ralph: This can’t be. It’s just me.
It’s just my reflection in the water.
Then the other Dog was also just my own reflection?
I can’t believe it.
I lost my piece of meat because of my reflection.
Oh, how foolish I am!!!
Today is my unlucky day!
I’m lost. And I am still hungry.
What shall I do?
Boo-hoo-hoo!

MORAL
If you are too greedy, you may even lose what you have.

Lesson 40 Everybody Spoke English

Eve :Welcome back! What was America like?
Adam : OK, I guess.
Eve : What do you mean by “I guess?”
Adam : Well, frankly speaking, it was terrible.
Eve : Why?
Adam : Everybody only spoke English.

大家都说英语
夏蛙：欢迎归来!美国是什么样子呀?
亚当：我想还可以。
夏娃：你说“我想”是什么意思?
亚当：呃，坦白说，美国糟透了。
夏娃：为什么?
亚当：大家只说英语嘛。

75. Big Dreams 大大的梦想

Daniel White dreamed of being a painter. There was one small problem. He had never actually tried painting before. Still, he loved the idea of it. He was sure that he could be great at it. Daniel decided to take his first painting class. Painting turned out to be harder than he thought. All of Daniel's painting looked terrible.

丹尼尔怀特的梦想是成为一名画家，但是有个小问题，他从来没有真正的尝试过画画。但是，他仍然很喜欢这个想法，他很确信他能做得很好。丹尼尔决定去上他的第一次绘画课，结果画画比他想象中要难，丹尼尔所有的画都糟透了。

For a whole year Daniel practiced his painting skills. There was no large improvement. Daniel decided that it was time to give up his dream. "I'll just try something else," Daniel said to himself. "I've always thought I would make a great rock climber!"

丹尼尔一整年都在练画画技巧，但是没有太大的进步。丹尼尔决定是时候放弃他的梦想了，“我尝试一下其他东西好了”丹尼尔对自己说。“我一直觉得自己能当一个很棒的攀岩者！”

Lesson 40 Everybody Spoke English

Eve :Welcome back! What was America like?
Adam : OK, I guess.
Eve : What do you mean by “I guess?”
Adam : Well, frankly speaking, it was terrible.
Eve : Why?
Adam : Everybody only spoke English.

大家都说英语
夏蛙：欢迎归来!美国是什么样子呀?
亚当：我想还可以。
夏娃：你说“我想”是什么意思?
亚当：呃，坦白说，美国糟透了。
夏娃：为什么?
亚当：大家只说英语嘛。

75. Big Dreams 大大的梦想

Daniel White dreamed of being a painter. There was one small problem. He had never actually tried painting before. Still, he loved the idea of it. He was sure that he could be great at it. Daniel decided to take his first painting class. Painting turned out to be harder than he thought. All of Daniel's painting looked terrible.

丹尼尔怀特的梦想是成为一名画家，但是有个小问题，他从来没有真正的尝试过画画。但是，他仍然很喜欢这个想法，他很确信他能做得很好。丹尼尔决定去上他的第一次绘画课，结果画画比他想象中要难，丹尼尔所有的画都糟透了。

For a whole year Daniel practiced his painting skills. There was no large improvement. Daniel decided that it was time to give up his dream. "I'll just try something else," Daniel said to himself. "I've always thought I would make a great rock climber!"

丹尼尔一整年都在练画画技巧，但是没有太大的进步。丹尼尔决定是时候放弃他的梦想了，“我尝试一下其他东西好了”丹尼尔对自己说。“我一直觉得自己能当一个很棒的攀岩者！”

The Farmer and his Sons 农夫和他的儿子们


Mr. Thompson has three sons, David, James, and Peter. He is a very diligent man. He works in his grape fields all day. But, his three sons are all very lazy. Mr. Thompson is always worried about them.
Farmer: David, can you help me in the field today?
I need your help. I can’t work alone.
David: But Father, it is too hot outside.
I am too tired today.
Besides, I am the eldest.
Ask James to help you.
Farmer: You are always tired, David.

David lies down on his bed to rest. Mr. Thompson calls his second son, James.
Farmer: James! What are you doing now?
I need your help in the field today.
I can’t work alone.
James: I’m sorry, Father. I’m busy today.
I’ll help you tomorrow. Ask Peter.
Farmer: You are always busy, James.

James pretends to be busy. Mr. Thompson calls Peter, his youngest son.
Farmer: Hey, Peter! Are you busy now?
Peter: Not really, Father.
Farmer: Are you going out somewhere today?
Peter: No, Father. Why do you ask?
Farmer: Well then, help me in the field.
I need your help. I can’t work alone.

Peter makes up an excuse.
Peter: I would like to help you, Father.
But I am not feeling well today.
I have a headache.
Farmer: Not again!
The last time, you had a stomachache.

Mr. Thompson goes out to the field alone in the hot sun. He works all day while his three sons do nothing. His neighbors see him.
Wife: Look, dear! It’s Mr. Thompson
He is working alone again.
Neighbor：Where are all his three sons?
Wife: Didn’t you know, dear?
They are the laziest boys in the world.
They never work.
Neighbor：Really?
That’s too bad. Poor Mr. Thompson.

Mr. Thompson worked hard all his life. Finally, he gets very sick and cannot work anymore. He is about to die.
Farmer: What will happen to my three sons
after I die?
They will starve to death for sure.
How can I change them?

Mr. Thompson cannot stop worrying about his three sons even in bed. He thinks and thinks. An idea comes to his mind. He calls his three sons.
Farmer: My dear sons, David, James, and Peter,
I love you all.
But I cannot live for long.
So when I die,
take care of my grape fields for me.
That’s my last wish.
David: But Father, I am not interested in grapes.
James: I don’t want to work under the sun all day, Father.
Peter: I want to live in the city.
I don’t even like grapes, Father.

The three sons keep complaining, until Mr. Thompson tells them his secret
Farmer: But the three of you must keep the field.
I buried some treasure there.
Find it, dig it out, and share it together.
Sons: What did you say?

The three sons cannot believe their ears.
David: Did you say treasure?
When did you bury is, Father?
James: Are there lots of gold and silver pieces inside?
Peter: Those things are not important.
Sons: Then what is it?
Peter: Where is it?
David: Peter is right.
Where is the treasure buried, Father?
Farmer: I’m sorry, my sons. It was so long ago.
I do not remember.
Just keep digging and you shall find it.

Mr. Thompson dies a few days later. David, James, and Peter start digging for treasure the very next day.
Wife: Look, dear!
Aren’t they Mr. Thompson’s boys?
Neighbor: I think so, dear. But they have changed.
They are working so hard today.
Wife: I know. I can’t believe my eyes.
Mr. Thompson would be really happy.
The three brothers dig and dig, but they cannot find any treasure.
David: Where’s the treasure?
James: Perhaps, there isn’t any treasure.
Peter: That can’t be.
Father must have buried it very deep.
Let’s dig deeper.
David: Peter may be right.

The three sons keep digging and working in the field for months. It is now fall.
David: There is no treasure here.
James: We dug up the whole field for nothing.
Peter: But look, David and James!
Our field is filled with ripe grapes.
David: You are right!
James: Let’s sell the grapes.

The three brothers take the grapes to the market. Their grapes are the largest and sweetest among all the others. They become rich by selling the grapes.
Peter: Now I know. Treasure is everywhere.
David: Yes. If we work hard, we can always get it.
James: So that’s what Father was trying to tell us.


MORAL
Work hard and good fortune will always follow.

The Farmer and his Sons 农夫和他的儿子们


Mr. Thompson has three sons, David, James, and Peter. He is a very diligent man. He works in his grape fields all day. But, his three sons are all very lazy. Mr. Thompson is always worried about them.
Farmer: David, can you help me in the field today?
I need your help. I can’t work alone.
David: But Father, it is too hot outside.
I am too tired today.
Besides, I am the eldest.
Ask James to help you.
Farmer: You are always tired, David.

David lies down on his bed to rest. Mr. Thompson calls his second son, James.
Farmer: James! What are you doing now?
I need your help in the field today.
I can’t work alone.
James: I’m sorry, Father. I’m busy today.
I’ll help you tomorrow. Ask Peter.
Farmer: You are always busy, James.

James pretends to be busy. Mr. Thompson calls Peter, his youngest son.
Farmer: Hey, Peter! Are you busy now?
Peter: Not really, Father.
Farmer: Are you going out somewhere today?
Peter: No, Father. Why do you ask?
Farmer: Well then, help me in the field.
I need your help. I can’t work alone.

Peter makes up an excuse.
Peter: I would like to help you, Father.
But I am not feeling well today.
I have a headache.
Farmer: Not again!
The last time, you had a stomachache.

Mr. Thompson goes out to the field alone in the hot sun. He works all day while his three sons do nothing. His neighbors see him.
Wife: Look, dear! It’s Mr. Thompson
He is working alone again.
Neighbor：Where are all his three sons?
Wife: Didn’t you know, dear?
They are the laziest boys in the world.
They never work.
Neighbor：Really?
That’s too bad. Poor Mr. Thompson.

Mr. Thompson worked hard all his life. Finally, he gets very sick and cannot work anymore. He is about to die.
Farmer: What will happen to my three sons
after I die?
They will starve to death for sure.
How can I change them?

Mr. Thompson cannot stop worrying about his three sons even in bed. He thinks and thinks. An idea comes to his mind. He calls his three sons.
Farmer: My dear sons, David, James, and Peter,
I love you all.
But I cannot live for long.
So when I die,
take care of my grape fields for me.
That’s my last wish.
David: But Father, I am not interested in grapes.
James: I don’t want to work under the sun all day, Father.
Peter: I want to live in the city.
I don’t even like grapes, Father.

The three sons keep complaining, until Mr. Thompson tells them his secret
Farmer: But the three of you must keep the field.
I buried some treasure there.
Find it, dig it out, and share it together.
Sons: What did you say?

The three sons cannot believe their ears.
David: Did you say treasure?
When did you bury is, Father?
James: Are there lots of gold and silver pieces inside?
Peter: Those things are not important.
Sons: Then what is it?
Peter: Where is it?
David: Peter is right.
Where is the treasure buried, Father?
Farmer: I’m sorry, my sons. It was so long ago.
I do not remember.
Just keep digging and you shall find it.

Mr. Thompson dies a few days later. David, James, and Peter start digging for treasure the very next day.
Wife: Look, dear!
Aren’t they Mr. Thompson’s boys?
Neighbor: I think so, dear. But they have changed.
They are working so hard today.
Wife: I know. I can’t believe my eyes.
Mr. Thompson would be really happy.
The three brothers dig and dig, but they cannot find any treasure.
David: Where’s the treasure?
James: Perhaps, there isn’t any treasure.
Peter: That can’t be.
Father must have buried it very deep.
Let’s dig deeper.
David: Peter may be right.

The three sons keep digging and working in the field for months. It is now fall.
David: There is no treasure here.
James: We dug up the whole field for nothing.
Peter: But look, David and James!
Our field is filled with ripe grapes.
David: You are right!
James: Let’s sell the grapes.

The three brothers take the grapes to the market. Their grapes are the largest and sweetest among all the others. They become rich by selling the grapes.
Peter: Now I know. Treasure is everywhere.
David: Yes. If we work hard, we can always get it.
James: So that’s what Father was trying to tell us.


MORAL
Work hard and good fortune will always follow.

Lesson 39 Homesickness

After my graduation, I went to Beijing to further my studies. I lived there for three years. At first, I was happy, but later, I was frustrated and depressed. I was homesick all the time. Although the people were friendly, I missed my family, my friends and the lifestyle in my hometown.

乡愁
我毕业后便到北京深造。我在那儿住了三年。起先我很快乐，但后来我便感到泄气、沮丧。我一直都很想家。虽然那里的人们都很友善，但找还是想念在故乡的家人、朋友以及生活方式。

Lesson 38 Nobody Answered the Phone

Jay and Rita are brother and sister.
Rita: Hi, Jay, where did you go last night?
Jay : I stayed home.
Rita: But I called you many times. Nobody answered the phone.
Jay : That's impossible.
Rita: Oh! Mom probably forgot to pay the phone bill again.

没人接电话
杰伊和丽塔是兄妹。
丽塔：嗨，杰伊，你昨晚到哪儿去了?
杰伊：我待在家里。
丽塔：但是我打了好几次电话给你。没人接电话。
杰伊：不可能。
丽塔：哦! 妈可能又忘了付电话费了。