中英对照：

There was a very strict manager who discovered that every time his new cook prepared duck, it was missing one leg.

有一个苛刻的主人，发现他新请来的厨师，每一次做烤鸭时都会少了一只鸭腿。

The manager was very angry with the cook because he knew that the cook was stealing a leg from each duck.

他很生气，因为他认为这个新来的厨师在偷吃食物。

So he went to scold the new cook.

所以准备责骂他。

But the cook looked out the window and pointed at the ducks and said,"Look, our ducks only have one leg."

不过这个厨师指指窗外的鸭子，跟主人说:“主人你看，我们的鸭子本来就只有一只腿。”

The manager looked out the window at the ducks that were resting by the pond and saw they were all resting on one leg.

主人看，的确它们都是在池子旁边休息，都是撑着一只腿。

But the manager was not so stupid.

不过，主人没有那么傻。

He went outside and he clapped his hands.

他到外面去，拍拍手。

And all the ducks woke up, and they stretched out their other leg and began to waddle across the yard.

让鸭子都醒过来，每一只鸭子都把它的另外一条腿伸出来，开始摇摇晃晃地走着。

The cook realized that he was trapped, sohe thought very quickly and said.

厨师知道主人抓到他的把柄，就对他说：

"Oh, that's great, boss! Look! With your encouragement, you caused all the ducks to grow a second leg."

“主人很棒、很好。你看，借着你的掌声鼓励，每只鸭子就又长了第二条腿。”

小故事·大启示：

你是责怪别人多，还是赞美别人多?

向别人表达欣赏，比消极的批评更有效。

而且，你自己的心情会更好。

中英对照：

At a very important marathon, the three winners had already been announced.

一个盛大的马拉松比赛，快要接近尾声的时候，三位优胜者已经宣布。

Prizes had been given, and the crowd was beginning to disperse.

颁奖典礼就快要结束了，大家慢慢地离开会场。

Just then in one corner of the stadium,there was the sound of applause, and the last runner in the race entered the stadium.

那时，在运动场的一个角落，大家听到鼓掌的声音最後一位跑者进来了。

He had fallen many times. His body was covered with scratches but he gritted his teeth and was determined to finish the race.

他好像跌倒了很多次，全身都是伤痕，不过他咬著牙，决心要跑完全程。

As the crowd watched him limp towards the finish line, they all stood up and applauded him and gave him great encouragement until he'd finished.

观众看到了，都疯狂地站起来鼓掌。看他一拐一拐地往前冲，大家都给他很大的鼓励和掌声，直到他抵达终点。

Everybody who witnessed the determination of that last runner that day, learned a great lesson.

那一天，所有参加马拉松比赛的人，看到这个跑者的勇气跟决心，都学到很珍贵的一堂课。

小故事·大启示：

在人生的道路上，我们一定会遇到很多阻碍和挫折。不过，我们的努力是值得的。

那些有决心要跑到最後的人，一定会得到大家的鼓掌与赞美。

中英对照：

There was a woman who was very lazy and loved to criticize other people.

有一个又懒、又很喜欢论断别人的妇人。

One day, she saw her neighbor drying sheets on the balcony, and the sheets were covered with black spots.

有一天，她看到邻居晒在阳台上的白被单，沾满了很多黑点。

The lady immediately began to criticize.

她马上就开始批评。

 She said, "Look at that woman. She doesn't even know how to wash clothes. She knows nothing about housework. All she can do is watch TV and eat." 

“你看，那一家的女主人，连衣服都洗不干净，不会做家事，只会看电视、吃东西。”

To get a closer look, she opened her window and discovered that the sheets were white and clean.

为了看得更清楚，她打开玻璃窗户，才发现这些被单，又白又干净。

It was her own window that was covered with black spots. She had neglected to wash her own window.

原来是她自己的玻璃窗户，沾满了黑点。她忽略了要把自己的窗户洗干净。

小故事·大启示：

看到别人的缺点很容易，不过，有时候我们看到他们有那么多缺点，就是因为我们自己心灵的窗户，没有洗干净。

小鹿荐读：

听故事·磨耳朵·练听力

让孩子学会爱，懂得感恩！

中英对照：

There was a young wife who had just received her driver's license a short time before.

有一位年轻的太太，刚取得驾照不久。

One day, when she was driving the car home, she accidentally ran into another car.

有一天，她开车回家的时候，不小心碰撞到了另外一辆车子。

Fortunately, it was not a serious accident; only the bumper was damaged.

幸运的是，这个车祸不是很严重，只有保险杆撞坏了。

The problem was her husband had just bought the car the previous week.

问题是这辆车子是她先生前一个礼拜才买的新车。

She was so nervous. She began to cry. How was she going to explain this to her husband?

太太很着急，开始掉眼泪。她该怎么样向她先生解释这件事情?

As she was exchanging information with the other party,

当她在跟对方交换资料的时候，

she noticed that in the envelope with her insurance card there was a slip of paper,

她发现保险卡的信封里面有一张纸条，

and on that slip of paper was written,

上面写着:

"If anything ever happens to this car, my dear wife, please remember it is you I love, not the car."

“如果这辆车发生任何问题，亲爱的太太，你要记得，我爱的是你，不是车。”

小故事·大启示：

当我们发生困难的时候，到底哪一个对你最重要?人还是事?

当你快要发脾气的时候，可以问自己，你真正爱的是哪一个？

如果爱是你生命的基础，你可以接纳包容很多很多事。

小鹿荐读：

听故事·磨耳朵·练听力

同时培养孩子解决问题的能力

单词卡：

Woodpecker   [ˈwʊdˌpɛkər]  n. 啄木鸟

Branch   [bræn(t)ʃ]  n. 树枝; 分枝; 枝

Peck   [pɛk]  v. 啄; 咬

Trunk  美[trəŋk]  n. 树干; 躯干

Scold   [skoʊld]  v. 训斥; 责骂

Chase   [tʃeɪs]  v. 追赶; 驱赶

 中英对照：

Once there was a tall tree with very beautiful branches. The tree was very proud of its good looks.

有一棵树，长得很高、很漂亮，那棵树对它自己的身材感到丰常骄傲。

One day, a woodpecker came, landed on one of the branches and heard bugs crunching away inside the tree trunk.

有一天来了一只啄木鸟，停在它的树枝上面。啄木鸟听到树干里面的这些小虫啃树的杂音。

It wanted to peck a hole inside the trunk and eat bugs.

因此想用它的长喙（huì）打一个洞，把这些小虫一个一个吃掉。

But the tall tree could not stand to have its beautiful trunk full of holes.

不过，这棵树它不能忍受看到它漂亮的树干破成很多洞。

It scolded the bird and chased it away.

所以它就骂了这只啄木鸟，把它赶走了。

So the bugs inside the tree trunk kept eating and eating and eating. They grew bigger and bigger, and they gave birth to small bugs.

因此这些小虫不断地吃，长得越来越大，而且生了很多小虫。

Eventually the tree trunk was completely empty. One day a strong wind blew, and it blew the tree down.

慢慢地，小虫把整个树干吃空了。有一天，来了一阵强风，这棵高高的树就拦腰折断了。

小故事·大启示：

我们的生命中，常常遭遇许多困难。

如果我们能够很勇敢地面对这些困难，早一点把问题解决掉，将来我们会更顺利。

上天给我们这些苦难，是为了让我们能够变得更坚强，能够成就更伟大的事情。

小鹿荐读：

听故事·磨耳朵·练听力

让孩子学会换位思考，多为他人着想！

中英对照：

A group of friends were taking the subway together.

有几个朋友一起搭乘地铁。

Just as one of them was about to get into the subway, he suddenly turned around,went back to the stairs, picked up an empty bottle,and threw it into the trash. And then he got on the train.

其中一个人刚要进车门的时候，突然往回跑，到楼梯上捡起一个被人家丢弃的空瓶子。他把这个空瓶子丢到垃圾桶，然后才上车。

His friends all ridiculed him, saying he was just being a busy body. 

他的朋友都讥笑他，说他多管闲事。

But very seriously he explained to them that by picking up that bottle and throwing it away, he could have saved someone from breaking her leg or even having a miscarriage. 

不过他很严肃地跟他们解释: 这个瓶子在楼梯上可能会让一个人摔断腿骨或是造成流产。

Maybe he changed someone's destiny or saved someone's life.

把它丢掉，可能改变一个人的命运，或者挽救一个人的命。

Whenever we throw trash on the ground, we not only clutter the environment but we can be endangering someone else's life.

我们随地丢垃圾，不但是污染环境，有时候还会危害他人的性命。

小故事·大启示：

当我们为别人着想的时候，会激发我们心中最善良的一面。

一个慈悲的态度，会丰富、扩大生命。

一个自私的态度，会缩小、消灭生命。

长颈鹿美语

教出好品格！