四六级考试网

Nothing stirred on the African plains. The sun glared down（狠恶晖映） and Hare crept inside the cool hollow of a baobab（猴面包树） tree for his afternoon nap.Suddenly he was wide awake. There was a boom, boom, booming in his ears. And it was getting closer. Hare peeped out from the tree nervously. Across the clearing the bushes snapped and parted, and out loomed a huge gray shape.”Oh it’s you!” said Hare irritably（暴躁地，性急地） . “How can a fellow sleep with all your racket?”The rhinoceros（犀牛） squinted down at him short-sightedly.”Greetings!” he bellowed in his slow way. “Tembo the elephant has sent me to fetch you to the waterhole. He’s going to tell us who our new king will be. All the animals have voted.”"Oh fiddlesticks（胡说） !” cried Hare rudely. “What do I want with a new king? He’ll bully us from morning till night and make our lives miserable.”"Don’t you want to see who’s been chosen? asked Rhino.”I know already,” snapped Hare. “It will be that sly old lion, Kali. He has bribed all the other animals and promised not to eat their children if only they will vote for him.”Rhino didn’t seem to believe Hare, and in the end Hare said,”Oh very well, I’ll come. But you’ll see I’m right.” The sun was setting as Hare and Rhino reached the water-hole. All the animals had gathered there – giraffes（长颈鹿） , hippos（河马） , antelope（羚羊） , buffalo, warthogs（疣猪） , zebras, aardvarks（土豚） , hyenas（土狼） , mongooses（猫鼬） , storks（鹳） and weaver birds. When Tembo the elephant saw that everyone was there, he threw up his trunk and trumpeted. “Animals of the plains, I am proud to tell you that Kali the lion will be our new king. It is a wise choice, my friends.”The animals cheered. But Hare only sighed. “They’ll soon see what a horrible mistake they’ve made.”Out on a rocky ledge above the water-hole strode Kali. He stared down at all his subjects and there was a wicked glint（闪光） in his eye.”You’ve made me your king,” he growled, “and so now you’ll serve me!” And then he roared until the animals trembled.”My first decree（号令） is that you must build a palace to shade my royal fur from the hot sun,” said Kali. “I want it here beside the water-hole and I want it by sunset tomorrow.”My second decree is that every day you must bring me an animal for my supper. A king can’t do his own hunting.”The animals nodded gloomily.”And my third decree is, if you don’t do as I say, I’ll eat the lot of you!”The animals now turned to one another in horror. They had thought a king would be wise and protect them. But Kali only wanted to bully and eat them. As darkness fell, the unhappy animals slunk（叛逃） away into the bush. But at dawn they were back at the waterhole, hurrying to build Kali’s palace. There was much to do and little time.All through the heat of the day the animals lugged and labored. Elephants lifted tree trunks for the pillars, crocodiles brought mud for the walls, giraffes collected grasses that weaver birds wove for the roof. None dared stop for a moment. Only hare did nothing. He hid inside a tussock of oat grass and watched as the fine thatched house rose up beside the water-hole.The sun was just beginning to set as the weaver birds tied off the last knots in the soaring thatched（茅草盖的） roof. No sooner had they finished than Kali appeared. He prowled up and down his new kingdom swishing his tail while his subjects watched uneasily（不安闲的，心神不安的） .”This is what I call a palace,” he roared at last.The animals gave a sigh of relief. But all too soon, for in the next breath the lion snarled（吼怒，纠缠） , “But where’s my supper? My belly’s rumbling. Bring me a juicy warthog.”As soon as he heard this, Hare sneaked off home to his hollow in the baobab tree. “Didn’t I tell them?” he said to himself. “Didn’t I say that making Kali king would mean big trouble? And would anyone listen?”And so it was that every day afterwards one of the animals was chosen to be Kali’s supper. One day it was an impala（黑斑羚） . Another it was a zebra. Next it was a gazelle（小羚羊） .One day though it was Hare’s turn. Tembo caught him unawares as he was grazing on the plains. The great elephant seized him in his trunk and carried him kicking and screaming to Kali’s palace.”It’s not fair!” shrieked Hare. “I didn’t even vote for Kali. I told you it was a bad idea to have a king.”

Long ago, in a land far away, there lived a beautiful young girl.She was very sad. Her mother had died and her father had married again. His new wife had two ugly daughters, Esmerelda and Griselda.Soon after, her father also died and life immediately changed for the girl.”You will be our servant, “said her stepmother. “You will do everything we say.”"You must sleep in the kitchens, by the fire,” said the stepsisters.After tending the fire, and cooking and leaning, the girl’s clothes were very dirty. She was called to clear away dishes.”There are cinders（煤渣，灰烬） all over your clothes!” exclaimed the stepmother. “Cinders for Cinderella. That’s your new name. Clear these things away, Cinderella.”"Cinderella! Cinderella!” sang Esmerelda and Griselda. “Oh, how clever you are, Mama!”Cinderella had to work very hard, as all the other servants were dismissed.One day, an invitation arrived from the palace.”Girls, listen to this,” said the stepmother. Cinderella was serving the breakfast. She listened as her stepmother read the invitation.”The King is having a ball,” she said, excitedly. “He is looking for a wife for the Prince! Oh, my dears, this is wonderful. He will probably choose one of you, but it will be such a hard choice to make.”Am I invited too, stepmother?” asked Cinderella.”You! Certainly not!” exclaimed her stepmother. “The thought of such a thing. A scruffy（破旧的，肮脏的） servant going to a ball, when only beautiful ladies are invited!”"Hah! Hah!” laughed the stepsisters. “Beautiful! That doesn’t include you, Cinderella!”"You may help my two lovely girls to get ready,” said her stepmother.”Oh,” said Cinderella, sadly.”We shall all have new dresses, girls, and we shall go shopping today. Clear away these things, Cinderella.”‘Oh, I wish I could go to the ball,’ thought Cinderella.The day of the ball arrived and the whole day was spent preparing Esmerelda and Griselda. Cinderella did her best to make the sisters look pretty, but it was an impossible task.Finally, the coach arrived to collect the girls and their mother.Cinderella was very tired and she wandered back to the kitchens.”Oh, I did so want to go,” she sighed as she sat down by the fire.”What’s to stop you?” asked a voice.”Who’s that?” asked Cinderella, looking around.”I’m here by the door.” A strange woman walked up to Cinderella. “I heard you the other day, wishing you could go to the ball. Well, the ball is this evening, and you’re going.”"But how?” asked Cinderella. “What can you do?”"Anything I want to,” said the woman. “I’m your fairy godmother, and I’m here to send you to the ball.She sat down.”Come now,” she said. “Dry those tears. We have work to do. I need a large pumpkin, two rats, two mice and a frog. Can you find these?”"Yes,” said Cinderella, mystified by the request.”Off you go, then.”When Cinderella found all the things, her fairy godmother took them all outside.”Now for the magic,” she said. She waved her hands and the air began to twinkle and sparkle. The pumpkin began to grow and change, until standing there was a glittering（闪闪发光的） coach.The mice changed into two fine footmen, the frog into the driver, and the rats into two beautiful horses to pull the coach.Cinderella clapped her hands. “It’s beautiful!” she cried.”In you get,” said her fairy godmother.”But I can’t go like this,” said Cinderella.”Like what?” asked the fairy godmother. “You look lovely to me.”Cinderella looked at herself. While the magic had been working on the pumpkin, it had also been working on her. Instead of her ragged dress she wore a beautiful ball gown, with glass slippers on her feet.”Oh, fairy godmother,” said Cinderella. “It’s lovely. How can I thank you?”"By going to the ball,” said the fairy godmother. “Off you go, but remember, the magic stops working at midnight. Everything will change back then. Now go and enjoy yourself.”"Good-bye, fairy godmother,” called Cinderella, as the coach swept off.Cinderella arrived at the palace and walked into the ballroom. Everyone stopped and stared.”Who is she?” people asked, including her stepmother and stepsisters.The Prince saw her, and had eyes for no one else for the rest of the evening. Cinderella danced only with the Prince, and as the evening passed, he fell in love with her.

Once upon a time there was a princess who was ever so proud: if any man came to woo（寻求） her she would set him a riddle, and if he couldn’t guess it he was laughed to scorn and sent packing. She also had it made known that whoever did guess the answer to her riddle should marry her, no matter who he might be. And indeed, in the end it so happened that three tailors were making the attempt at the same time. The two eldest reckoned（估计，猜想） that as they had already successfully sewn（缝纫，装订） many a delicate stitch（针脚） , they could hardly go wrong and were bound to succeed here as well; the third was a feckless（薄弱衰弱的，无力量的） , giddy（头晕的，目炫的） young fellow who didn’t even know his trade properly but thought he was bound to have luck in this case, for if not, then what luck would he ever have in any other case. The two others said to him: “You’d better just stay at home, you with your feather-brain won’t get far.” But the young tailor wouldn’t be put off, saying that he had set his heart on this enterprise and would manage all right; and off he went, sauntering（安步，闲逛） along as if the whole world belonged to him.So all three of them appeared before the princess and asked her to put her riddle to them: she would find, they said, that she had met her match this time, because their wits were so sharp that you could thread a needle with them. So the princess said: “I have two kinds of hair on my head, what colours are they?” “That’s easy,” said the first, “I think they’re black and white, like the cloth they call pepper and salt. “The princess said: “You’ve guessed wrong; let the second of you answer.” So the second said: “If it’s not black and white, then it’s brown and red like my respected father’s frock-coat.” “Wrong again,” said the princess. “Let the third of you answer, I can see he knows it for sure.” So the young tailor stepped forward boldly and said: “The princess has silver and gold hair on her head, and those are the two colours.” When the princess heard that, she turned pale and nearly fainted away（晕倒） in alarm, for the young tailor had guessed right, and she had been convinced that no one in the world would be able to do so. When she had recovered herself she said: “This still doesn’t give you the right to marry me, there’s something else you must do first. Down in the stable there’s a bear, and you must spend the night with him. If you’re still alive when I get up tomorrow morning, then you shall marry me.” But she thought that she would get rid of the young tailor in this way, because no one had ever got into this bear’s clutches and lived to tell the tale. But the young tailor wasn’t to be daunted（气馁，畏缩） . “Nothing venture, nothing win,” he commented cheerfully.So that evening our young friend was taken down to the bear’s den（巢穴） . And sure enough, the bear at once advanced on the little fellow, meaning to welcome him with a good swipe（猛击） of his paw. “Not so fast, not so fast,” said the young tailor, “I’ll soon take the steam out of you.” And in leisurely manner, as if he were quite unconcerned, he took some walnuts（核桃） out of his pocket, cracked them open with his teeth and ate the kernels. When the bear saw this, his appetite was whetted（刺激，促进） and he wanted some nuts as well. The young tailor put his hand in his pocket and held out some to him: these, however, weren’t nuts but pebbles（鹅卵石） . The bear stuck them in his mouth, but couldn’t crack a single one of them, bite as he might. Goodness me, what a booby（白痴，傻瓜） I am, thought the bear, I can’t even crack nuts. And he said to the young tailor: “Hey, crack these nuts for me!” “There now, what a fellow you are!” said the tailor. “A big muzzle like that and you can’t even crack a little nut!” And he took the stones, but nimbly（火速地） put a nut into his mouth instead, and crack! He bit open the shell. “I must try that again,” said the bear. “To look at you doing it, you’d think I’d find it easy.” So the young tailor gave him another lot of pebbles, and the bear worked away at them, biting for dear life（拼命地） . But as you may imagine, they were more than he could crack. After this, the young tailor pulled out a fiddle（提琴） from under his coat and began playing a tune on it. When the bear heard the music, he couldn’t help himself and began to dance, and when he’d danced for a little he found himself enjoying it so much that he said to the tailor. “Tell me, is it difficult to play the fiddle?” “It’s child’s play: look, my left hand fingers the strings, my right hand scrapes away at them with the bow, and out comes a merry（兴奋的） noise, tralala.” “Then I could dance whenever I liked. What do you say to that? Will you give me lessons?” “I’ll be delighted to,” said the tailor, “If you have the skill for it. but let’s have a look at your paws: they’re a mighty length, I’ll have to pare（削，剪） your nails down a bit.” So a vice（虎钳） was fetched, and the bear held out his paws, but the young tailor screwed them in tightly and said: “Now wait till I get the scissors.” So saying, he left the bear to stand there and growl（吼怒） , lay down in the corner on a pile of straw and went to sleep.The princess, hearing the bear growl so loudly that night, assumed that he must be growling（吼怒） with satisfaction, having made an end of the tailor. In the morning she got up feeling very pleased and not worried at all, but when she took a look at the stable there was the young tailor standing outside it cock-a-hoop and safe and sound（安然无事） . So then there was nothing more she could say, because she’d publicly promised to marry him; and the king sent for a carriage to take her and the tailor to church to be married. As they drove off, the other two tailors, who were false-hearted and envied him his good fortune, went into the stable and unscrewed（松开） the bear. The bear in a great rage charged off in pursuit of（寻求，寻求） the carriage. The princess heard him growling and snorting and cried out in terror: “Oh, the bear’s after us, he’s coming to get you!” With great presence of mind the tailor stood on his head, stuck his legs out of the window and shouted: “Do you see this vice? If you don’t clear off I’ll screw you back into it.” When the bear saw that, he turned round and ran away. Our young friend then drove on to the church as calm as you like, and the princess gave him her hand at the altar（祭坛，圣坛） , and he lived with her as happy as a woodlark. There’s a fine of three marks for anyone who doesn’t believe this story.

Once upon a time there was a miller who was poor, but who had a beautiful daughter. Now it happened that he got into a conversation with the king, and to make an impression on him he said, “I have a daughter who can spin straw into gold.”The king said to the miller, “That is an art that I really like. If your daughter is as skillful as you say, then bring her to my castle tomorrow, and I will put her to the test.”When the girl was brought to him he led her into a room that was entirely filled with straw. Giving her a spinning wheel and a reel, he said, “Get to work now. Spin all night, and if by morning you have not spun this straw into gold, then you will have to die.” Then he himself locked the room, and she was there all alone.The poor miller’s daughter sat there, and for her life she did not know what to do. She had no idea how to spin straw into gold. She became more and more afraid, and finally began to cry.Then suddenly the door opened. A little man stepped inside and said, “Good evening, Mistress Miller, why are you crying so?”"Oh,” answered the girl, “I am supposed to spin straw into gold, and I do not know how to do it.”The little man said, “What will you give me if I spin it for you?”"My necklace,” said the girl.The little man took the necklace, sat down before the spinning wheel, and whir, whir, whir, three times pulled, and the spool（线轴） was full. Then he put another one on, and whir, whir, whir, three times pulled, and the second one was full as well. So it went until morning, and then all the straw was spun, and all the spools were filled with gold.At sunrise the king came, and when he saw the gold he was surprised and happy, but his heart became even more greedy for gold. He had the miller’s daughter taken to another room filled with straw. It was even larger, and he ordered her to spin it in one night, if she valued her life.The girl did not know what to do, and she cried. Once again the door opened, and the little man appeared. He said, “What will you give me if I spin the straw into gold for you?”"The ring from my finger,” answered the girl.The little man took the ring, and began once again to whir with the spinning wheel. By morning he had spun all the straw into glistening gold. The king was happy beyond measure when he saw it, but he still did not have his fill of gold. He had the miller’s daughter taken to a still larger room filled with straw, and said, “Tonight you must spin this too. If you succeed you shall become my wife.” He thought, “Even if she is only a miller’s daughter, I will not find a richer wife in all the world.”When the girl was alone the little man returned for a third time. He said, “What will you give me if I spin the straw this time?”"I have nothing more that I could give you,” answered the girl.”Then promise me, after you are queen, your first child.”"Who knows what will happen,” thought the miller’s daughter, and not knowing what else to do, she promised the little man what he demanded. In return the little man once again spun the straw into gold.When in the morning the king came and found everything just as he desired, he married her, and the beautiful miller’s daughter became queen.A year later she brought a beautiful child to the world. She thought no more about the little man, but suddenly he appeared in her room and said, “Now give me that which you promised.”The queen took fright and offered the little man all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her keep the child, but the little man said, “No. Something living is dearer to me than all the treasures of the world.”Then the queen began lamenting（哀思） and crying so much that the little man took pity on her and said, “I will give you three days’ time. If by then you know my name, then you shall keep your child.”The queen spent the entire night thinking of all the names she had ever heard. Then she sent a messenger into the country to inquire far and wide what other names there were. When the little man returned the next day she began with Kaspar, Melchior, Balzer, and said in order all the names she knew. After each one the little man said, “That is not my name.”The second day she sent inquiries into the neighborhood as to what names people had. She recited the most unusual and most curious names to the little man: “Is your name perhaps Beastrib? Or Muttoncalf? Or Legstring?”But he always answered, “That is not my name.”On the third day the messenger returned and said, “I have not been able to find a single new name, but when I was approaching a high mountain in the corner of the woods, there where the fox and the hare say good-night, I saw a little house. A fire was burning in front of the house, and an altogether comical（风趣的） little man was jumping around the fire, hopping on one leg and calling out:Today I’ll bake; tomorrow I’ll brew, Then I’ll fetch the queen’s new child, It is good that no one knows, Rumpelstiltskin is my name.You can imagine how happy the queen was when she heard that name. Soon afterward the little man came in and asked, “Now, Madame Queen, what is my name?”She first asked, “Is your name Kunz?”"No.”"Is your name Heinz?”"No.”"Is your name perhaps Rumpelstiltskin?”"The devil told you that! The devil told you that!” shouted the little man, and with anger he stomped（顿脚） his right foot so hard into the ground that he fell in up to his waist. Then with both hands he took hold of his left foot and ripped himself up the middle in two.

Long ago and far away there lived a King. He was very proud of his eleven sons and one daughter. All of his children were good, kind and wise, even young Eliza who was still only a baby.The Queen had sadly died and after a while, feeling that his children needed a mother, the King married again.His new Queen was very jealous of the eleven princes and Eliza, and life for them soon changed. Eliza was sent to the country to be brought up on a farm.The Queen turned the King from his sons, by telling lies to him about them. Soon the King cared nothing for his sons. The Queen was delighted.”Go, you big ugly birds,” she cried to them one day, casting a spell on them. But the worst she could do was to turn them into swans with golden crowns on their heads. Away they flew.They flew over the cottage where Eliza lived, but no-one saw them.Eliza lived happily at the farm, but she missed her brothers. When she was fifteen, she returned to the palace.The Queen was furious（狂怒的） at how pretty Eliza had become, and would dearly have liked to turn her into a swan like her brothers.Instead she bathed Eliza and put three toads（蟾蜍） in to change her looks. The toads were instantly turned to poppies（罂粟） by Eliza’s innocence and goodness.The Queen then used walnut（胡桃） juice to darken Eliza’s skin, and matted her hair with fat.”This will make the King reject you,” said the Queen, and the King did turn from Eliza. He did not know that this messy girl brought before him was his daughter.Eliza was very upset and decided to run away to look for her brothers. She went over the fields and through the forests. She came at last to a stream and saw her own reflection.”No wonder my father did not know me,” she said, and she jumped in to wash herself. Moments later the real Eliza emerged, with clean golden hair and fair skin.For many days she walked, looking for her brothers. One day she met an old woman. She had a basket of fruit and shared some with Eliza.”Have you seen eleven princes riding through the forest?” asked Eliza.”I haven’t, my dear,” said the old woman. ” But yesterday I did see eleven swans riding down the stream. Each had a golden crown on his head.” She showed Eliza the river.Eliza followed the river to the shore, and stood watching the waves. As the sun set, the swans turned into eleven princes with golden crowns on their heads.”My brothers!” cried Eliza, and she ran to greet them. They were delighted to see their younger sister, now grown into a lovely girl. They soon realised that it was because of the wicked（险恶的） Queen that they were rejected.”We are swans during the day,” said the eldest. “But when the sun goes down, we regain our human form. We therefore have to be over land when the sun sets or we will be doomed.”"We will take you with us when we leave tomorrow,” said the youngest. “Tonight we must weave a net to carry you.”All night the brothers and sister wove a net. In the morning as Eliza slept, eleven swans flew up into the air, carrying the net. The youngest shaded Eliza’s face from the sun with his wing.On the other side of the sea was a beautiful land. The brothers flew hard to reach it in daylight.”Here is your new home,” they said as they landed.Eliza had a dream that night. A fairy came to her and said, “There is a way to save your brothers, but it means hardship and pain for you. There are stinging（狠恶的，刺人的） nettles around the cave. Gather them, although they will sting, and trample them with your feet. With the flax, weave and make up eleven mail shirts for your brothers. But you must never speak, from the moment you start until you finish, even if it takes years, or your brothers will die.”Eliza awoke with a nettle（荨麻） stinging her hand.Her brothers had already left as it was broad daylight, so Eliza began her work. When they returned and saw her poor blistered（起泡的） hands, and she would not say a word, they realised that she was working for them. Two more days and the first shirt was finished. A day later, she was at her work, when the royal huntsmen came to the forest. She ran to her cave in fright, but the dogs followed her. The King was amongst the huntsmen and fell in love with Eliza when he saw her.”I’ll take you to the palace, where you may make your home,” he told Eliza.Eliza was beautifully dressed, and the King chose to make her his Queen, but she would not smile or say a word.”My present to you,” he said, taking her to a small chamber, “is a room like your cave, with all your familiar things around you.”There Eliza saw the prepared nettles and the completed shirt and she was happy.Night after night the young Queen crept away from the King to continue her work.Soon seven shirts were completed, but she had no more flax（亚麻） . Eliza knew that the nearest nettles grew in the graveyard.At the dead of night（深夜） , while all were asleep, she crept out to the graveyard. On a gravestone sat seven witches, counting the dead. Eliza walked straight past, with a shudder.The Archbishop was the only one to have seen Eliza leave, and he had followed her. He did not trust her, and thought she had bewitched the King.”The Queen is a witch,” the Archbishop told the King. “I have proof.”The King did not want to believe it, but he watched when Eliza went out at night. Night after night, she continued her weaving in the small room. Then one night, with one shirt to go, Eliza ran out of flax and nettles. She would have to visit the graveyard again. This time the King followed. He saw the witches on the gravestone and believed Eliza to be one of them.”The people must judge her,” said the King sadly. And the people judged that she was a witch and should be burned at the stake.Eliza was thrown into prison. Her pillows and sheets were the nettle shirts. She could not have wished for better blankets, and she continued her work.Eleven princes arrived that night at the palace gate, demanding to see the king.”It’s too late to disturb the King,” said the guards. Eleven swans flew off as dawn broke.Eliza was carried to the stake in a cart, still sewing and weaving the eleventh shirt. The others lay at her feet.”Look at the witch!” cried the mob. “She still sews! She’s casting spells. Take it from her!”The people were about to tear the shirts from her when eleven swans appeared, golden crowns on their heads, flapping their wings and forcing the people back.The executioner went to tie Eliza to the sake, but Eliza quickly threw the shirts over her brothers, and they became princes again. Sadly the youngest still had a wing instead of an arm, as Eliza had not quite finished the shirt.”Now I may speak!” cried Eliza, turning to the King.The whole story was told to the King, who was very happy. He did not want to loose Eliza.As the eldest prince spoke, the wood at the stake blossomed and a huge rose bush sprang up.The King gave a rose to Eliza, and there was a happy wedding procession back to the palace, where the King and Eliza lived happily.

There were once three army-surgeons who reckoned（测算，估计） that they had nothing more to learn about the art of surgery. They were on their travels., and stopped for the night at an inn. The landlord asked them where they had come from and where they were going, and they answered, “We’re on our travels and living by our skill.” “Well, just show me what you do,” said the landlord. The first said he would cut off（堵截，间断） his hand and put it back on again next morning and make it heal; the second said he would tear out his heart and put it back in again next morning so that it would heal; the third said he would gouge out（挖开） his eyes, and they too would heal when he replaced them next morning. “If you can do that,” said the landlord, “then you’ve nothing more to learn.” Now they had with them an ointment（药膏） which was able to close and heal any wound they smeared（涂抹，擦上） it on, and they always carried the flask（烧瓶） containing it wherever they went. So they cut from their bodies the hand and the heart and the eyes as they had said they would, put them all together on a plate and gave it to the landlord; and the landlord gave it to a maidservant, telling her to put it aside in the larder（食品室） and keep it carefully. But this maidservant secretly had a sweetheart who was a soldier. So when the landlord and the three surgeons and everyone else in the house were asleep, the soldier came and asked her for something to eat. So the girl opened the larder and brought in something from it, and she was so much in love with him that she forgot to close the larder door. She sat down with her sweetheart at the table and they had a good chat, but as she sat there without a care in the world the cat came creeping in（暗暗混进） , found the larder open, snatched the hand and the heart and the eyes that belonged to the three surgeons and made off with（偷走） them. So when the soldier had finished eating and the girl got up to clear away the dishes and lock the larder, she saw at once that the plate the landlord had given her to look after was empty. She took fright（惊吓） and said to her young man: “Oh, heaven save me, what am I to do? The hand’s gone, and the heart and the eyes are gone, whatever will happen to me tomorrow morning!” “Stop crying,” he said, “I’ll get you out of this. There’s a thief hanging on the gallows（绞架） out there, and I’ll cut his hand off; which hand was it?” “The right hand.” So the girl gave him a sharp knife and he went outside, cut the poor sinner’s right hand off and brought it in. Then he seized the cat and gouged out its eyes; now all that was needed was the heart. “Haven’t you just slaughtered（屠宰，搏斗） some pigs and put their carcasses（尸身） in the cellar?” “Yes,” said the girl, “Well, that’s all right then,” said the soldier, and he went down to the cellar and came back with a pig’s heart. The maid put all the things together on a plate and left it in the larder: then her sweetheart took his leave and she went to bed thinking all was well.When the three surgeons got up next morning, they told the maid to fetch them the plate with the hand and the heart and the eyes. So she fetched it out of the cupboard, and the first surgeon held the thief’s hand in place and smeared（涂抹，擦上） the join with his ointment, whereupon the hand at once grew back on to his arm. The second took the cat’s eyes and fitted them into his head, and the third put the pig’s heart in place. The landlord stood and watched their skill with admiration, saying that he had never seen such a thing in his life and that he would praise and recommend them to all and sundry（所有的人） . Then they paid their bill and travelled on.As they were walking along, the one who had the pig’s heart kept on leaving the others; every time they passed some corner he would trot over to it and root around in it like a pig. The other two tried to hold him back by the coat tails, but it was no good, he kept running off to wherever the filth（污秽，肮脏） was thickest on the ground. The second of them also began to behave strangely, rubbing his eyes and saying to the other: “My dear fellow, what’s the matter with me? These aren’t my eyes, I can’t see a thing, for heaven’s sake one of you hive me your arm or I’ll fall.” And they struggled on till evening, when they came to another inn. They all went into the parlor（客堂） , and there in one corner a rich gentleman was sitting at the table counting money. The surgeon with the thief’s hand sidled（侧身而行） round behind him, his arm twitched（抽搐，痉挛） a few times and finally, when the ,had his back turned, he reached out and snatched a handful of coins from the pile. One of the others saw this and said: “My dear fellow, what are you doing? It’s wrong to steal, you ought to be ashamed.” “Yes, but I can’t stop myself,” said his friend. “My hand keeps twitching and just has to help itself whether I want to or not.” Then they went to bed, and as they lay there it was so dark that you couldn’t have seen your hand in front of your face. Suddenly the one with the cat’s eyes woke up, wakened the others and said: “My dear friends, look at this, do you see all these white mice running about?” The other two sat up in bed but couldn’t see a thing. Then he said: “There’s something wrong with us: we didn’t back our own parts, that landlord cheated us and we must go back to him.” So next morning they set off back and told the landlord that their right organs hadn’t been returned to them: one of them had a thief’s hand, the second cat’s eyes and the third a pig’s heart. The landlord said that it must be the maid’s fault and was going to call her, but when the girl had seen the three surgeons returning she had fled through the back door, and she didn’t reappear. Then the three of them told the landlord that unless he paid them a great deal of money they’d make a bonfire of（烧掉落，烧毁） his house; so he gave them all he had and all he could raise, and off they went with it. It was enough to keep them for the rest of their lives, but they’d still rather have had their own organs back.

There was a village where all the peasants were rich except for just one poor one, whom they called the little peasant. He did not own a single cow, and had even less money to buy one with, but he and his wife would have liked to have one ever so much.One day he said to her, “Listen, I have a good idea. Our kinsman（男性亲戚） the cabinetmaker（家具木工） should make us a calf out of wood and paint it brown so that it looks like any other calf, and with time it is sure to grow big and be a cow.”His wife liked this idea, and their kinsman the cabinetmaker skillfully put together the calf and planed it, then painted it just right. He made it with its head hanging down as if it were grazing.When the cows were being driven out the next morning the little peasant called to the herder and said, “Look, I have a little calf here, but it is still small and has to be carried.”The herder said, “All right,” and taking it in his arms he carried it to the pasture where he set it in the grass.The little calf stood there like one that was grazing, and the herder said, “It will soon be walking by itself. Just look how it is already grazing.”That evening when he was about to drive the herd home again, he said to the calf, “If you can stand there and eat your fill, you can also walk on your four legs. I don´t want to carry you home again in my arms.”When the herder（牧人） drove the cows through the village the little peasant was standing outside his door waiting for his little calf. It was missing, and he asked where it was.The herder answered, “It is still standing out there grazing. It would not stop and come with us.”The little peasant said, “Oh, I must have my animal back again.”Then together they went back to the pasture, but someone had stolen the calf, and it was gone.The herder said, “It must have run away.”The little peasant said, “Don’t tell me that,” and he took the herder before the mayor, who condemned him for his carelessness, and required him to give the little peasant a cow for the lost calf.The little peasant and his wife now had the cow that they had long wanted. They were very glad, but they had no feed for it, and could give it nothing to eat, so it soon had to be slaughtered.They salted the meat, and the little peasant went to town to sell the hide, hoping to buy a new calf with the proceeds.On the way he came to a mill, and there sat a raven with broken wings. Out of pity he picked it up and wrapped it in the hide.But then the weather turned very bad with a wind and rain storm. Unable to continue on his way, he returned to the mill and asked for shelter.The miller’s wife was alone in the house, and she said to the little peasant, “You can sleep in the straw there,” and she gave him a piece of bread and cheese.The little peasant ate and then lay down with his hide at his side. The woman thought, “He is tired and has fallen asleep.”In the meantime the priest arrived. The miller’s wife received him well, and said, “My husband is out, so we can have a feast.”The little peasant listened, and when he heard them talking about feasting he was angry that he had had to make do with a piece of bread and cheese. Then the woman served up four different things: a roast, salad, cake, and wine. They were just about to sit down and eat when someone knocked on the outside door.The woman said, “Oh, God, it’s my husband.” She quickly hid the roast inside the tile stove, the wine under the pillow, the salad on top of the bed, the cake under the bed, and the priest in the hallway chest.Then opening the door for her husband, she said, “Thank heaven, you are back again. That is such a storm, as if the world were coming to an end.”The miller saw the little peasant lying in the straw and asked, “What is that fellow doing there?”"Oh,” said his wife, “The poor rascal came in the storm and rain and asked for shelter, so I gave him a piece of bread and cheese, and let him lie in the straw.”The man said, “I have nothing against that, but hurry and get me something to eat.”His wife said, ” I have nothing but bread and cheese.”"I´ll be satisfied with anything,” answered her husband. “Bread and cheese will be good enough for me.” Then he looked at the little peasant and said, “Come and eat some more with me.”The little peasant did not have to be asked twice, but got up and ate.Afterward the miller saw the hide with the raven in it lying on the ground, and asked, “What do you have there?”The little peasant answered, “I have a fortune-teller inside it.”"Can he predict anything for me?” said the miller.

The cats from the cat village went to the river for a picnic.A cat found a corn stalk（玉米杆） .What can the cats do with the corn stalk?He must be hungry.He is eating the kernels of corn.Oh,look!He stopped eating.Meow made a new tooth from a kernel of corn!This cat ate the ear of corn.He made a harmonica（口琴） out of the corncob.Oh,look! The cats are brushing their teeth with the Harmonica.”Chi-ka,chi-ka.”Up and down,up and down.That’s right. Teeth have to be cleaned after eating. Good cat!The cats are thinking of something. They are full and have brushed their teeth.Now it’s time to play. What game can they play with the corn?First, this cat is making a net with corn silks.Yes!! He must be planning to catch his favorite fish.The stalks and the leaves of the corn are being made into a sailboat. The corn stalks are woven into a raft. The sails are made by attaching the leaves.“Lu=Lu,La-La!Lu-Lu,La-La!”One cat plays the harmonica as the other cats ride on their sailboat. Another cat brought a net.He is going to catch some fish. Aren’t they very funny cats?

Once there was a Queen. She was sitting at the window. There was snow outside in the garden-snow on the hill and in the lane, snow on the hunts and on the trees: all things were white with snow.The Queen was making a coat for a little child. She said, “I want my child to be white as this cloth, white as the snow. And I shall call her Snow-white.”Some days after that the Queen had a child. The child was white as snow. The Queen called her Snow-white.But the Queen was very ill, and after some days she died. Snow-white lived, and was a very happy and beautiful child.One year after that, the King married another Queen. The new Queen was very beautiful; but she was not a good woman.A wizard（男巫） had given this Queen a glass. The glass could speak. It was on the wall in the Queen’s room. Every day the queen looked in the glass to see how beautiful she was. As she looked in the glass, she asked: “Tell me, glass upon the wall, who is most beautiful of all?” And the glass spoke and said: “The Queen is most beautiful of all.”Years went by. Snow-white grew up and became a little girl. every day the Queen looked in the glass and said, “Tell me, glass upon the wall, who is most beautiful of all?” And the glass said, “Snow-white is most beautiful of all.”When the Queen heard this, she was very angry. She said, “Snow-white is not more beautiful than I am. There is no one who is more beautiful than I am.”Then the Queen sat on her bed and cried.After one hour the Queen went out of her room. She called one of the servants, and said, “Take Snow-white into the forest and kill her.”The servant took Snow-white to the forest, but he did not kill her, because she was so beautiful and so good. He said, “I shall not kill you; but do not go to the King’s house, because the Queen is angry and she will see you. If the Queen sees you, she will make some other man kill you. Wait here in the forest; some friends will help you.” Then he went away.Poor Snow-white sat at the foot of a tree and cried. Then she saw that night was coming. She said, “I will not cry. I will find some house where I can sleep tonight. I cannot wait here: the bears will eat me.”She went far into the forest. Then she saw a little hut（小屋） . She opened the door of the hut, and went in. In the hut she saw seven little beds. There was a table, and on the table there were seven little loaves（大块烤过的食品） and seven little glasses. She ate one of the loaves. Then she said, “I want some water to drink.” So she drank some water out of one of the glasses. Then she fell asleep on one of the seven little beds.The hut was the home of seven Little Men. When it was night, the seven Little Men came to the hut. Each Little Man had a big beard, and a little blue coat. Each Little Man came into the hut, and took his little lamp. Then each Little Man sat down, and ate his little loaf, and drank his little glass of water.But one Little Man said, “Someone has eaten my little loaf.” And another Little Man said, “Someone has drunk my little glass of water.” Then the seven Little Men went to bed, but one Little Man said, “Someone is sleeping on my little bed.” All the seven Little Men came to look at Snow-white as she slept on the Little Men’s bed. They said, “She is very beautiful.”