勤劳的小红母鸡

下面这个英语故事告诉我们，只有付出才有收获，不劳而获、坐享其成的人没有资格享受别人辛勤耕耘的果实。

　　Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She lived with a pig, a duck and a cat.

　　很久很久以前有一只小红母鸡，她与一只猪，一只鸭子和一只猫生活在一起。

　　They all lived in a pretty little house which the little red hen liked to keep clean and tidy. The little red hen worked hard at her jobs all day.

　　他们住在一个漂亮的小房子里，小红母鸡喜欢保持清洁整齐。她每天辛勤地劳动。

　　The others never helped. Although they said they meant to, they were all far too lazy. The pig liked to grunt in the mud outside, the duck used to swim in the pond all day, and the cat enjoyed lying in the sun, purring.

　　别人都不肯帮忙。尽管他们说他们想要这样做，但是他们太懒了。小猪喜欢在泥里打滚，鸭子常常整日在池塘上戏水，而小猫喜欢晒着太阳酣睡。

　　One day the little red hen was working in the garden when she found a grain of corn

　　一天小红母鸡在花园里劳动，她发现了一粒玉米种子。

　　"Who will plant this grain of corn?" she asked.

　　“谁来种这粒玉米种子?”她问道 。

　　"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

　　“不是我，”小猪咕噜噜地说道。

　　"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.

　　“不是我，”鸭子在池塘上呱呱地回答到。

　　"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.

　　“也不是我，”晒着太阳的小猫呼噜噜地说道。

　　So the little red hen went to look for a nice bit of earth, scratched it with her feet and planted the grain of corn.

　　所以小红母鸡出去找了一块好的土地，她用脚刨了刨地，种好了玉米种子。

　　During the summer the grain of corn grew. First it grew into a tall green stalk, then it ripened in the sun until it had turned a lovely golden colour. The little red hen saw that the corn was ready for cutting.

　　夏天玉米长高了。它先是长出又高又绿的一株杆子，然后在太阳下变得成熟，直至变成可爱的金黄色。

　　小红母鸡看到该是收割的时候了。

　　"Who will help me cut the corn?" asked the little red hen.

　　“谁来帮我收割玉米?”小红母鸡问道。

　　"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

　　“不是我，”小猪咕噜噜地说道。

　　"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.

　　“不是我，”鸭子在池塘上呱呱地回答到。

　　"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.

　　“也不是我，”晒着太阳的小猫呼噜噜地说道。

　　"Very well then, I will cut it myself," said the little red hen. Carefully she cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.

　　“那好吧，我自己收割，”小红母鸡说道。她小心翼翼地砍下玉米杆子，剥下玉米粒。

　　"Who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be ground into flour?" asked the little red hen.

　　“谁来把玉米送去磨坊，好把它磨成粉?”小红母鸡问道。

　　"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.

　　“不是我，”小猪咕噜噜地说道。

　　"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.

　　“不是我，”鸭子在池塘上呱呱地回答到。

　　"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.

　　“也不是我，”晒着太阳的小猫呼噜噜地说道。

　　So the little red hen took the corn to the mill herself, and asked the miller if he would be so kind as to grind it into flour.

　　于是小红母鸡吧玉米送去磨坊，要磨匠把玉米磨成粉。