Snakes (蛇)
The snake is a long and thin animal that lives in graor other dark places. A snake has no legs or feet, but it can move very fast on its stomach. Snakes usually have green, yellow or black skins, which make them difficult for their enemies to find them. Some kinds of snakes live in water. They can swim as freely as fish.
Snakes are cold-blooded animals. In winter they hibernate ① in holes which are narrow enough only to hold the snakes' bodies. The snakes can sleep through a whole winter without eating and moving. They can not feel any pain. The hibernation ② period lasts about five months. When spring comes, the snakes come out and begin their normal life.
Snakes can take many things as food, such as mice, sparrows, frogs,birds' eggs, pests ③ and so on. People sometimes can see a snake eat a sparrow. First it moves close to the sparrow, then it puts out its tongue and brings the sparrow into its mouth and swallows it, which makes a lump ④ in the snake's body. After some time the lump disappears.
As snakes are dreadful-looking ⑤, people are afraid of them. Many people drive them away whenever they see snakes. But in Chinese fairy tales, snakes are by no means bad. They seem to have human feelings. They can change into pretty girls. People like and respect them. The most well-known is the story about the White Snake and the Blue Snake.
In fact, snakes are not as dreadful as they look. They can help us to kill mice and pests. They can provide us with delicious meat. Their blood is a good drink. Poisonous snakes are especially useful. We can make valuable drugs with them.
Hercules and the Wagoner大力神和車伕
A CARTER was driving a wagon along a country lane, when the wheels sank down deep into a rut. The rustic driver, stupefied and aghast, stood looking at the wagon, and did nothing but utter loud cries to Hercules to come and help him. Hercules, it is said, appeared and thus addressed him: "Put your shoulders to the wheels, my man. Goad on your bullocks, and never more pray to me for help, until you have done your best to help yourself, or depend upon it you will henceforth pray in vain."
Self-help is the best help. 一名車伕趕着貨車沿着鄉間小路行進。途中車輪陷入了很深的車轍中，再也無法前進。 這時，愚蠢的`車伕嚇得茫然失措，一籌莫展，癡呆呆地站在那裏，凝視着貨車，不斷地高聲 喊叫，求大力神來助他一把。大力神來到後，對他說：“朋友，用你的肩膀扛起車輪，再抽 打拉車的馬。你自己不自力更生，盡力解決，僅靠祈求我，怎麼行呢?”
這是說自力更生，自助自立是克服困難的最好辦法。
2. The Ants and the Grasshopper螞蟻與蚱蜢
THE ANTS were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected in the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him, "Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?' He replied, "I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing." They then said in derision: "If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperleto bed in the winter."
冬季，螞蟻正忙着把潮溼的穀子曬乾。飢餓的蚱蜢跑來，向他們乞討食物。螞蟻問他： “你爲什麼在夏天不去收集食物呢?” 蚱蜢回答說：“那時沒有時間，我忙於唱美妙動聽的 歌。”螞蟻嘲笑說：“你夏季如要唱歌，那麼冬季就去跳舞吧。”這故事說明，要不失時機 地工作、勞動，才能豐衣足食;如果一味玩樂，只能捱餓。
Hare and the Tortoise烏龜與兔
A HARE one day ridiculed the short feet and slow pace of the Tortoise, who replied, laughing: "Though you be swift as the wind, I will beat you in a race." The Hare, believing her assertion to be simply impossible, assented to the proposal; and they agreed that the Fox should choose the course and fix the goal. On the day appointed for the race the two started together. The Tortoise never for a moment stopped, but went on with a slow but steady pace straight to the end of the course. The Hare, lying down by the wayside, fell fast asleep. At last waking up, and moving as fast as he could, he saw the Tortoise had reached the goal, and was comfortably dozing after her fatigue. Slow but steady wins the race.
