對於拇指姑娘的故事，大家或許看過，或許聽說過。這個童話故事曾陪伴許多孩子的成長，現在也依然是孩子最喜歡的童話故事之一。以下這篇英文版的拇指姑娘，希望大家喜歡，繼續關注應屆畢業生考試網。
She had a little house of her own, a little garden too, this woman of whom I am going to tell you, but for all that she was not quite happy.
"If only I had a little child of my own," she said, “Then, indeed, I should be quite happy."
今天我要講給大家聽的是一個婦女的故事，她有自己的一間小屋和一個小花園，但她還是開心不起來。
她說，我要是有個一丁點小的孩子該多好啊，這樣我會多麼開心啊。
And an old witch heard what the woman had wished, and said, "Oh, but that is easily managed. Here is a barley-corn. Plant it in a flower-pot and tend it carefully, and then you will see what will happen."
The woman was in a great hurry to go home and plant the barley-corn, but she did not forget to say "thank you" to the old witch. She not only thanked her, she even stayed to give her six silver pennies.
消息傳到了一個女巫的耳朵裏，她說，哦，這好辦的很!這是一顆大麥粒，把它種到花盆裏，然後你就等着看會發生什麼吧。
女人趕緊跑回家種下麥粒，她沒忘對巫婆說聲謝謝，不僅如此，她還給了巫婆6個銀幣。
And what do you think happened? Almost before the corn was planted, up shot a large and beautiful flower. It was still unopened. The petals were folded closely together, but it looked like a tulip. It really was a tulip, a red and yellow one, too.
The woman loved flowers. She stooped and kissed the beautiful bud. As her lips touched the petals, they burst open, and oh! wonder of wonders! there in the very middle of the flower, there sat a little child. Such a tiny, pretty little maiden she was.
They called her Thumbelina. That was because she was no bigger than the woman's thumb.
你猜發生了什麼?麥粒剛種下去，一朵美麗的大花就破土而出。這是一朵沒開放的花，它的葉子緊緊的包在一起，看起來像是一朵鬱金香。它真的是一朵鬱金香，而且是紅中帶黃的。
女人非常喜歡花。她彎腰在美麗的花蕾上親了一下。她的嘴脣一碰到花瓣，花兒立刻綻放了!噢，太美妙了!就在花的中央，坐着一個小小孩兒!多麼小，多麼可愛的`一個少女啊!
大家叫她拇指姑娘。因爲她只有一個人的拇指那麼點大。
And where do you think she slept?
When she slept little Thumbelina lay in her cradle on a tiny heap of violets, with the petal of a pale pink rose to cover her.
And where do you think she played? A table was her playground. On the table the woman placed a plate of water. Little Thumbelina called that her lake.
Round the plate were scented flowers, the blossoms laying on the edge, while the pale green stalks reached thirstily down to the water.
你們知道她睡在哪裏嗎?
小小拇指姑娘睡覺時躺在用紫羅蘭花瓣墊着的胡桃殼裏，蓋的是粉色玫瑰花瓣。
你知道她又是在怎麼玩耍嗎?一張桌子就是她玩耍的天地，女人在桌上放了一盤子水，拇指姑娘把它叫做她的湖
盤子上擺了一圈芳香的花兒，花朵沿着邊兒排開，而嫩綠的枝幹貪婪地伸向水中。
In the lake floated a large tulip leaf. This was Thumbelina's little boat. Seated there she sailed from side to side of her little lake, rowing cleverly with two white horse hairs. As she rowed backwards and forwards she sang softly to herself. The woman listening hardly, and thought she had never known so sweet a song.
And now such a sad thing happened.
In through the broken window-pane hopped a big toad, oh! such an ugly big toad. She hopped right on to the table, where Thumbelina lay dreaming in her tiny cradle, under the pale pink rose leaf.
湖裏漂着一片大鬱金香葉子，這是拇指姑娘的小船。她靈巧的用兩根白馬尾做漿，把小船從湖的這頭劃到那頭。她來來回回划船時輕輕地哼着歌兒，女人豎着耳朵聽着，她覺得從來沒聽過這麼一首甜美的歌。
可是就在這時發生了一件令人傷心的事。
一隻大癩蛤蟆從破窗格子裏跳了進來。天啊，多麼醜陋的一隻癩蛤蟆，她一下子跳到桌上，拇指姑娘此刻正蓋着粉紅的玫瑰花瓣，躺在小搖籃裏做着美夢呢。
She peeped at her, this ugly toad.
"How beautiful the little maiden is," she croaked. "She will make a lovely bride for my handsome son." And she lifted the little cradle, with Thumbelina in it, and hopped out through the broken window-pane, down into the garden.
At the foot of the garden was a broad stream. Here, under the muddy banks lived the old toad with her son.
這隻醜蛤蟆偷窺着她，
“呱呱，這姑娘真漂亮!正好做我那漂亮兒子的新娘!”於是她抓起拇指姑娘正睡着的小搖籃，從破窗格子跳了出去，跳進了花園。
花園底下有一條寬寬的小溪，癩蛤蟆和她兒子就住在這泥濘的岸邊。
How handsome she thought him! But he was really very ugly. Indeed, he was exactly like his mother.
When he saw little Thumbelina in her tiny cradle, he croaked with delight.
"Do not make so much noise," said his mother, "or you will wake the tiny creature. We may lose her if we are not careful. The slightest breeze would waft her far away. She is as light as gossamer."
癩蛤蟆覺得她兒子長的好看極了，但事實上他非常醜。他和他媽簡直就是一個模子裏鑄出來的!
當他看見小牀裏的拇指姑娘時，興奮的呱呱大叫起來。
“別吵”!他媽說，“你會把這小可愛吵醒的!我們不小心點的話會讓她跑掉的!微風都能把她吹走，她就像紗一樣輕啊。”
Then the old toad carried Thumbelina out into the middle of the stream. "She will be safe here," she said, as she laid her gently on one of the leaves of a large water lily, and paddled back to her son.
"We will make ready the best rooms under the mud," she told him, "and then you and the little maiden will be married."
Poor little Thumbelina! She had not seen the ugly big toad yet, nor her ugly son.
When she woke up early in the morning, how she wept! Water all around her! How could she reach the shore? Poor little Thumbelina!
老蛤蟆把拇指姑娘背到河中央，“她在這裏會很安全”，她說，把她輕輕地放在一片大睡蓮的葉子上，然後游回到兒子身邊。
我們要在泥巴下建幾間最好的屋子，老蛤蟆說，這樣你和她就可以結婚啦!
可憐的拇指姑娘!她還從沒見過這兩隻醜癩蛤蟆啊。
拇指姑娘一早醒來發現自己的處境後，傷心的哭泣起來，她的四周都是水!怎麼回到岸上呢?可憐的拇指姑娘啊!
