小学英语故事短文：邯郸学步
  Learning to Walk in Handan
  Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period.
  邯郸，是战国时期赵国的首都。
  A young man in the State of Yan heard that the State of Zhao was more powerful than the State of Yan, so he was much interested in the State of Zhao. Consequently, he crossed over mountain after mountain by himself and got to Handan.
  燕国有个青年听说赵国比燕国强大，对赵国很感兴趣。于是，他一个人翻山越岭，来到了邯郸。
  Upon arrival at Handan, he felt that the State of Zhao was indeed more stable than the State of Yan. Even the way of walking of the people of the State of Zhao looked better than that of the people of the State of Yan. He made up his mind to learn how the people of the St
ate of Zhao walked in Handan, so that in the future the people of the State of Yan could walk as gracefully as them.
  到了邯郸，他觉得赵国确实比燕国，连赵国人走路的姿势都比燕国人好看。他决定在邯郸学会赵国人走路，将来让燕国人走路也能像赵国人一样好看。
  Yet, that was easier said than done. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to learn the gait of the people of the State of Zhao. On the contrary, he even forgot completely how he walked in the State of Yan. In the end, he had no alternative but to crawl back from the State of Zhao to the State of Yan.
  可是，说起来容易做起来难。这个青年怎么学也没有学会赵国人走路的姿势，反而连自己在燕国时如何走路也忘得干干净净。最后，池没有办法，只好爬着离开赵国回燕国去了。
  小学英语故事短文：楼捕蝉
  The Hunchback Catches Cicadas询

驼背的故事        One day, Confucius led his disciples to the State of Chu. When crossing a stretch of forest, they saw a hunchbacked old man standing under a tree, catching cicadas with a bamboo stick. With each stroke he caught one cicada, just as easily as picking it up at will. Confucius asked:
  一天，孔子带着弟子去楚国。穿过一片树林的时候，他们看到一位驼背老人站在树下，手拿竹竿捕蝉，一粘一只，就像随手拾来一样容易。孔子问:
  "You are very skillful at catching cicadas. You must have followed some pattern."
  “您捕蝉捕得这么熟练，一定掌握了什么规律吧?”
  "That's right!”the old man answered. "The cicada is a clever little insect. It would fly away at the mere rustling of leaves in the wind. Therefore, to catch cicadas, one must, first of all, train one's hand to hold the bamboo stick without shaking. When 2 pellets are put on the top of the bamboo stick and do not fall off, one has certain assurance in catching cicadas; when 3 pellets are put there and do not fall off, only one cicada out of ten can manage to e
scape; when 5 pellets are put there and do not fall off, then catching cicadas is as easy as picking them up at will."
  老人回答说:“是啊!蝉是一种非常乖巧的小虫。一有风吹草动，它就飞掉了，所以要捕蝉，首先要练得手拿竹竿不晃动。一直练到在竹竿顶端放两颗弹丸不掉下来的时候，捕蝉就有了一定的把握;当放三颗弹丸不掉下来的时候，捕十只蝉只会逃走一只;当放五颗弹丸不掉下来的时候，捕蝉就像随手拾取一样容易了。”
  He then added:
  又说:
  "But that is not enough. One must be good at hiding oneself. Now I am standing under a tree, just like half of a tree stump, with my arm stretching out like part of a withered twig. Last of all, one must be attentive. When I am catching cicadas, I don't think at all of the vastness of the universe, nor do I look at the numerous things around. I only see the two wings of the cicada. No matter what happens, nothing will distract my attention. As I manage to accomplish all these, I can be so skillful at catching cicadas."
  “不过，这还不够，还必须善于隐蔽自己。我现在站在树下，就像是半截子树桩;伸出去的手臂，就像是一段枯萎的树枝。最后，还必须用心专一。我捕蝉时，根本不想天地多么广大，也不看众多万物，只看见蝉的两只翅膀，不管发生什么情况，都不会分散我的注意力。因为我能够做到这些，所以捕蝉才会这样熟练。”
  Hearing this, Confucius turned to his disciples and said:
  孔子听了，回头对他的弟子说:
  "Whatever you do, only when you persevere with concentrated attention and devotion, can you achieve the acme of perfection. This is the truth that this hunchbacked old man has taught us."
  “无论做什么事情，只有锲而不舍，专心致志，才能达到这样出神人化的境界。这就是这位驼背老人告诉我们的道理。”
  小学英语故事短文：井蛙之乐
  The Joys of a Frog in a Well
  A frog lived in a shallow well.
  一只青蛙住在一口浅井里。
  One day, it met beside the well a large soft-shelled turtle which had just crawled up from the sea.
  有一天，青蛙在井边碰上了一只刚从海里爬上来的大鳖。
  The frog bragged to the turtle:
  青蛙对大鳖夸口说:
  "Look, how happy I am to live here! When I feel glad, I would bounce for a while near the well; and when I am tired, I would return to the well to sleep and rest for a while by the brick hole. Sometimes, I would quietly soak my whole body in the water, showing only my head and mouth. Sometimes, I would stroll in the soft mud, which is very comfortable. None of those tiny crabs and tadpoles can compare with me. I am the master of this well, free and unrestrained. Why don't you come often to play in the well?"