Once upon a time a poor man went to the king to ask for justice.He came to the palace but didn’t know how to enter it.There were guards everywhere.The captain of the guard came out.
“I shall let you in,”he said,“but only on one condition that you give me one-third of whatever the king gives you.”
從前,有一個窮人去找國王說理,他來到皇宮前,但不知道怎么才能進去,因為那里到處都有警衛。這時警衛隊長出來了。
“我將讓你進去,”他說,“不過有一個條件,你得把國王送給你的東西分給我三分之一。”
king[ki]國王
justice['dstis]正義,公正
palace['plis]皇宮,宮殿
captain['kptin]首領,隊長
condition[kn'din]條件
whatever[wt'ev]無論
The poor man agreed,and the guards led him to the steward.
“I shall let you in,”said the steward,“but only if you give me one-third of whatever the king gives you.”
這個窮人同意了,幾個衛兵領他去見宮廷管事。
“我將讓你進去,”管事說,“不過有一個條件,你得把國王送給你的東西分給我三分之一。”
agree['gri:]同意
steward[stjud]管事,管家
The poor man agreed,and the guards led him to the chancellor.
“I shall let you in,”said the chancellor,“but only if you give me one-third of whatever the king gives you.”
這個窮人同意了,衛兵又領他去見大臣。
“我將讓你進去,”大臣說,“不過,你得把國王送給你的東西分給我三分之一。”
chancellor['ta:nsl]大臣
“That means there will be nothing for me!”thought the poor man.The chancellor led him to the king.
“What do you want?”the king asked.The captain of the guard,the steward and the chancellor listened.
“那就意味著我自己什么也沒有了。”這個窮人暗自思忖。
大臣帶他去見國王。
“你想要什么?”國王問道,警衛隊長、管事和大臣在一旁聽著。
“Oh,your majesty,”the poor man said,“I have done many bad things in my life.So I came to ask you to give me three beatings.But it was difficult to get to see you. I promised a third of whatever you give me to the captain of the guard,a third to the steward and a third to the chancellor.”
“哈,陛下,”這個窮人說,“我的一生做了很多壞事,這樣我來請求陛下打我三次,但由于見到您非常不容易,我已答應把您給我的三分之一送給警衛隊長,三分之一送給管事,三分之一送給大臣。”
majesty['mdisti]陛下
beating['bi:ti]打
difficult['difiklt]困難的
promise['prmis]允許,諾言
“I must keep my word to them,so I ask you to divide the beatings among them ——one beating each!”
The king laughed.His guards led the captain of the guard,the steward and the chancellor out to give them the beatings.As for the poor man,the king decided to make him chancellor,and he lived happily ever after.
“我必須對他們履行我的諾言,所以,我請求陛下在他們三個人中間平分這頓打,每人打一次!”
當國王的衛兵押著警衛隊長、管事和大臣出去挨打的時候,國王開懷大笑了一通。至于這個窮人嘛,國王決定讓他做大臣,從那以后,他過上了幸福快樂的日子。
ever after從那以后
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