yet, my son," she replied; "the man who only sends to his friends

to help him with his harvest is not really in earnest." The owner



of the field came again a few days later and saw the wheat

shedding the grain from excess of ripeness. He said, "I will



come myself tomorrow with my laborers, and with as many reapers

as I can hire, and will get in the harvest." The Lark on hearing



these words said to her brood, "It is time now to be off, my

little ones, for the man is in earnest this time; he no longer



trusts his friends, but will reap the field himself."

Self-help is the best help.



The Fox and the Lion

WHEN A FOX who had never yet seen a Lion, fell in with him by



chance for the first time in the forest, he was so frightened

that he nearly died with fear. On meeting him for the second



time, he was still much alarmed, but not to the same extent as at

first. On seeing him the third time, he so increased in boldness



that he went up to him and commenced a familiar conversation with

him.



Acquaintance softens prejudices.

The Weasel and the Mice



A WEASEL, inactive from age and infirmities, was not able to

catch mice as he once did. He therefore rolled himself in flour



and lay down in a dark corner. A Mouse, supposing him to be

food, leaped upon him, and was instantly caught and squeezed to



death. Another perished in a similar manner, and then a third,

and still others after them. A very old Mouse, who had escaped



many a trap and snare, observed from a safe distance the trick of

his crafty foe and said, "Ah! you that lie there, may you prosper



just in the same proportion as you are what you pretend to be!"

The Boy Bathing



A BOY bathing in a river was in danger of being drowned. He

called out to a passing traveler for help, but instead of holding



out a helping hand, the man stood by unconcernedly, and scolded

the boy for his imprudence. "Oh, sir!" cried the youth, "pray



help me now and scold me afterwards."

Counsel without help is useless.



The Ass and the Wolf

AN ASS feeding in a meadow saw a Wolf approaching to seize him,



and immediately pretended to be lame. The Wolf, coming up,

inquired the cause of his lameness. The Ass replied that passing



through a hedge he had trod with his foot upon a sharp thorn. He

requested that the Wolf pull it out, lest when he ate him it



should injure his throat. The Wolf consented and lifted up the

foot, and was giving his whole mind to the discovery of the



thorn, when the Ass, with his heels, kicked his teeth into his

mouth and galloped away. The Wolf, being thus fearfully mauled,



said, "I am rightly served, for why did I attempt the art of

healing, when my father only taught me the trade of a butcher?'



The Seller of Images

A CERTAIN MAN made a wooden image of Mercury and offered it for



sale. When no one appeared willing to buy it, in order to

attract purchasers, he cried out that he had the statue to sell



of a benefactor who bestowed wealth and helped to heap up riches.

One of the bystanders said to him, "My good fellow, why do you



sell him, being such a one as you describe, when you may yourself

enjoy the good things he has to give?' "Why," he replied, "I am



in need of immediate help, and he is wont to give his good gifts

very slowly."



The Fox and the Grapes

A FAMISHED FOX saw some clusters of ripe black grapes hanging



from a trellised vine. She resorted to all her tricks to get at

them, but wearied herself in vain, for she could not reach them.



At last she turned away, hiding her disappointment and saying:

"The Grapes are sour, and not ripe as I thought."



The Man and His Wife

A MAN had a Wife who made herself hated by all the members of his



household. Wishing to find out if she had the same effect on the

persons in her father's house, he made some excuse to send her



home on a visit to her father. After a short time she returned,

and when he inquired how she had got on and how the servants had



treated her, she replied, "The herdsmen and shepherds cast on me

looks of aversion." He said, "O Wife, if you were disliked by



those who go out early in the morning with their flocks and

return late in the evening, what must have been felt towards you



by those with whom you passed the whole day!"

Straws show how the wind blows.

• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• pasture [´pɑ:stʃə] n.牧场；放牧 v.吃(草) (初中英语单词)


• revenge [ri´vendʒ] vt.报复 n.报仇；报复 (初中英语单词)


• willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)


• effective [i´fektiv] a.有效的；有力的 (初中英语单词)


• protection [prə´tekʃən] n.警戒；护照；通行证 (初中英语单词)


• deserve [di´zə:v] v.应受；值得 (初中英语单词)


• butcher [´butʃə] n.屠夫，刽子手 (初中英语单词)


• stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• monkey [´mʌŋki] n.猴子 v.乱弄；胡闹 (初中英语单词)


• driven [´driv(ə)n] drive 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• abundance [ə´bʌndəns] n.丰富，充裕 (初中英语单词)


• grateful [´greitful] a.感谢的；令人愉快的 (初中英语单词)


• ability [ə´biliti] n.(办事)能力；才干 (初中英语单词)


• portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)


• estimate [´estimət, ´estimeit] n.估计；评价 vt.估价 (初中英语单词)


• injure [´indʒə] vt.伤害，损害，毁坏 (初中英语单词)


• shepherd [´ʃepəd] n.牧羊人 vt.带领 (初中英语单词)


• charge [tʃɑ:dʒ] v.收费；冲锋 n.费用 (初中英语单词)


• assembly [ə´sembli] n.集会；装配；与会者 (初中英语单词)


• harvest [´hɑ:vist] n.&v.收获；收割 (初中英语单词)


• excess [´ekses] n.超过 a.过分的 (初中英语单词)


• earnest [´ə:nist] a.认真的 n.认真；诚恳 (初中英语单词)


• extent [ik´stent] n.长度；程度；范围 (初中英语单词)


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• proportion [prə´pɔ:ʃən] n.比率 vt.使成比例 (初中英语单词)


• pretend [pri´tend] v.假装；借口；妄求 (初中英语单词)


• meadow [´medəu] n.草地；牧场 (初中英语单词)


• throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)


• wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)


• mercury [´mə:kjuri] n.汞；水银柱 (初中英语单词)


• statue [´stætʃu:] n.塑像，雕像 (初中英语单词)


• disappointment [,disə´pɔintmənt] n.失望；挫折 (初中英语单词)


• contrive [kən´traiv] v.发明；设计；图谋 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)


• cemetery [´semitri] n.墓地，公墓 (高中英语单词)


• appropriate [ə´prəupri-it, ə´prəuprieit] a.适宜的 vt.私占；拨给 (高中英语单词)


• mistaken [mis´teikən] mistake的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• administer [əd´ministə] vt.管理；支配；执行 (高中英语单词)


• throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)


• mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)


• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)


• seller [´selə] n.销售者；行销货 (高中英语单词)


• domain [də´mein,dəu-] n.领土；版图；范围 (英语四级单词)


• wizard [´wizəd] n.术士；男巫 (英语四级单词)


• foresee [fɔ:´si:] vt.预见，预知 (英语四级单词)


• contradict [,kɔntrə´dikt] v.反驳；否认 (英语四级单词)


• watchful [´wɔtʃfəl] a.注意的；戒备的 (英语四级单词)


• obstinate [´ɔbstinit] a.顽固的；(病)难治的 (英语四级单词)


• patronage [´pætrənidʒ] n.保护；赞助 (英语四级单词)


• devoted [di´vəutid] a.献身…的，忠实的 (英语四级单词)


• resolute [´rezəlu:t] a.坚决的；不屈不挠的 (英语四级单词)


• wherefore [´weəfɔ:] ad.为什么；因此 (英语四级单词)


• rightly [´raitli] ad.正义地；正确地 (英语四级单词)


• weasel [´wi:zəl] n.黄鼠狼；狡猾的人 (英语四级单词)


• irritable [´iritəbəl] a.急躁的；过敏的 (英语六级单词)


• averse [ə´və:s] a.反对的，不乐意的 (英语六级单词)


• salutation [,sælju´teiʃ(ə)n] n.招呼，致意；行礼 (英语六级单词)


• truthful [´tru:θfəl] a.诚实的；真实的 (英语六级单词)


• plumage [´plu:midʒ] n.羽毛；漂亮衣服 (英语六级单词)


• inactive [in´æktiv] a.不活动的 (英语六级单词)


• crafty [´krɑ:fti] a.狡猾的 (英语六级单词)


• benefactor [´beni,fæktə] n.捐助人；恩人 (英语六级单词)