The Frog in the Well (井底之蛙)

此文章是英文版本的中国闻名故事“井底之蛙”

There was a frog that lived in a shallow well.

" Look how well off I am here ! " he told a big turtle from the Eastern Ocean. " I can hop along the coping of the well when I go out, and rest by a crevice in the bricks on my return. I can wallow to my heart's content with only my head above water, or stroll ankle deep through soft mud. No crabs or tadpoles can compare with me. I am master of the water and lord of this shallow well, What more can a fellow ask ? Why don't you come here more often to have a good time ? "

Before the turtle from the Eastern Ocean could get his left foot into the well, however, he caught his right claw on something. So he halted and stepped back then began to describe the ocean to the frog.

" It's more than a thousand miles across and more than ten thousand feet deep. In ancient times there were floods nine years out of ten yet the water in the ocean never increased.

And later there were droughts seven years out of eight yet the water in the ocean never grew less. It has remained quite constant throughtout the ages. That is why I like to live in the Eastern Ocean. "

Then the frog in the shallow well was silent and felt a little abashed.

词汇：
1. shallow:浅的,浅滩
2. hop:跳;跳过;跳上
3. coping:顶部;顶盖
4. crevice:裂缝
5. bricks:砖;砖形物
6. wallow:动 打滚[在泥沙,水中]
7. stroll:闲逛;漫步;游历
8. crabs:蟹
9. tadpoles:蝌蚪
10.compare:比较
11.claw:爪
12.halted:停止
13.ancient:以往的;古代的
14.drought:乾旱
15.abashed:羞愧

注：
well作为副词是指好的，适当的。作为名词是指井;泉。作为动词是指涌出。

翻译：
在过去有一只去青蛙住在一口浅井里，有一天它遇到一只来自东方海洋海龟。

它告诉海龟：“看我在这儿的本领多好。当我出去时，我可以在井的顶部跳跃； 当我回来时，我可以在水中打滚，或在软泥中游历。没有螃蟹或蝌蚪可以和我比较。我是水中的大师和这口井的神仙。人家已别无所求了。你怎么不多来几趟和我一起度过好时光？”

那海龟还没把它的左爪踏进浅井时，它先用右爪试试水深。然后回步停下来，开始描述海洋给那只青蛙听。

“海洋的宽度多于一千里，深度多于一万步。在以往这里在十年内有九年都发生水灾，但海洋的水量也没因此而增加。”

“还有，八年内有七年都发生旱灾，但海洋的水量也没因此而减少。长年累月海洋的水量是几乎固定的。这就是为什么我喜欢住在东方海洋。

当时那只青蛙听了后安静下来，感到很羞愧。