英语故事txt

The Clever Little TailorOnce upon a time there was a princess who was ever so proud: if any man came to woo her she would set him a riddle, and if he couldn't guess it he was laughed to scorn and sent packing. She also had it made known that whoever did guess the answer to her riddle should marry her, no matter who he might be. And indeed, in the end it so happened that three tailors were making the attempt at the same time. The two eldest reckoned that as they had already successfully sewn many a delicate stitch, they could hardly go wrong and were bound to succeed here as well; the third was a feckless, giddy young fellow who didn't even know his trade properly but thought he was bound to have luck in this case, for if not, then what luck would he ever have in any other case. The two others said to him: "You'd better just stay at home, you with your feather-brain won't get far." But the young tailor wouldn't be put off, saying that he had set his heart on this enterprise and would manage all right; and off he went, sauntering along as if the whole world belonged to him.So all three of them appeared before the princess and asked her to put her riddle to them: she would find, they said, that she had met her match this time, because their wits were so sharp that you could thread a needle with them. So the princess said: "I have two kinds of hair on my head, what colours are they?" "That's easy," said the first, "I think they're black and white, like the cloth they call pepper and salt. "The princess said: "You've guessed wrong; let the second of you answer." So the second said: "If it's not black and white, then it's brown and red like my respected father's frock-coat." "Wrong again," said the princess. "Let the third of you answer, I can see he knows it for sure." So the young tailor stepped forward boldly and said: "The princess has silver and gold hair on her head, and those are the two colours." When the princess heard that, she turned pale and nearly fainted away in alarm, for the young tailor had guessed right, and she had been convinced that no one in the world would be able to do so. When she had recovered herself she said: "This still doesn't give you the right to marry me, there's something else you must do first. Down in the stable there's a bear, and you must spend the night with him. If you're still alive when I get up tomorrow morning, then you shall marry me." But she thought that she would get rid of the young tailor in this way, because no one had ever got into this bear's clutches and lived to tell the tale. But the young tailor wasn't to be daunted. "Nothing venture, nothing win," he commented cheerfully.So that evening our young friend was taken down to the bear's den. And sure enough, the bear at once advanced on the little fellow, meaning to welcome him with a good swipe of his paw. "Not so fast, not so fast," said the young tailor, "I'll soon take the steam out of you." And in leisurely manner, as if he were quite unconcerned, he took some walnuts out of his pocket, cracked them open with his teeth and ate the kernels. When the bear saw this, his appetite was whetted and he wanted some nuts as well. The young tailor put his hand in his pocket and held out some to him: these, however, weren't nuts but pebbles. The bear stuck them in his mouth, but couldn't crack a single one of them, bite as he might. Goodness me, what a booby I am, thought the bear, I can't even crack nuts. And he said to the young tailor: "Hey, crack these nuts for me!" "There now, what a fellow you are!" said the tailor. "A big muzzle like that and you can't even crack a little nut!" And he took the stones, but nimbly put a nut into his mouth instead, and crack! He bit open the shell. "I must try that again," said the bear. "To look at you doing it, you'd think I'd find it easy." So the young tailor gave him another lot of pebbles, and the bear worked away at them, biting for dear life. But as you may imagine, they were more than he could crack. After this, the young tailor pulled out a fiddle from under his coat and began playing a tune on it. When the bear heard the music, he couldn't help himself and began to dance, and when he'd danced for a little he found himself enjoying it so much that he said to the tailor. "Tell me, is it difficult to play the fiddle?" "It's child's play: look, my left hand fingers the strings, my right hand scrapes away at them with the bow, and out comes a merry noise, tralala." "Then I could dance whenever I liked. What do you say to that? Will you give me lessons?" "I'll be delighted to," said the tailor, "If you have the skill for it. but let's have a look at your paws: they're a mighty length, I'll have to pare your nails down a bit." So a vice was fetched, and the bear held out his paws, but the young tailor screwed them in tightly and said: "Now wait till I get the scissors." So saying, he left the bear to stand there and growl, lay down in the corner on a pile of straw and went to sleep.The princess, hearing the bear growl so loudly that night, assumed that he must be growling with satisfaction, having made an end of the tailor. In the morning she got up feeling very pleased and not worried at all, but when she took a look at the stable there was the young tailor standing outside it cock-a-hoop and safe and sound. So then there was nothing more she could say, because she'd publicly promised to marry him; and the king sent for a carriage to take her and the tailor to church to be married. As they drove off, the other two tailors, who were false-hearted and envied him his good fortune, went into the stable and unscrewed the bear. The bear in a great rage charged off in pursuit of the carriage. The princess heard him growling and snorting and cried out in terror: "Oh, the bear's after us, he's coming to get you!" With great presence of mind the tailor stood on his head, stuck his legs out of the window and shouted: "Do you see this vice? If you don't clear off I'll screw you back into it." When the bear saw that, he turned round and ran away. Our young friend then drove on to the church as calm as you like, and the princess gave him her hand at the altar, and he lived with her as happy as a woodlark. There's a fine of three marks for anyone who doesn't believe this story.I. Translation for Reference(参考译文)聪明的小裁缝从前，有一个非常高傲的公主。求婚的人一来，她就给人家出谜语。要是猜不出来，她就嘲笑人家，把人家赶出去。她还向世人宣告说，只要是能猜中她谜语的，不管是谁，都可以和她结婚。后来，有三个裁缝一起来了。两个年纪大的心里想，他们过去曾经做过许多精细的针线活，都获得了成功，这次猜谜也一定不会出错，准能猜到。另一个裁缝是一个没什么才干的冒失的小伙子，连自己的手艺都不太熟练。可是他想，这回一定会有好运气，不然的话，真不知道到哪里去碰好运气呢。两个年纪大的裁缝对小伙子说：“最好呆在家里，你的智慧还不够用，干不了什么了不起的大事。”可是，小裁缝却不甘心。他说，他算豁出去了，一定要去试试看看。他义无反顾潇潇洒洒地走了去，就好象整个世界都是他的似的。他们三个人来到公主面前，请她给他们出谜语。他们说，公主会发现这回遇上了对手，因为他们是顶尖高手，智慧超群思维精细得简直可以用来穿针引线。于是，公主说：“我头上有两种头发，都是什么颜色的？”“这太容易了！”第一个裁缝说，“是黑色和白色呗！就像人们说的黑白点混成的灰布似的。”公主说：“猜得不对。第二个回答吧！”于是，第二个裁缝回答说：“要不是黑色和白色的，那就是像我可敬的爸爸的那件礼服大衣似的，是棕色和红色的。”公主说：“猜得不对。第三个人回答吧！看样子，这个人一定能知道喽！”于是，小裁缝大胆地走过去说：“公主头上的头发是金色和银色的，就是这两种颜色。”公主一听这话，惊得面如土色，险些昏厥过去。因为，小裁缝猜对了。过去，她深信不疑世界上没有人能猜对。公主恢复常态后说道：“这还不行，我还不能和你结婚。你还得做一件事情。你要在下边的兽棚里和熊住一夜。明天我醒的时候，如果你还活着，我就和你结婚。”公主心里想，这下就能把小裁缝除掉了。因为，熊还没有让谁从自己脚爪下活着出去的。可是，小裁缝毫不气馁，还是高高兴兴地说：“不入虎穴，焉得虎子。”到了晚上，小裁缝被带到熊笼里。熊马上向他猛扑过来要用它那有力的脚掌来好好欢迎它的客人。“慢慢来！慢慢来！”小裁缝说，“我一会儿就会叫你安静下来的！”他好像一点儿也没有担心害怕的样子，逍遥自在地从衣袋里拿出几个核桃，咬开后，吃着核桃仁。熊看见小裁缝吃，被激起了食欲，也想吃。小裁缝把手伸进衣袋里，拿出一把交给熊。但是这不是核桃，而是鹅卵石。熊把石头放进嘴里，不论怎样用力，却一个也咬不开。哎呀呀！我真是个废物，连个核桃都咬不动了！熊心里想着，就对小裁缝说：“喂，你帮我把这核桃咬开！”“你看看你，真是个没用的家伙！那么大的一张嘴，连一个小核桃都咬不开！”小裁缝说着，把石头接过来，敏捷地换了个核桃放进嘴里，嘎嘣一下子把核桃咬开。熊说，“看你做得如此轻巧，我一定要再试试！”于是，小裁缝又给熊一些鹅卵石。熊用尽力气去咬，你可想而知，它是怎么也咬不开的。这件事就这样过去了。小裁缝从衣裳里拿出一把小提琴，拉了一支曲子。熊听见音乐声，情不自禁地跳起舞来。跳了一会儿，它发现自己太喜欢这玩意了，于是就对小裁缝说：“老实告诉我，拉小提琴难学吗？”小裁缝说：“这非常容易。你看，左手指按上琴弦，右手拉着琴弓。就这么一拉，美妙的音乐就出来了！”“就这么拉吗？”熊说，“那我高兴的时候就可以跳舞了。你看怎么样？你能教教我吗？”“我乐意效力！”小裁缝说，“只要你和灵巧的话就可以了。你把脚掌伸出来让我看看。哎呀，你指甲太长，我得把你的指甲剪下来一点！”于是，小裁缝把老虎钳子拿出来。熊伸出爪子，小裁缝紧紧地把熊爪拧在老虎钳子中以后，说：“你等一等，我拿剪刀去！”说完，小裁缝走到角落里的麦捆上睡觉去了，只剩下熊站在那里吼叫。那天晚上，公主听见熊吼得很凶，心里想：熊一定把小裁缝干掉了，高兴地吼叫呢！第二天早晨，公主放心了，高高兴兴地起了床，但她到兽棚子一看，只见小裁缝得意洋洋地站在那里，安然无恙。公主再也说不出一句反对结婚的话了。因为那是她当众答应了的。国王派来了马车，公主和小裁缝坐上去，要一起到教堂举行婚礼。他们坐上马车走的时候，那两个阴险的裁缝，对小裁缝得到幸福十分嫉妒，就但兽棚里去，拧开老虎钳子，把熊放了出来。熊气得火冒三丈，在马车后面猛追。公主听见了熊的吼叫，咆哮，害怕地喊起来：“哎呀！熊追来了！熊要把你抓走复仇啊！”小裁缝说着拿了个大顶，把两只脚伸到马车窗户外边去，喊到：“来呀，看见这把老虎钳子了吗？你要是不滚开，我还用老虎钳子夹你！”熊听了这话，掉过头去就逃跑了，小裁缝不慌不忙地到了教堂，和公主举行婚礼典礼。从那以后，他们就像云雀似的过着快乐的生活。谁要是不相信这故事是真的就叫他掏出三块钱来。

127个英语故事，鞥 网址： http://www.rr365.com/free/fairytales/A%20Rose%20from%20Homer's%20Grave.txt http://www.rr365.com/free/fairytales/Children's%20Prattle.txt 好麻烦的，你自己找吧： 还又很多的哦： 英语小故事_学习热线 英语小故事网 英语小故事290，有图，有点意思的：）~ 英语小故事（英语教学资料-初一英语） 英语小作文网:)~里面有分类的，可以参考 下面几个英语网，有各个方面的，你可以根据自己的情况，参考下格写作式和内容：）~~ 这里也有不少英语的优秀短文：：）~~ 英语写作网，很全的,：）~~ 可以学习下：）~~ 英语书写范文：）~ 还有现成的： 英语小故事Who Deserves Help? 可以参考：）~ Many years ago, there lived a very rich man who wanted to do something for the people of his town. But first he wanted to find out whether they deserved his help. So he placed a very large stone in the center of the main road into town. Then he hid behind a tree and waited. Soon an old man came along with his cow. "Who put this stone in the center of the road?" said the old man, but he did not try to remove the stone. Instead, with some difficulty he passed around the stone and continued on his way. Another man came along and did the same thing; then another came, and another. All of them complained about the stone in the center of the road, but not one of them tried to remove it. Late in the afternoon, a young man came along. He saw the stone and said, "The night will be very dark. Some neighbor will come along later in the dark and will fall against the stone. " The young man then began to move the stone. He pushed and pulled with all his strength to move it to one side. But imagine his surprise when under the stone he found a bag full of money and this message: "This money is for the thoughtful person who removes this stone from the road. That person deserves help." 其实你也可以用flash的： 剑桥英语不错的： 也可以直接找网址： 或者这个 翅 膀 一天，我工作的炸鸡店在关门前出现了一阵抢购狂潮，结果除了鸡翅外所有的东西都卖完了。当我正准备锁门时，一名喝醉了的旅客进来要进餐。我问他翅膀行不行，他从柜台上靠过身子来，回答道：“女士，我到这儿来是吃东西的，不是要飞！” Wings The fried-chicken restaurant where I was working had a big rush just before closing one day, leaving us with nothing to sell but wings. As I was about to lock the doors, aa quietly intoxicated customer came in and ordered dinner. When I asked if wings would be all right, he leaned over the counter and replied, "Lady, I came in here to eat, not fly." 真的是太多了： 这是保存在我的电脑里的哦 A Brother Like That A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he said. Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish . . ." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "That I could be a brother like that." Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?" "Oh yes, Id love that." After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car. "There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day Im gonna give you one just like it . . . then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that Ive been trying to tell you about." Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said: "It is more blessed to give . . . " 内容： 哥哥的心愿 圣诞节时，保罗的哥哥送他一辆新车。圣诞节当天，保罗离开办公室时，一个男孩绕着那辆闪闪发亮的新车，十分赞叹地问： "先生，这是你的车？" 保罗点点头："这是我哥哥送给我的圣诞节礼物。"男孩满脸惊讶，支支吾吾地说："你是说这是你哥送的礼物，没花你一分钱？天哪，我真希望也能……" 保罗当然知道男孩他真想希望什么。他希望能有一个象那样的哥哥。但是小男孩接下来说的话却完全出乎了保罗的意料。 "我希望自己能成为送车给弟弟的哥哥。"男孩继续说。 保罗惊愕地看着那男孩，冲口而出地说："你要不要坐我的车去兜风？" "哦，当然好了，我太想坐了！" 车开了一小段路后，那孩子转过头来，眼睛闪闪发亮，对我说："先生，你能不能把车子开到我家门前？" 保罗微笑，他知道孩子想干什么。那男孩必定是要向邻居炫耀，让大家知道他坐了一部大轿车回家。但是这次保罗又猜错了。"你能不能把车子停在那两个台阶前？"男孩要求道。 男孩跑上了阶梯，过了一会儿保罗听到他回来了，但动作似乎有些缓慢。原来把他跛脚的弟弟带出来了，将他安置在第一个台阶上，紧紧地抱着他，指着那辆新车。 只听那男孩告诉弟弟："你看，这就是我刚才在楼上对你说的那辆新车。这是保罗他哥哥送给他的哦！将来我也会送给你一辆像这样的车，到那时候你就能自己去看那些在圣诞节时，挂窗口上的漂亮饰品了，就象我告诉过你的那样。" 保罗走下车子，把跛脚男孩抱到车子的前座。兴奋得满眼放光的哥哥也爬上车子，坐在弟弟的身旁。就这样他们三人开始一次令人难忘的假日兜风。 那个圣诞夜，保罗才真正体会主耶稣所说的"施比受更有福"的道理。 A man came home form work late, tired and found his 5 years old son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?" "Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man. "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?" "If you must know, I make $20 an hour."" Oh," The little boy replied, with his head down, looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I please borrow $10" the father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy, then you go to bed." The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down. And started to think. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.” Are you asleep, son?" he asked. "no daddy," replied the boy. "I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier." said the man, "Here's the $10 you asked for." the little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father. "Why do you want more money? Is you already have some?" the father asked. "Because I didn't have enough, but now I do.”The little boy repiied, "Daddy , I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you." Little Red Riding Hood Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her a little riding hood of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else; so she was always called 'Little Red Riding Hood.' One day her mother said to her: 'Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing; and when you go into her room, don't forget to say, "Good morning", and don't peep into every corner before you do it.' 'I will take great care,' said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, and gave her hand on it. The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village, and just as Little Red Riding Hood entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red Riding Hood did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him. 'Good day, Little Red Riding Hood,' said he. 'Thank you kindly, wolf.' 'Whither away so early, Little Red Riding Hood?' 'To my grandmother's.' 'What have you got in your apron?' 'Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger.' 'Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?' 'A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you surely must know it,' replied Little Red Riding Hood. The wolf thought to himself: 'What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful - she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both.' So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red Riding Hood, and then he said: 'See, Little Red Riding Hood, how pretty the flowers are about here - why do you not look round? I believe, too, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing; you walk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything else out here in the wood is merry.' < 2 > Little Red Riding Hood raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought: 'Suppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay; that would please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get there in good time.' So she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into the wood. Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door. 'Who is there?' 'Little Red Riding Hood,' replied the wolf. 'She is bringing cake and wine; open the door.' 'Lift the latch,' called out the grandmother, 'I am too weak, and cannot get up.' The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap, laid himself in bed and drew the curtains. Little Red Riding Hood, however, had been running about picking flowers, and when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she remembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her. She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: 'Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other times I like being with grandmother so much.' She called out: 'Good morning,' but received no answer; so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange. 'Oh! grandmother,' she said, 'what big ears you have!' 'All the better to hear you with, my child,' was the reply. 'But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!' she said. 'All the better to see you with, my dear.' 'But, grandmother, what large hands you have!' 'All the better to hug you with.' 'Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!' 'All the better to eat you with!' And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up Red Riding Hood. < 3 > When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed, fell asleep and began to snore very loud. The huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself: 'How the old woman is snoring! I must just see if she wants anything.' So he went into the room, and when he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. 'Do I find you here, you old sinner!' said he. 'I have long sought you!' But just as he was going to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he did not fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf. When he had made two snips, he saw the little red riding hood shining, and then he made two snips more, and the little girl sprang out, crying: 'Ah, how frightened I have been! How dark it was inside the wolf.' After that the aged grandmother came out alive also, but scarcely able to breathe. Red Riding Hood, however, quickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell dead. Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which Red Riding Hood had brought, and revived. But Red Riding Hood thought to herself: 'As long as I live, I will never leave the path by myself to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.' It is also related that once, when Red Riding Hood was again taking cakes to the old grandmother, another wolf spoke to her, and tried to entice her from the path. Red Riding Hood, however, was on her guard, and went straight forward on her way, and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf, and that he had said 'good morning' to her, but with such a wicked look in his eyes, that if they had not been on the public road she was certain he would have eaten her up. < 4 > 'Well,' said the grandmother, 'we will shut the door, so that he can not come in.' Soon afterwards the wolf knocked, and cried: 'Open the door, grandmother, I am Little Red Riding Hood, and am bringing you some cakes.' But they did not speak, or open the door, so the grey-beard stole twice or thrice round the house, and at last jumped on the roof, intending to wait until Red Riding Hood went home in the evening, and then to steal after her and devour her in the darkness. But the grandmother saw what was in his thoughts. In front of the house was a great stone trough, so she said to the child: 'Take the pail, Red Riding Hood; I made some sausages yesterday, so carry the water in which I boiled them to the trough.' Red Riding Hood carried until the great trough was quite full. Then the smell of the sausages reached the wolf, and he sniffed and peeped down, and at last stretched out his neck so far that he could no longer keep his footing and began to slip, and slipped down from the roof straight into the great trough, and was drowned. But Red Riding Hood went joyously home, and no one ever did anything to harm her again. One Friday morning, a teacher came up with a novel way to motivate her class. She told them that she would read a quote and the first student to correctly identify who said it would receive the rest of the day off. She started with "This was England's finest hour." Little Suzy instantly jumped up and said, "Winston Churchill." "Congratulations!" Said the teacher, "You may go home." The teacher then said, "Ask not what your country can do for you." Before she could finish this quote, another young lady belts out, "John F.Kennedy". "Very good," says the teacher, "you may go." Irritated that he has missed two golden opportunities, Little Johnny said,"I wish those girls would just shut up." Upon overhearing this comment, the outraged teacher demanded to know who said it. Johnny instantly rose to his feet and said,"Bill Clinton. I'll see you Monday." 最后送你一网址： 啊，对了，如果你要有声的英语的话，我知道的。 你可以在这个网站里找——千源网 不过，他唯一的缺点是——必须下载的。 At last , good lucky to you.