英语 英语 日语 日语 韩语 韩语 法语 法语 德语 德语 西班牙语 西班牙语 意大利语 意大利语 阿拉伯语 阿拉伯语 葡萄牙语 葡萄牙语 越南语 越南语 俄语 俄语 芬兰语 芬兰语 泰语 泰语 泰语 丹麦语 泰语 对外汉语

有声名著之杨柳风 9

时间:2009-11-26 05:32来源:互联网 提供网友:天剑客   字体: [ ]
特别声明:本栏目内容均从网络收集或者网友提供,供仅参考试用,我们无法保证内容完整和正确。如果资料损害了您的权益,请与站长联系,我们将及时删除并致以歉意。
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

Chapter Nine More of Toad1’s Adventures

The next morning Toad woke up very early. He had been dreaming about being back at home in Toad Hall. At first, he was surprised to see that he was in the forest. Where was his nice warm bed? But then he looked at his maid’s clothes. He remembered everything. He remembered how he had escaped from the jail2. He remembered how the police had chased3 him. But then he remembered that he was free.

Toad felt very proud of himself for his bravery encourage. He stood up and immediately walked away.

The sunshine was warm and the birds were singing. Toad felt wonderful. The only problem was he didn’t know how to find Toad Hall. He hoped to see some animal that would tell him the way to go. Soon Toad found a small road and followed it. Then he saw a little canal4 that was flowing next to the road.

Toad walked along the canal for a while hoping to see someone. Soon he saw a large strong-looking horse walking toward5 him. The horse had some thick ropes tied round his neck. He was pulling a large boat in the canal. A large fat woman sat in the boat and was guiding it through the water.

“I wonder if that person on that boat can help me.” thought Toad.

“Good morning, lady.” said the woman when she saw Toad.

“Hello, madam.” said Toad. “I suppose it’s a nice morning to you. But I’m in serious trouble. You see, I have a daughter who’s married. She wrote me a letter asking me to come and see her immediately. So I ran out of the house because I was very worried about her. You might understand, madam, if you’re a mother. I’ve left my business of the day. You see, I have a clothes washing business. I have three young children at home and they are probably getting into trouble. I have no money and I got lost in the forest. But I must see my married daughter. Oh, what a terrible day!”

“Where does your married daughter live, madam?” asked the woman.

“She lives near the river, close to a fine house called Toad Hall.” said Toad. “Maybe you have heard of it. I think it’s somewhere close by.”

“I’m going in the direction of Toad Hall, so I’ll give you a ride on my boat. Climb in.” said the woman.

She guided the boat close to the land so Toad could step in. As Toad sat down on the boat, he thought, “How luck I am!”

“So, you wash clothes, madam?” asked the woman as they traveled. “That’s a very good business.”

“Oh, yes. I have the best business in the country.” said Toad. “All the rich gentlemen in the area give me their clothing to wash. They won’t go to anyone else because I know how to wash their nice clothing perfectly6.”

“Do you do all that work yourself?” asked the woman.

“I have twenty girls that work for me. But it’s still difficult. You know how young girls are these days. They are so lazy.” cried Toad.

He was having fun.

“I certainly do.” said the woman loudly. “I’m sure you make your girls work very hard though. Tell me, do you enjoy washing clothes?”

“I love it.” said Toad. “I’m always happiest when I’m washing clothing. But, of course, it’s so easy for me because I’m so good at it.”

“Then how lucky I am to meet you!” said the woman. “It’s lucky for both of us.”

Toad was a little nervous.

“What do you mean, madam?” he asked.

“Well, I have a bag of dirty clothes over in the other corner of the boat. They need to be washed. My husband usually works7 with me on this boat. He guides the boat or takes care of our horse. But he’s gone today. He went hunting to find a rabbit for dinner. So now, I have to guide the boat and I can’t do the washing. Will you do it for me since you are so good at it?”

Toad was worried. If only he hadn’t talked so much.

“Oh, don’t worry about the washing.” he said. “Just think about that nice rabbit your husband is going to catch. Do you have any onions? They are very delicious with rabbit meat.”

“I can’t think about anything but my washing.” said the woman. “I’m surprised you are talking about rabbits. There are clothes that need to be washed. Now, the clothes are sitting over there in that corner of the boat. There’s also a bucket8 with some soap and water. You’ll have fun since you like washing clothes. And it will help me!”

“Listen, why don’t you let me guide the boat?” cried Toad.

He was very worried now. He didn’t know how to wash clothing.

“Then you can wash the clothes yourself. I only wash gentlemen’s clothing. It’s my special skill.”

“I can’t let you guide the boat.” said the woman. “It’s very difficult. Besides, it’s boring work. I want you to be happy. No, you can wash the clothes and I’ll guide the boat.”

Toad saw that he had no choice, so he got the bag of clothes, the bucket and the soap and water.

“Well, I suppose anyone can wash clothing. It’s probably easy.” he thought.

However, thirty minutes later Toad was still washing the clothes. They wouldn’t come clean. Toad kept looking at the woman. He was afraid she would notice how badly he was doing. But every time he looked at her, she seemed busy with the boat. His back hurt badly. Toad said some bad words. Then he dropped the soap in the water for the fiftieth time. Suddenly he heard the woman laughing loudly.

“I’ve been watching you this whole time.” she said. “I thought you couldn’t be a washing woman. You’re too vain9. And you don’t know how to wash clothes. You’ve never washed anything in your life. Who are you, anyway?”

Toad was very angry.

“You stupid fat woman!” he shouted. “Don’t talk to me like that! I’m a Toad. I’m a very well-known, respected and wealthy Toad. I might look like a washing woman, but I will not be laughed at.”

The woman looked at Toad very carefully.

“You are a Toad.” she said. “A horrible10 ugly Toad. I don’t like Toads11. And I don’t want them on my boat. Come here!”

Before Toad could do anything the woman had grabbed13 him. She lifted him up and threw him off the boat into the water. Toad landed in the water. He had never been so angry at anyone in his life. Quickly he swam to the shore and got out of the water. He began to run after the boat as fast as he could.

The woman laughed when she saw Toad running along next to the boat. But Toad didn’t pay attention. He wanted to revenge14. Suddenly he knew what he wanted to do. He would steal the woman’s horse.

First he went and cut the horse. He untied15 the ropes round the horse’s neck. Then he jumped on its back. He kicked the horse to make it run. Now the woman’s boat wouldn’t move in the water.

Laughing loudly, Toad rode away. The woman was shouting.

“Stop! Stop!”

“I’ve heard those words before.” said Toad as the horse ran.

The horse was not able to run for very long and soon it began to walk. Toad did not care. He thought he was very clever to steal the woman’s horse. He was happy to ride the horse slowly through the countryside.

Toad and the horse had traveled for some miles. Suddenly Toad saw a man sitting by the road. He had built a fire and he was cooking something in a pot. Suddenly Toad realized how hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten anything in two days.

Toad got off the horse and walked slowly toward the man. He wondered how he could make the man give him some of the food. The man stared at Toad for a minute. Then he said, “You want to sell that horse?”

Toad was surprised. But then he began to think about it. If he sold the horse then he would have money and perhaps he could make the man give him something to eat.

“Well, I don’t know.” said Toad. “I like this horse very much. I don’t think I want to sell him. I need a horse to carry my things.”

“Why don’t you get a donkey16?” asked the man.

“But you don’t understand. This horse is special. He’s very fast and strong. He’s the best horse in this area. Many people want to buy him, but I always say no. I won’t sell him. But I’m curious about something. How much money would you give me for him?”

The man looked at the horse.

“I’ll give you four coins. One coin for each leg.” he said.

“Four coins? Oh, no. That’s not enough money. This horse is worth much more than that.” Toad said.

“Well,” said the man, “I’ll give you five coins for him then. But that’s my final offer.”

Toad thought about it. He was very hungry and still some distance away from the home. The police might be looking for him. Toad remembered that the horse hadn’t cost him any money.

At last, he said, “Listen here, man, this is what we’ll do. You give me six coins for the horse, also give me some of that food you are cooking. It smells very delicious, and I’m very hungry. Then I’ll give you this wonderful young horse. If that offer isn’t good enough for you, just say so and I will leave you. I know a rich man who also wants to buy this horse.

The man said that six coins were too much. But he gave Toad the money anyway. Then he reached into a bag and pulled out a bowl and a fork. He gave Toad some of the food. It was a thick soup with many kinds of meat and vegetables.

Toad saw that it was the best food he had ever eaten. He kept asking for more. When Toad had eaten three bowls of the soup he got up and thanked the man. Then he said goodbye to the horse. Fortunately the man knew the area very well. He told Toad how to find Toad Hall.

Toad walked through the fields. He was feeling wonderful now that he had eaten. His clothes were dry and he felt big and strong. As he walked he thought about all his adventures.

“How smart I am! How brave I am! I escaped everybody.” he thought. “No animal is better than I am! My enemies put me in jail, but I escaped. The police chased me, but I disappeared. Unfortunately I was attacked by evil17 fat woman. She threw me into the water, but that I stole her horse. Then I sold it for money and an excellent breakfast. How amazing I am! I am the handsome popular wealthy Toad.”

Toad felt so good that he began to sing a song about himself. He sang it as he walked. He felt better and better every minute. But Toad was about to have a terrible surprise.

After walking for a couple of hours, Toad reached the main road. He was walking along the road when he saw something coming towards him.

It was a car!

“This is more good luck!” Toad said. “I’ll make the driver stop the car. Then I will tell them the same story that I told the woman on the boat. Then they will offer me a ride to Toad Hall. Perhaps I will end up driving up to Toad Hall in a car. Won’t Badger18 be surprised?”

He stepped into the road to wave at the car. But suddenly he felt very afraid. His heart was beating so fast that he fell down.

This car was the same car that he had stolen! And the people in the car were the same people he had seen in the restaurant!

Toad lay on the ground and thought, “Oh, no. They’ll recognize me and take me back to the jail. Oh, how stupid I am! Why didn’t I wait until night time. I should have gone home quietly instead of running around in the daylight.”

The car stopped in front of him. Two men got out. They walked around Toad who is lying on the road.

One of them said, “Oh, no. This is very sad. Here is a poor old woman. That she must have made her ill. Perhaps she is not having any food today. Let’s drive her to the nearest village. I’m sure she has friends there.”

The two men gently lifted Toad into the car. They made him very comfortable.

Toad soon realized that these kind men did not recognize him. He felt braver. He opened his eyes and looked around him.

“Dear, she’s awake now!” said one of the men. “The fresh air is good for her. How do you feel now, madam?”

“Thank you very much, sir.” said the Toad. “I feel a little better.”

“Just sit still and don’t try to talk.” said the man. “We’ll be at the village soon.”

“I won’t talk.” said Toad. “I just had an idea. May I sit in the front seat of your car? There is more fresh air in the front. I might feel better then.”

“What a smart woman!” said the man. “Of course you can.”

So the men helped Toad to sit in the front seat. Toad sat in the front seat and felt the cool fresh air. He looked at the man who was driving. Suddenly Toad had an even better idea. He really wanted to drive that car again.

After a few minutes, Toad said, “Please, sir, may I try to drive the car? I’ve been watching you and I think I could do it. It looks very easy. I would love to tell my friends that I had driven a real car.”

The gentlemen laughed.

“I like this idea.” one of them said. “We’ll let her try driving. I’m sure she will be careful.”

So they stopped the car and let Toad sit in the driver’s seat. He was very excited. Toad began to drive the car slowly down the road. The men were amazed19.

“Look what a good driver she is!” one of them said.

Toad drove20 a little faster and then even faster. Suddenly he was driving very fast.

“Be careful, madam.” cried one of the men.

This annoyed21 Toad. He felt very powerful22.

“I’m not an old woman.” he cried. “I’m the Toad, the strong, powerful Toad. Sit still and I’ll show you how good a driver I am.”

Suddenly the men realized the truth.

“He is the Toad who stole our car!” they cried. “Grab12 him! Take him back to jail! He is a crazy dangerous animal!”

One of the men tried to grab Toad. Unfortunately he should not have done this in a moving car. Quickly, Toad turned the steering23 wheel. The car ran off the road. It hit some bushes24 and then it fell in some thick mud25. Toad’s body flew through the air and landed in some soft grass. He lay there for a minute, and then slowly stood up. He saw the two gentlemen sitting in the mud. Their car was sinking quickly.

Toad was not hurt. He began to run away as fast as he could. After he had run for about ten minutes, he stopped to rest. Then he began to laugh.

“How clever I am! I escaped that once again. And I got to drive their car for the second time. Is there any animal more wonderful and amazing than I?”

And Toad began to sing another song. But suddenly he stopped singing. There were three policemen running towards him as fast as they could.

“Oh, how stupid I am! Sitting here and singing vain songs about myself. Now the police are going to catch me again.” Toad cried.

He began to run. Unfortunately Toad was a fat animal and his legs were short. He could hear their voices behind him. They were about to catch him. Suddenly Toad began to fall. Then he landed in very cold water. He had run straight into the large fast river. The river’s current26 began to carry him away. It was hard for Toad to keep his head above water. Toad was also not a very good swimmer.

“If I can just get out of this river, I’ll never touch another car again.” he cried.

Suddenly he noticed a large big tree branch hanging over the water. Toad grabbed it and held on. It was very difficult, but he pulled himself out of the water. Toad hung on to the branch. Soon he climbed onto the land. He lay there for a minute in the dirt feeling exhausted27.

Where was he now? Then Toad noticed a large hole in a hill that was next to the river. The hole looked familiar.

As Toad watched he saw an animal come out of the hole and look at him. The animal had shining brown hair, whiskers and a long tail.

It was the Rat!


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 toad oJezr     
n.蟾蜍,癞蛤蟆
参考例句:
  • Both the toad and frog are amphibian.蟾蜍和青蛙都是两栖动物。
  • Many kinds of toad hibernate in winter.许多种蟾蜍在冬天都会冬眠。
2 jail F31xo     
n.监狱,看守所;vt.监禁,拘留
参考例句:
  • The castle had been used as a jail.这城堡曾用作监狱。
  • If she carries on shoplifting,she'll end up in jail.她如果还在店铺里偷东西,最终会被抓进监狱的。
3 chased 2c5612168d687dc7bc023e30a656a040     
vt.追捕(chase的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The enemy chased the decoys down to the place of ambush. 敌人将诱骗者一直追到伏兵所在地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 canal 3Tyyi     
n.运河;水道;管;沟渠;vt.开运河
参考例句:
  • South America is joined to North America by a canal.南美洲和北美洲由一条运河连在一起。
  • The ship is sailing towards Europe through the Suez Canal.这条船正通过苏伊士运河驶往欧洲。
5 toward on6we     
prep.对于,关于,接近,将近,向,朝
参考例句:
  • Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
  • Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
6 perfectly 8Mzxb     
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地
参考例句:
  • The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
  • Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。
7 works ieuzIh     
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件
参考例句:
  • We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
  • The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
8 bucket 3sbzh     
n.水桶,一桶之量,吊桶
参考例句:
  • The bottom of the bucket has worn through after all this time.经过这么长时间,这只桶的底部终于磨穿了。
  • Can you fill me a bucket of water,please?请给我打一桶水好吗?
9 vain qixwq     
adj.徒劳的,徒然的,无效的,空虚的,自负的
参考例句:
  • It was in vain that we tried to find his mother.我们百般设法找他的母亲,但毫无结果。
  • He's very vain of his abilities.他对于自己的能力很自负。
10 horrible drazZt     
adj.可怕的,极可憎的,极可厌的
参考例句:
  • This is a horrible monster.这是一个可怕的怪物。
  • That is a horrible accident.那是一次可怕的事故。
11 toads 848d4ebf1875eac88fe0765c59ce57d1     
n.蟾蜍,癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • All toads blink when they swallow. 所有的癞蛤蟆吞食东西时都会眨眼皮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Toads have shorter legs and are generally more clumsy than frogs. 蟾蜍比青蛙脚短,一般说来没有青蛙灵活。 来自辞典例句
12 grab ef0xd     
vt./n.攫取,抓取;vi.攫取,抓住(at)
参考例句:
  • It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
  • The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包,但被我推开了。
13 grabbed grabbed     
v.抢先,抢占( grab的过去式和过去分词 );(尤指匆忙地)取;攫取;(尤指自私、贪婪地)捞取
参考例句:
  • He was grabbed by two men and frogmarched out of the hall. 他被两个男人紧抓双臂押出大厅。
  • She grabbed the child's hand and ran. 她抓住孩子的手就跑。
14 revenge lWfxP     
v.报...之仇,为...报仇 ;n.报仇,复仇
参考例句:
  • She poisoned his mind with ideas of hate and revenge.她用复仇的思想来毒害他的心灵。
  • There was anger in his eyes and revenge in his heart.他两眼闪现怒火,一心只想复仇。
15 untied d4a1dd1a28503840144e8098dbf9e40f     
松开,解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 ); 解除,使自由; 解决
参考例句:
  • Once untied, we common people are able to conquer nature, too. 只要团结起来,我们老百姓也能移山倒海。
  • He untied the ropes. 他解开了绳子。
16 donkey 3kNzk     
n.驴子;蠢人;顽固的人
参考例句:
  • This donkey can carry two sacks of grain.这头驴能驮两袋粮食。
  • "I'll buy your donkey,"said the two.“我想要买你的驴子”两人异口同声说。
17 evil KiHzS     
n.邪恶,不幸,罪恶;adj.邪恶的,不幸的,有害的,诽谤的
参考例句:
  • We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
  • Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。
18 badger PuNz6     
v.一再烦扰,一再要求,纠缠
参考例句:
  • Now that our debts are squared.Don't badger me with them any more.我们的债务两清了。从此以后不要再纠缠我了。
  • If you badger him long enough,I'm sure he'll agree.只要你天天纠缠他,我相信他会同意。
19 amazed 9zYzBk     
adj.吃惊的,惊奇的v.使大为吃惊,使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
  • I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。
20 drove brAxi     
vbl.驾驶,drive的过去式;n.畜群
参考例句:
  • He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
  • They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。
21 annoyed NzkzNw     
adj.烦恼的,恼怒的,生气的,恼火的
参考例句:
  • I imagine she was pretty annoyed when she found out.我想她发现此事后一定很生气。
  • He was annoyed with complaints made from outside.他因外界的种种怨言而感到烦恼。
22 powerful E1Zzi     
adj.有力的,有权力的,强大的
参考例句:
  • The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
  • Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音!
23 steering 3hRzbi     
n.操舵装置
参考例句:
  • He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
  • Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵,口吻也马上变得温和了。
24 bushes 34aa67dd9b2ec411c4fcb7109a0f5922     
n.灌木(丛)( bush的名词复数 );[机械学](金属)衬套;[电学](绝缘)套管;类似灌木的东西(尤指浓密的毛发或皮毛)
参考例句:
  • There was someone skulking behind the bushes. 有人藏在灌木后面。
  • The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 mud V6kzE     
n.泥,泥浆
参考例句:
  • The swimming pool is filled up with mud.游泳池里全是泥。
  • A car ran past,spotting my coat with mud.一辆汽车驶过,给我的外衣溅上了泥点。
26 current YYezN     
n.涌流,趋势,电流,水流,气流;adj.当前的,通用的,流通的,现在的,草写的,最近的
参考例句:
  • Electric current is often powerful enough to kill a man.电流常强得足以致命。
  • There is a story about her in the current number.最近一期上有关于她的故事。
27 exhausted 7taz4r     
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的
参考例句:
  • It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长,到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
  • Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。
本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎点击提交分享给大家。
------分隔线----------------------------
顶一下
(1)
100%
踩一下
(0)
0%
最新评论 查看所有评论
发表评论 查看所有评论
请自觉遵守互联网相关的政策法规,严禁发布色情、暴力、反动的言论。
评价:
表情:
验证码:
听力搜索
推荐频道
论坛新贴