[睡前故事之轻松学英文]大拇指3

在上一期的故事中，我们讲到，大拇指想办法从两个买下他的陌生人手中逃脱后，遇到两个小偷想偷牧师家里的东西，大拇指假意帮助他们，来到屋子里刻意大声说话，引起女仆注意，从而把两个小偷给吓跑了。 Thumbling had climbed up among the hay and found a beautiful place to sleep in; there he intended to rest until day, and then go home again to his parents. But he had other things to go through. Truly, there is much affliction and misery in this world! When day dawned. the maid arose from her bed to feed the cows. Her first walk was into the bam, where she laid hold of an armful of hay, and precisely that very one in which poor Thumbling was lying asleep. He, however, was sleeping so soundly that he was aware of nothing. and did not awake until he was in the mouth of the cow, who had picked him up with the hay. "Ah, heavens!" cried he, "how have I got into the fulling mill?" but he soon discovered where he was. Then it was necessary to be careful not to let himself go between the teeth and be dismembered, but he was nevertheless forced to slip down into the stomach with the hay. "In this little room the windows are forgotten," said he, "and no sun shines in, neither will a candle be brought." His quarters were especially unpleasing to him. and the worst was, more and more hay was always coming in by the door. and the space grew less and less. Then at length in his anguish, he cried as loud as he could. "Bring me no more fodder, bring me no more fodder." The maid was just milking the cow. and when she heard some one speaking, and saw no one. and perceived that it was the same voice that she had heard in the night. she was so terrified that she slipped off her stool, and spilt the milk. She ran in great haste to her master. and said. "Oh heavens, pastor, the cow has been speaking!" "You are mad," replied the pastor; but he went himself to the byre to see what was there. Hardly, however had he set his foot inside when Thumbling again cried, "Bring me no more fodder, bring me no more fodder." Then the pastor himself was alarmed, and thought that an evil spirit had gone into the cow, and ordered her to be killed. She was killed, but the stomach, in which Thumbling was, was thrown on the midden. Thumbling had great difficulty in working his way; however. he succeeded so far as to get some room, but just as he was going to thrust his head out, a new misfortune occurred. A hungry wolf ran thither, and swallowed the whole stomach at one gulp. Thumbling did not lose courage. "Perhaps," thought he, "the wolf will listen to what I have got to say," and he called to him from out of his stomach, "Dear wolf, I know of a magnificent feast for you." 大拇指在干草堆里爬来爬去，最后找了一个很舒适的地方躺了下来，打算等天亮后，再起来上路，回到他父母的身边去。可他注定了还要经历另外一些事情！可不是吗，这世上的苦难可多了去了！天破晓的时候，那个女仆就起床了，想去喂牲畜。她径直来到草料堆，捧了一大把干草，可怜的大拇指不巧偏偏就在这捧干草里面睡觉。因为他睡得太沉了，什么都没察觉到，也没有醒来，直到了一头牛把他跟干草一起吞进了嘴里。“哦，天哪！”他惊叫，“我怎么掉到磨粉机里面啦？”但他马上就明白了自己的真正的处境。他小心地在牙齿之间穿梭，避免被牛的牙齿磨碎。可是，他终究还是没能逃脱落进牛胃中的命运。“这个小屋子忘记安窗户了，”他说，“既没阳光射进来，也不点灯。”总之，他一点儿也不喜欢这个地方。最糟糕的是，越来越多的干草涌了进来，他所能够待的空间越来越少了。情急之下，他放声大叫道：“不要再给我送草料来了！不要再给我送草料来了！”女仆正在挤牛奶，她听到了人声，却没看到人，进而发现那声音是从牛肚子里传出来的，而且跟昨晚听到的一模一样。她吓得从小凳子上摔了下来，也打翻了挤奶桶。然后她慌慌张张地朝主人跑去，喊道：“哦，上帝啊，牧师先生，母牛说话啦！”“你疯了吗？”牧师说道，但还是亲自去了牛棚想要看个究竟。他的脚还没踏进去，就又听到有人说：“不要再给我送草料来了！不要再给我送草料来了！”牧师自己也吓了一跳，认定牛肚子里钻进了妖怪，便赶紧让人把它给宰了。于是，牛被大卸八块，牛胃被扔到了垃圾桶里，大拇指就藏在牛胃里。大拇指挣扎着往外爬，当他费了九牛二虎之力刚刚把头伸出来时，新的灾难又降临到他头上一只饥饿的狼正好路过，它把整个牛胃一口吞了下去。但是大拇指并没有灰心丧气，他想，也许我能跟这只狼商量商量。于是他在狼肚子里大喊：“亲爱的狼先生，我知道哪里有一顿美餐。”