英语小课堂 |【读名著，讲英文】《伊索寓言》|年轻的小偷和他的母

【同舟学院学习内容】 第五期

年轻的小偷和他的母亲
The Young Thief and His Mother

英语原文

A young Man had been caught in a daring act of theft and had been condemned to be executed for it. He expressed his desire to see his Mother, and to speak with her before he was led to execution, and of course this was granted. When his Mother came to him, he said: "I want to whisper to you," and when she brought her ear near him, he nearly bit it off. All the bystanders were horrified, and asked him what he could mean by such brutal and inhuman conduct. "It is to punish her," he said.  "When I was young, I began with stealing little things, and brought them home to Mother.  Instead of rebuking and punishing me, she laughed and said: "It will not be noticed." It is because of her that I am here today."

中文翻译

      一位年轻的男子被逮到公然行窃，并因此被处以死刑。他表示想要见一见自己的母亲，在行刑前跟她说说话，他的请求自然得到了批准。母亲来了以后，他说“我想跟你说点悄悄话”，就在她凑近时，男子几乎要将母亲的耳朵咬下来。旁边的人都吓坏了，问他为什么要做出如此残忍野蛮的事。“这是为了惩罚她”，他说，“我小时候小偷小摸，把偷的东西带回家。她不但不斥责和惩罚我，反而笑着说“没有人会发现的。”都是因为她我才落得今天这个下场。”

"He is right, woman," said the Priest; "the Lord hath said: Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart therefrom."

“他说的对，女人，”牧师说；上帝曾经说过：教育孩童走他当行的路；如此，他到老也不会偏离正轨。”

重点词汇词组

1.an act of ……的行为

例：Primitive people regarded storms as an act of God.

原始人认为风暴是天灾。

【常见搭配】

①act the fool 扮丑角，做傻瓜

例：Why are you always acting the fool?

你为什么总是装傻?

②get your act together

                合理安排，有条理地筹划

例：You need to get your act together if you’re going to find the right house to buy.

如果你想找到一所合适的房子，你就得振作起来。

2.be condemned to do sth.

                        被宣告……，被判……

例：They believed that their souls would be condemned to burn in hell for eternity.  他们相信他们的灵魂会受到惩罚，在地狱里永受煎熬。

【常见搭配】

①condemn sb. for (doing) sth. 因为某事谴责某人

例：She knew that society would condemn her for leaving her children.  她知道社会会因为她离开孩子而谴责她。

②condemned to death  判处死刑

例：Tireless, she came back once more and was condemned to death.

她不知疲倦地再次回来，却被判处死刑。 

3.lead to  导致 （通常后加不好的结果）

例：A poor diet will ultimately lead to illness.

糟糕的饮食终将导致疾病。

【常见搭配】

①lead the way 带路

例：You've been there before - why don't you lead the way?

你以前来过这里——不如你来带路吧？

②lead a busy, normal, quiet, etc. life

    过着忙碌的/正常的/安静的生活

例：He was able to lead a normal life, despite the illness.

虽然生病了，但他依然能够过着正常的生活。

【相关俚语】

lead sb. by the nose 牵着某人的鼻子走

例：She totally leads her parents by the nose.

她完全是牵着父母的鼻子走。

4.bite sth. off 把……咬掉

例：The man's arm was bitten off by an alligator.

这个男人的手臂被鳄鱼咬掉了。

【常见搭配】

①bite back (at sb./sth.) 反击(某人/某事)

例：A youth club has bitten back at vandals by covering its roof with razor-sharp security wire.

一家青年俱乐部在屋顶铺满了锋利的警戒线，以报复那些破坏公物的人。 

② bite into sth. 使...贬值

例：People are worried about inflation biting into their savings and investments.

人们担心通货膨胀会让他们的存款和投资贬值。

【相关俚语】

①bite your tongue 忍住不说

例：I wanted to tell him exactly what I thought of him, but I had to bite my tongue.

我想告诉他我对他的真实看法，但我不得不忍住不说。

②bite the hand that feeds you 恩将仇报

例：He did this for you. How could you bite the hand that feeds you?

他这么做全是为了你，你怎么能恩将仇报呢？

5.rebuke 斥责，指责

【常见搭配】

rebuke sb. for doing sth. 责备某人做某事

例：Members of the jury were sharply rebuked for speaking with the press.

陪审团的成员因向媒体发表言论受到了严厉的指责。

长难句解析

When his Mother came to him, he said: "I want to whisper to you," and when she brought her ear near him, he nearly bit it off.

      母亲来了以后，他说“我想跟你说点悄悄话”，就在她凑近时，男子几乎要将母亲的耳朵咬下来。

解析：本句包含and连接的两个完整分句。第一个句子中，when引导时间状语从句，he said: "I want to whisper to you,"是主谓宾结构的主句；第二个句子中，when引导时间状语从句，he nearly bit it off同为主谓宾结构的主句。

—THE  END—