英语阅读短文：跳高者的故事

　　生活是如此的多姿多彩，让我们在英文阅读短文中也能感受生活的魅力，在英文阅读短文中同样的可以体会主角们与我们不同的人生经历。今天，咱们一起来听听跳高者的故事。它又有一个怎样的神奇故事呢？

     HE Flea, the Grasshopper, and the Skipjack1 once wanted to see which of them could jump highest; and they invited the whole world, and whoever else would come, to see the grand sight. And there the three famous jumpers were met together in the room.

　　    “Yes, I’ll give my daughter to him who jumps highest,” said the King, “for it would be mean to let these people jump for nothing.” 内容来自www. .com

　　    The Flea stepped out first. He had very pretty manners, and bowed in all directions, for he had young ladies’ blood in his veins, and was accustomed to consort only with human beings; and that was of great consequence.

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　　    Then came the Grasshopper: he was certainly much heavier, but he had a good figure, and wore the green uniform that was born with him. This person, moreover, maintained that he belonged to a very old family in the land of Egypt, and that he was highly esteemed there. He had just come from the field, he said, and had been put into a card house three stories high, and all made of picture cards with the figures turned inwards. There were doors and windows in the house, cut in the body of the Queen of Hearts. 内容来自www. .com

　　    “I sing so,” he said, “that sixteen native crickets who have chirped from their youth up, and have never yet had a card house of their own, would become thinner than they are with envy if they were to hear me.”

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　　    Both of them, the Flea and the Grasshopper, took care to announce who they were, and that they considered themselves entitled to marry a Princess.

　　    The Skipjack said nothing, but it was said of him that he thought all the more; and directly the Yard Dog had smelt at him he was ready to assert that the Skipjack was of good family, and formed from the breastbone of an undoubted goose. The old councillor, who had received three medals for holding his tongue, declared that the Skipjack possessed the gift of prophecy; one could tell by his bones whether there would be a severe winter or a mild one; and that’s more than one can always tell from the breastbone of the man who writes the almanac.

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　　    “I shall not say anything more,” said the old King. “I only go on quietly, and always think the best.”

　　    Now they were to take their jump. The Flea sprang so high that no one could see him; and then they asserted that he had not jumped at all. That was very mean. The Grasshopper only sprang half as high, but he sprang straight into the King’s face, and the King declared that was horribly rude. The Skipjack stood a long time considering; at last people thought that he could not jump at all.

　　    “I only hope he’s not become unwell,” said the Yard Dog, and then he smelt at him again.

　　    “Tap!” he sprang with a little crooked jump just into the lap of the Princess, who sat on a low golden stool.

　　    Then the King said, “The highest leap was taken by him who jumped up to my daughter; for therein lies the point; but it requires head to achieve that, and the Skipjack has shown that he has a head.” CopyRight .com

　　    And so he had the Princess. CopyRight .com

　　    “I jumped highest, after all,” said the Flea. “But it’s all the same. Let her have the goose-bone with its lump of wax and bit of stick. I jumped to the highest; but in this world a body is required if one wishes to be seen.” CopyRight .com

　　    And the Flea went into foreign military service, where it is said he was killed. 内容来自www. .com

　　    The Grasshopper seated himself out in the ditch, and thought and considered how things happened in the world. And he too said, “Body is required! body is required!” And then he sang his own melancholy song, and from that we have gathered this story, which they say is not true, though it’s in print.

　　    有一次,跳蚤、蚱蜢和跳鹅(注:这是丹麦一种旧式的玩具,它是用一根鹅的胸骨做成的;加上一根木栓和一根线,再擦上一点蜡油,就可能使它跳跃。)想要晓得它们之中谁跳得最高。它们把所有的人和任何愿意来的人都请来参观这个宏大的局势。它们这三位著名的跳高者就在一个房间里凑集起来。

　　    “对啦,谁跳得最高,我就把我的女儿嫁给谁!”国王说,“因为,如果让这些友人白白地跳一阵子,那就不免太不像话了!”

　　    跳蚤第一个出场。它的态度非常可爱:它向到处的人敬礼,因为它身材中流着年轻小姐的血液,习惯于跟人类混在一起,而这一点是无比重要的。

　　    接着蚱蜢就出场了,它确切很粗笨,但它的身体很丢脸。它穿着它那套天生的绿制服。此外,它的全体名义说明它是诞生于埃及的一个古老的家庭,因此它在这儿异常受到人们的尊敬。人们把它从旷野里弄过来,放在一个用纸牌做的三层楼的屋子里——这些纸牌有画的一面都朝里。这房子有门也有窗,而且它们是从“美人”身中剪出来的。 CopyRight .com

　　    “我唱得十分好,”它说,“甚至16个本地产的蟋蟀从小时候开始唱起,到当初还没有失掉一间纸屋哩。它们听到我的情形就嫉妒得要命,把身体弄得比以前还要瘦了。”

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　　    跳蚤跟蚱蜢这两位毫不含糊地说明了它们是怎么的人物。它们以为它们有资格和一位公主结婚。

　　    跳鹅一句话也不说。不过据说它自己更觉得了不起。宫里的狗儿把它嗅了一下,很有控制地说,跳鹅是来自一个上等的家庭。那位由于素来不讲话而获得了三个勋章的老顾问官说,他知道跳鹅有预见的蠢才:人们只须看看它的背脊骨就能预知冬天是温和还是酷寒。这一点人们是不办法从写历书的人的背脊骨上看出来的。

　　    “好,我什么也不再讲了!”老国王说,“我只须在旁看看,我本人成竹在胸!” 内容来自www. .com

　　    当初它们要跳了。跳蚤跳得无比高,谁也看不见它,因此大家就说它完全没有跳。这种说法太不讲情理。

　　    蚱蜢跳得没有跳蚤一半高。不过它是向国王的脸上跳过来,因此国王就说,这简直是可恶之至。 CopyRight .com

　　    跳鹅站着沉思了好一会儿;最后大家就认为它完全不能跳。

　　“我希望它没有生病!”宫里的狗儿说,而后它又在跳鹅身上嗅了一下。 内容来自www. .com

　　    “嘘!”它笨拙地一跳,就跳到公主的膝上去了。她坐在一个矮矮的金凳子上。 内容来自www. .com

　　    国王说:“谁跳到我的女儿身上去,谁就要算是跳得最高的了,因为这就是跳高的目的。不外能想到这一点,倒是需要有摇脑筋呢——跳鹅已经显示出它有头脑。它的腿长到额上去了!”

　　    所以它就得到了公主。

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　　    “不过我跳得最高!”跳蚤说。“然而这一点用处也不!不过只管她得到一架带木栓跟蜡油的鹅骨,我仍然要算跳得最高。然而在这个世界里,一个人如果想要使人看见的话,必须有身材才成。” 内容来自www. .com

　　    跳蚤于是便投效一个本国兵团。据说它在当兵时捐躯了。

　　    那只蚱蜢坐在田沟里,把这世界上的事件仔细斟酌了一番,不禁也说:“身体是需要的!身材是须要的!” CopyRight .com

　　    于是它便唱起了它自己的哀歌。咱们从它的歌中得到了这个故事——这个故事可能不是真的,诚然它已经被印出来了。(1845年)

　　    这是一个有风趣的小故事,发表于1845年,这里面包含着一些似是而非的“真理”,事实上是对世间某些世态的讽刺。“跳蚤跳得异样高,谁也看不见它,因而大家就说它完整没有跳。”但是在这个世界里,一个人假如想要使人看见的话,必需有身材才成。“谁跳到我的女儿身上去,谁就要算跳得最高的了……不过能想到这一点,倒是需要有拍板脑呢——跳鹅已经显示出它有头脑。”事实上跳鹅跳得最低,但是它得到了公主!安徒生在他的手记中说:“当几个孩子请求给他们讲一个故事的时候,我灵机一动就写出了这个《跳高者》。”

     安徒生真是一位会说故事的大家，故事非常的脱离我们的生活实际，但是却又看到我们生活的影子。最重要的是有安徒生讲述出来，这一个个故事是多么的有趣，难怪孩子们都喜欢他。英语阅读短文中的素材总可以看到安徒生的影子，这位故事大王就是孩子们心目中的王。

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