100个儿童英语小故事: The Daisy 雏菊

 

055 The Daisy

There was a house where various kinds of flowers were blooming in the front yard. In every May, spring flowers came into bloom beautifully. Tulips, roses and peonies boasted their lovely figures.

 The Daisy

A Daisy on a small part of the lawn close to the roadside and out side of the fence was also in bloom. She was very small. "Those flowers over there must be very happy. People come to look at them." The small daisy envied the tulips, roses and peonies in the front yard.

Then suddenly, a tiny little skylark came over to the small daisy, and she danced around her and sang beautiful songs. "What a small pretty flower you are." The tiny little skylark stroked the daisy, and flew away to the wide and blue sky. Now, other flowers envied the small daisy.

The next morning, the Daisy heard the skylark's tearful voice. The Small Daisy looked up at a cage hanging in the window. The skylark was crying in the cage. The Daisy wanted to help the skylark, but she couldn't do anything.

After a while, two boys came over the fence, and crouched¹ down near the Daisy. "This lawn is good." Two boys poked² at the lawn around the Daisy. They drew a circle around her and cut out the lawn.

Small daisy came to stand in the middle of the sod. "Well done. Should I pull this little daisy out?" "No, let's keep it there. It's pretty." Two boys brought the lawn and laid it down in the cage.

The skylark flapped her little wings and cried. But the small Daisy could not comfort her. "Water, I want to drink water. Everyone forgot to give it to me. Why is the air so impure³ and thick?" The skylark felt painful and pecked the lawn with her bill.

Until that night, nobody gave her some water. The skylark nodded her head to the Daisy. "Good bye. You will dry up and die like me soon." The skylark was very thirsty and painful but she did not touch the Daisy.

The Daisy was so sad. The skylark died laying her head next to the Daisy.

The next day, the two boys came back. They made a grave for the skylark with tears in their eyes. The Daisy was thrown away with the lawn on the street. "It was not the grave which the skylark wanted to have." The Daisy said to herself.

1 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。

2 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。