英语听力精选进阶版 11274

 

36Aesop's Fables¹  Aesop's Fables  Belling the Cat

By Rob John

The mice who lived on a farm were very happy because the farmer’s cat which was supposed to hunt and kill mice was old and lazy and spent most of his time sleeping in the sunshine. 

‘Can’t be bothered with catching² mice any more,’ said the old cat. 

‘All that lurking³ about and pounc-ing. Got better things to do...like sleeping.’ 

So the mice ran about safely all over the farm and had plenty to eat...until one day an awful thing happened. 

The farmer came into the farmyard carrying a wooden box. He put it 

on the floor and...out of the box walked a cat; a new young cat with black sleek⁴ fur and long sharp claws. The cat looked around the farmyard and she sniffed⁵ the air.

‘Huh, she’s nothing to be scared of,’ said a young mouse. ‘She’s only a cat. Only a lazy old cat.’

But an old mouse wasn’t so sure. 

The new cat didn’t look old...or lazy. This cat looked young and keen and...hungry. 

‘Just be careful,’ said the old mouse. ‘Just keep your eyes open and be very careful.’

That night the new cat prowled the farmyard. She walked silently in the darkness; invisible in her black coat. She watched and she waited; listening for the tiniest sound.In the morning when the mice met for breakfast in the barn there didn’t seem to be quite so many of them. 

‘Where is everyone this morning?’ said the young mouse.

‘I wonder,’ said the old mouse look-ing at the new cat who was sitting outside the farmhouse⁶ with a big smile on her face.

Each night more mice disappeared…and the new cat seemed to  be getting fatter. 

Soon the mice were really scared. 

Finally the old mouse called a meeting.

‘We have to do something,’ he said. 

‘If we can’t get rid of this cat she’ll end up eating us all. We need a plan.’ 

‘The problem,’ said the old mouse, 

‘is that you can’t hear the cat com-ing. She moves silently in the darkness. You don’t know she’s there...until it’s too late.’

‘That’s it!’ said the young mouse. 

‘We get a bell and tie it round the cat’s neck. The bell will ring every 

time the cat moves and we’ll know where she is so she’ll never catch us.’

The mice all looked at each other. 

‘Not bad,’ said someone.

‘Actually, that’s brilliant!’ said someone else.

The mice leapt into action. One group found a little bell that had fallen off the back of the farmhouse door and another found some string which had been holding up a scarecrow’s trousers. 

‘See, ’ said the young mouse. ‘We have everything we need for my brilliant plan. That cat has eaten her last mouse. All our troubles are over.’

The mice all cheered and patted the young mice on the back. The young mouse had saved everyone from being eaten and suddenly he was a hero...for about ten seconds.

‘Just one question,’ said the old mouse. ‘Who’s going to tie the bell on the cat?’

The mice all went silent then looked at the young mouse. The young mouse looked at the floor. 

He didn’t want that job. Nobody wanted that job.

‘Oh dear,’ said the old mouse. ‘It’s easy to say something but often harder to actually do it.’ 

1 fables   

n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说

参考例句：

• Some of Aesop's Fables are satires. 《伊索寓言》中有一些是讽刺作品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Little Mexican boys also breathe the American fables. 墨西哥族的小孩子对美国神话也都耳濡目染。 来自辞典例句

2 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

3 lurking   

潜在

参考例句：

• Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的，想干什么？
• There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

5 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。