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A long time ago and far away there lived a King and a Queen .They were very happy, for their first child, a girl, had been born.
" We must have a grand christening for her," said the King , who was delighted to have a daughter.
"We must invite all the fairies of the kingdom to bless her," said the Queen.
"How many are there now ?" asked the King.
"Twelve or thirteen," said his wife. "Send the invitations . We`ll soon find out ."
There were twelve fairies, and they were all sent invitations. A thirteen fairy had not been heard of for so long that it was presumed1 that she was dead. No invitation was sent. The day of the christening was sunny and bright. The Princes was named Briar Rose, and the fairies began to give their gifts.
"She shall be beautiful, "said the first.
"She shall be wise ,"said the second.
"She shall be good,"said the third.
"She shall be kind ," said the fourth.
The gifts continued in this way, wishing all that was good for Briar Rose. Eleven of the twelve fairies had given their gifts when the room suddenly went dark. After a great flash of light a small dark figure stood in front of the King and Queen.
It was the thirteenth fairy.
"why wasn`t I invited to the christening?" she screamed.
"All the fairies of the kingdom have given their blessings3. Well, here`s mine for the Princess. On her sixteenth birthday she will prick4 her finger on a spinning wheel and die."
Another flash of light and the fairy was gone.
"But we thought she was dead," said the King. "What can we do ?"
The Queen was in tears.
The twelfth fairy stepped forward.
There is still my gift for Briar Rose," she said. "The fairy`s curse cannot be undone5, but I can change it a little. She will fall into a deep sleep that will last one hundred years," There was a great hubbub6 in the hall as everyone discussed the events.
The following day the King issued a proclamation, ordering that all spinning wheels and spindles were to be destroyed. Throughout the land there were great fires as the spinning wheels were burned.
Eventually, the bad fairy`s wish was forgotten. All spinning wheels and spindles had been destroyed ,so there was no reminder8. And the fairy was not heard of again.
And so, on Briar Rose`s sixteenth birthday, the King and Queen were due to arrive back from a far away visit. There was to be a large birthday party for the Princess.
Briar Rose was wandering around the palace. Everyone was preparing for the party, so she could please herself where she went. As had never set foot in, she foot in, she decided9 to go exploring.
"I wonder what is in the great South Tower," she said. All the servants and courtiers wished her a happy birthday as she made her way across the palace.
That part of the palace was very old, and there were very few people there. The base of the tower was in a corridor. The entrance was a small, very solid looking door. The key was on the outside.
Stairs led up the tower in front of her .She began to climb them.
Meanwhile, her parents had arrived back at the palace.
"Has anyone seen the Princess?" asked the King.
"Today is her sixteenth birthday-the day when the curse may fall. Somebody must know where she is."
Nearly everyone had seen her, but nobody knew where she had been going.
A search of the palace and the grounds began.
Meanwhile, the Princess had reached the top of the tower where there was another door . This time there was no key and the door was slightly open.
"There must be a wonderful view of the rest of the palace and grounds from the window, "said the Princess . Then she heard a strange whirring sound. It was unlike anything that she had ever heard before.
She pushed the door open and went into the room. There, in the middle, sat an old woman working at a spinning wheel. Behind her was an enormous bed.
The wheel was making the noise.
"What are you doing?" asked Briar Rose. "I have never seen one of those before, what is it?"
"It is a spinning wheel, "said the old women, "Would you like to try it my dear?"
"Oh. may I?" asked Briar Rose.
She sat on the stool12 in front of the wheel and the wheel whirred round. As soon as she touched the spindle she pricked13 her finger. She fell to the floor in a deep sleep. The old woman, who was really the thirteenth fairy in disguise14, picked her up and laid her on the bed.
At that moment, all over the place, people began to asleep. The cooks who were preparing for the party fell asleep over the stirring and tasting. The scullery maids fell asleep over the washing up. The laundry maid fell asleep while they dusted, polished and prepared for the party.
The King and Queen, the courtiers and the guests fell asleep in the Great Hall. The guards fell asleep at their posts. The search parties looking for the Princess fell asleep while they searched- in the gardens, in the corridors, in the spare rooms, and some in the oldest part of the palace.
Even the flies fell asleep on the stable walls. The birds and the butterflies fell asleep in the palace the palace vegetable gardens. The gardeners and their helpers, who were busy chasing off the rabbit, fell asleep in mid-chase.
In the hearths15 the fires died down and the meat stopped cooking. The kitchen maid stopped plucking16 the chicken.
The entire palace fell asleep, along with the Princess.
A hedge of briar roses sprang up around the palace, protecting it from the outside world.
Years passed, and from time to time a King`s son would come to the famous briar hedge to try and find the mysterious sleeping Princess that the legend spoke17 of. But none got through. The hedge was too strong and the Princes were cut to bits.
A hundred years passed and the tale of the Sleeping Beauty, as the Princess was known, become a great legend. Very few people believed she existed.
One day a King`s son came to the nearby village.
"Legend says," an old man was speaking in the village square. "Legend says that the Princess lies asleep behind that great briar hedge just outside the village In my grandfather`s day, you could see the topmost turret18 of her tower, so they say."
The Prince stopped to listen. "Where can I find this hedge ?"he asked.
"Just beyond the village, young sir, "said the old man. "If you`re going to try, you`ll need more luck than the other young men who have had a go."
"I shall try," said the Prince. "We have heard of Sleeping Beauty in my kingdom."
The Prince went to the hedge and held up his sword. He went to strike at the hedge, but where his sword met the thorns19, great roses bloomed instead. A path opened for him, for the one hundred years were up. The curse was lifting.
The hedge seemed to disappear before him.
He went through into the palace grounds, walking past the sleeping rabbits, birds and butterflies, and the gardeners at their work. The kitchens were full of cooks and maids who hadn`t moved for a hundred years -- They were all fast asleep. Even the King and Queen who were seated at the table in the Great Hall were sleeping soundly!
The Prince walked on through the palace, making his way to the tallest tower where he climbed the stairs and entered the tower room.
There on the bed he saw Briar Rose fast asleep.
"She is so lovely," he said, He had fallen completely in love with her. "How can I wake her?"
He leant over and gently kissed her.
Briar Rose`s eyelids20 flickered21 and she woke up. The first person she saw was the Prince and she fell in love with him.
Together they walked down to the Great Hall. The King and Queen were just waking up, when the Prince and Briar Rose entered.
The cooks in the kitchen woke up to carry on preparing the food and the chambermaids carried on with their work.
The party was still to be held, but it was an engagement22 party instead of a birthday party. The Prince and Briar Rose were to be married.
The hedge disappeared and the village saw the palace again and realised the legend had been true.
The bad fairy was never heard of again.
以前，有个国王和王后一直没有孩子，他们为此非常伤心苦恼。有一天，王后正在河边散步，一条小鱼把头浮出水面对她说：“你的愿望就会实现了，不久你就会生下一个女儿的。”过了一段时间，那条小鱼所预言的情况真的实现了，王后真的生下了一个非常漂亮的女儿。国王高兴得时时刻刻爱不释手，决定举行一个大型宴会。他不仅邀请了他的亲戚、朋友和外宾，而且邀来了几乎所有的女巫师，让她们为他的女儿送来善良美好的祝愿。他的王国里一共有十三个女巫师，而他只有十二个金盘子来招待她们进餐，所以他只邀请了十二个女巫师，留下一个没有邀请。
盛大的宴会结束后，各位来宾都给这个小公主送上了最好的礼物。女巫师们一个送给她美德，另一个送给她美貌，还有一个送给她富有，她们把世人所希望的，世上所有的优点和期盼都送给了她。当第十一个女巫师刚刚为她祝福之后，第十三个女巫师，也就是那个没有被邀请的女巫师走了进来，她对没有被邀请感到非常愤怒，她要对此进行报复，要献上她恶毒的咒语。所以她进来后就大声叫道：“国王的女儿在十五岁时会被一个纺锤弄伤，最后死去。”所有在场的人都大惊失色。可是第十二个女巫师还没有献上她的礼物，便走上前来说：“这个凶险的咒语的确会应验，但公主能够化险为夷。她不会死去，而只是昏睡过去，而且一睡就是一百年。”
国王为了不使他的女儿遭到那种不幸，命令将王国里的所有纺锤都收上来，又把它们全部销毁。随着时间的流逝，女巫师们的所有祝福都在公主身上应验了：她聪明美丽，性格温柔，举止优雅，真是人见人爱。但恰恰在她十五岁的那一天，国王和王后都不在家，公主单独一个人被留在王宫里。她在宫里到处穿来穿去，大小房间都看完了，最后，她来到了一个古老的宫楼。宫楼里面有一座很狭窄的楼梯，楼梯尽头有一扇门，门上插着一把金钥匙。当她转动金钥匙时，门一下子就弹开了，一个老太婆坐在里面在忙着纺纱。公主见了说道：“喂!老妈妈，您好!您这是在干什么呀?”“纺纱。”老太婆回答说，接着又点了点头。
“这小东西转起来真有意思!”说着，公主上前也想拿起纺锤纺纱，但她刚一碰到它，立即就倒在地上失去了知觉，以前的咒语真的应验了。
然而，她并没有死，只是倒在那里沉沉地睡去了。国王和王后正在这时回来了，他们刚走进大厅也跟着睡着了;马厩里的马，院子里的狗，屋顶上的鸽子，墙上的苍蝇，也都跟着睡着了;甚至连火炉里的火也停止燃烧入睡了;烧烤的肉不炸响了;厨师此刻正抓住一个做错了事的童工的头发，要给他一耳光，让他滚出去，他们两个也定在那儿睡过去了。所有的一切都不动了，全都沉沉地睡去。
不久，王宫的四周长出了一道蒺藜组成的大篱笆，年复一年，它们越长越高，越长越茂密，最后竟将整座宫殿遮得严严实实，甚至连屋顶和烟囱也看不见了。
于是，关于这个王国流传开了这样一个传说，一个漂亮的正在睡觉的公主的传说，人们所说的公主其实就是国王的女儿。从那以后，有不少王子来探险，他们披荆斩棘想穿过树篱到王宫里去，但都没有成功，不是被蒺藜缠住就是被树丛跘倒在里面，就像是有无数只手牢牢地抓住他们难以脱身一样，他们最终都痛苦地死去。
许多许多年过去了，一天，又有一位王子踏上了这块土地。一位老大爷向他讲起了蒺藜树丛的故事，说树篱之内有一座漂亮的王宫，王宫里有一位仙女般的公主，她的名字叫玫瑰公主，她和整座王宫及里面的人都在沉睡。他还说，他曾听他的爷爷谈起有许许多多的王子来过这儿，他们都想穿过树篱，但都被缠在里面死去了。听了这些，这位王子说：“所有这些都吓不倒我，我要看玫瑰公主去!”老人劝他不要去试，可他却坚持要去。
这天，时间正好过去了一百年，所以当王子来到树篱丛时，他看到的全是盛开着美丽花朵的灌木，他很轻松地就穿过了树篱。随着他在前面走，身后树篱又密密地合拢了。最后，他到达了王宫，看见大院内狗躺在那儿沉睡，马厩里的马在沉睡，屋顶上的鸽子将头埋在翅膀下沉睡。他走进王宫内，看见墙上的苍蝇在沉睡，厨房里的厨师向上举着手，似乎是要打那童工一耳光，一个女仆手里抓着一只黑母鸡准备拔毛。
他继续向里寻去，一切都静得出奇，连自己的呼吸都清晰可闻。终于，他来到古老的宫楼，推开了玫瑰公主在的那个小房间的门。玫瑰公主睡得正香，她是那么美丽动人，他瞪大眼睛，连眨也舍不得眨一下，看着看着，禁不住俯下身去吻了她一下。就这一吻，玫瑰公主一下子苏醒过来，她张开双眼，微笑着充满深情地注视着他，王子抱着她一起走出了宫楼。
此刻，国王和王后也醒过来了，王宫里所有的人都醒过来了。他们怀着极大的好奇心互相凝视着，似乎还不明白到底发生了什么事情。马站了起来，摇摆着身体;狗儿欢跳不止，汪汪吠叫;鸽子由翅膀下抬起了头，昂首四顾，振翅飞向田野;墙上的苍蝇嗡嗡地飞了开去;厨房里的火又窜起了火苗开始烧饭，烧烤的肉又吱吱作响;厨师怒吼着扇了童工一个耳光;女仆继续给鸡拔毛，一切都恢复了往日的模样。不久，王子和玫瑰公主举行了盛大的结婚典礼，他们幸福欢乐地生活在一起，一直白头到老。
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1
presumed
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| 以为，假定( presume的过去式和过去分词 )； 推定； 妄行； 冒昧地做某事 | |
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2
furious
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| adj.狂怒的，暴怒的，强烈的，激烈的 | |
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3
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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4
prick
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| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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hubbub
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| n.嘈杂；骚乱 | |
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7
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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8
reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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stiff
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| adj.严厉的，激烈的，硬的，僵直的，不灵活的 | |
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prophecy
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| n.预言，预言能力 | |
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12
stool
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| n.凳子；粪便；根株；v.长出新枝，排便 | |
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13
pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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14
disguise
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| vt.把...假扮起来；n.伪装物，假装，伪装 | |
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15
hearths
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| 壁炉前的地板，炉床，壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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16
plucking
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| （水果，茶叶等）采摘 | |
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17
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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18
turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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19
thorns
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| （玫瑰之类植物的）刺( thorn的名词复数 )； 棘刺； 带刺的树； 荆棘 | |
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20
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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21
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
engagement
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| n.订婚，婚约，约定，约会 | |
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