英文短故事：The Tree That Spoke

In a small village, there lived two friends Papabuddhi and Dharmabuddhi. Their friendship was extraordinary. Their characters were opposite yet they were close friends. Papabuddhi was very dishonest at heart while Dharmabuddhi was a very honest man. 

 

One day, Papabuddhi said to Dharmabuddhi, “Why don’t we start a business together?" Dharmabuddhi agreed and so the two set off together to a nearby city to set up and conduct their business. 

 

After a few months of running a profitable business, the two friends decided¹ that they had made enough money. They wound up the business and started back together to their own village. On the way back, they had to pass through a forest. That night when they stopped to take rest, Papabuddhi decided to keep all the money for himself. He spent the whole night planning and at daybreak had an evil plan ready in his mind. 

 

When they were about to resume their journey, Papabuddhi turned to Dharmabuddhi and said. “You know, I have been thinking. We have made a lot of money. Maybe it is not wise to take all the money back to the village. Let us bury all the money here. We can come back together whenever we need money and take out as much as we need." 

 

“That is an excellent idea," agreed Dharmabuddhi. They buried the money at the foot of a huge banyan² tree and went on to their homes in the village. That night, Papabuddhi sneaked³ into the forest and dug out all the money from under the banyan tree and closed up the hole again. 

 

The next morning, he went to Dharmabuddhi's house and said, “I need some money urgently. Let us go and bring some of our money back." 

 

They both went to the banyan tree and began to dig. Not finding any money, Papabudhi accused Dharmabuddhi of stealing the money. They both went to the village judge to seek justice. The judge asked them both for proof of their innocence⁴. Papabuddhi declared that the tree god was his witness. The judge decided to go to the tree god the next day. 

 

That night, Papabuddhi sought the help of his father. The next day, they all went to the banyan tree. The judge turned to the banyan tree and spoke⁵ to the tree, “O god of this tree, who is the culprit?" 

 

To the surprise of everyone, a voice from inside the tree said, “Dharmabuddhi is the culprit. He has all the money." 

 

While the judge and the elders of the village were busy discussing the case, Dharmabuddhi collected some dry leafs and twigs⁶ and placed them near a hollow in the huge trunk of the banyan tree and set fire to them. As the smoke entered the hollow in the tree, out ran a figure, coughing. It was Papabuddhi's father. 

 

Papabuddhi was severely⁷ punished for his wickedness.  

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 banyan   

n.菩提树，榕树

参考例句：

• This huge banyan tree has a history of more than 400 years.这棵大榕树已经有四百多年的历史了。
• A large banyan tree may look like a forest.大型的榕树看起来象一片树林。

3 sneaked   

v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状

参考例句：

• I sneaked up the stairs. 我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
• She sneaked a surreptitious glance at her watch. 她偷偷看了一眼手表。

4 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

5 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 twigs   

细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some birds build nests of twigs. 一些鸟用树枝筑巢。
• Willow twigs are pliable. 柳条很软。

7 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。