The Humble Peasant_寓言故事

The Humble Peasant

文章来源：文章作者：发布时间：2007-11-07 07:47 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

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AN Office Seeker whom the President had ordered out of Washington
was watering the homeward highway with his tears.

"Ah," he said, "how disastrous¹ is ambition! how unsatisfying its
rewards! how terrible its disappointments! Behold² yonder peasant
tilling his field in peace and contentment! He rises with the
lark³, passes the day in wholesome⁴ toil⁵, and lies down at night to
pleasant dreams. In the mad struggle for place and power he has no
part; the roar of the strife⁶ reaches his ear like the distant
murmur⁷ of the ocean. Happy, thrice happy man! I will approach him
and bask⁸ in the sunshine of his humble⁹ felicity. Peasant, all
hail!"

Leaning upon his rake, the Peasant returned the salutation with a
nod, but said nothing.

"My friend," said the Office Seeker, "you see before you the wreck¹⁰
of an ambitious man - ruined by the pursuit of place and power.
This morning when I set out from the national capital - "

"Stranger," the Peasant interrupted, "if you're going back there
soon maybe you wouldn't mind using your influence to make me
Postmaster at Smith's Corners."

The traveller passed on.

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收听单词发音

1 disastrous
adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的
参考例句：
The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。 Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

2 behold
v.看，注视，看到
参考例句：
The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。 The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

3 lark
n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏
参考例句：
He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。 She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

4 wholesome
adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的
参考例句：
In actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.实际上我喜欢做的事大都是有助于增进身体健康的。 It is not wholesome to eat without washing your hands.不洗手吃饭是不卫生的。

5 toil
vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事
参考例句：
The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。 Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

6 strife
n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争
参考例句：
We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。 Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

7 murmur
n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言
参考例句：
They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。 There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

8 bask
vt.取暖，晒太阳，沐浴于
参考例句：
Turtles like to bask in the sun.海龟喜欢曝于阳光中。 In winter afternoons,he likes to bask in the sun in his courtyard.冬日的午后，他喜欢坐在院子晒太阳。

9 humble
adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低
参考例句：
In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。 Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

10 wreck
n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难
参考例句：
Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。 No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

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