讀點(diǎn)好英文:A Bundle of Sticks 一捆樹(shù)枝

A Bundle of Sticks 一捆樹(shù)枝

A man once had four sons who never stopped quarrelling with one another. He was always telling them how much easier life would be if they worked together but they took absoIuteIy no notice of him.One day he decided to show them what he meant.

He called all the sons together and put a tightly tied bundIe of sticks on the floor in front of them.

“Can you break that?”he asked the youngest son. The boy put his knee on the bundle but though he pressed and pulled with his arms he could not bend the wood.The father asked each son in turn to try to break the bundle, but none of them could do it.

Then he untied the string and scattered the sticks.

“Now try，”he said. The boys broke the sticks easily in their hands.

“Do you see what I mean?”asked the father.“If only you stand together no one can hurt you. If you all disagree the whole time and insist on going your separate ways, the first enemy you meet will be able to destroy you.”

從前有一個(gè)人，他有四個(gè)兒子，但兒子們不斷地爭(zhēng)吵。他一再告誡他們說(shuō)，如果他們一起干活兒，生活會(huì)舒適得多，但他們絲毫不理會(huì)他的意見(jiàn)。有一天，他決定通過(guò)示范把自己的意思告訴他們。

他把四個(gè)兒子都叫來(lái)，又把一捆扎得很緊的樹(shù)枝放在他們面前。

“你能折斷它們嗎？”他問(wèn)最小的兒子。小兒子用膝蓋頂住樹(shù)枝，兩只手又壓又拉，都不能把那捆樹(shù)枝弄彎。父親讓另外三個(gè)兒子挨個(gè)兒試了試，但他們誰(shuí)也做不到。

然后，他解開(kāi)繩子，把樹(shù)枝散開(kāi)。

“現(xiàn)在試試吧?！彼f(shuō)。四個(gè)小伙子用手輕輕一折，樹(shù)枝就斷了。

“你們明白我的意思了嗎？”父親問(wèn)，“只要你們聯(lián)合起來(lái)，誰(shuí)也不能傷害你們。如果你們老吵架，堅(jiān)持各行其是，那么你們一遇到敵人，就會(huì)被打敗?！?/p>

Practising&Exercise 實(shí)戰(zhàn)提升篇

單詞注解

absoIuteIy['?bs?lu：tli]adv.完全地；絕對(duì)地

stick[stik]n.枝條；枯枝

bundIe['b?ndl]n.捆，束，扎

scatter['sk?t?]v.（使）散開(kāi)，（使）分散

destroy[di'str?i]v.破壞，毀滅

實(shí)用句型

A man once had four sons who never stopped quarrelling with one another.

從前有一個(gè)人，他有四個(gè)兒子，但兒子們不斷地爭(zhēng)吵。

The father asked each son in turn to try to break the bundle.

父親讓另外三個(gè)兒子挨個(gè)兒試了試。

智慧點(diǎn)津

United we stand；divided we fall.

合則存，分則敗。