THE EAGLE AND THE BEETLE THE EAGLE AND THE BEETLE

 An old Lion, whose teeth and claws were so worn that it was not so easy for him to get food as in his younger days, pretended that he was sick. He took care to let all his neighbors know about it, and then lay down in his cave to wait for visitors. And when they came to offer him their sympathy, he ate them up one by one.

 

The Fox came too, but he was very cautious¹ about it. Standing² at a safe distance from the cave, he inquired politely after the Lion's health. The Lion replied that he was very ill indeed, and asked the Fox to step in for a moment. But Master Fox very wisely stayed outside, thanking the Lion very kindly³ for the invitation.

 

"I should be glad to do as you ask," he added, "but I have noticed that there are many footprints leading into your cave and none coming out. Pray tell me, how do your visitors find their way out again?"

 

Take warning from the misfortunes⁴ of others.

1 cautious   

adj.十分小心的，谨慎的

参考例句：

• We should not only be bold,but also be cautious.我们不仅要大胆，而且要谨慎。
• He was cautious about his work.他对工作非常谨慎。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

4 misfortunes   

n.不幸( misfortune的名词复数 )；厄运；不幸的事；灾难

参考例句：

• History is nothing more than a tableau of crimes and misfortunes. 历史不过是由罪恶和灾难构成的静止舞台造型罢了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Do not jeer at the mistakes or misfortunes of others. 不要嘲笑别人的错误或不幸。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》