THE MOLE AND HIS MOTHER

 A little Mole¹ once said to his Mother:

 

"Why, Mother, you said I was blind! But I am sure I can see!"

 

Mother Mole saw she would have to get such conceit² out of his head. So she put a bit of frankincense before him and asked him to tell what it was.

 

The little Mole peered at it.

 

"Why, that's a pebble³!"

 

"Well, my son, that proves you've lost your sense of smell as well as being blind."

 

Boast of one thing and you will be found lacking in that and a few other things as well.

1 mole   

n.胎块；痣；克分子

参考例句：

• She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
• The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。

2 conceit   

n.自负，自高自大

参考例句：

• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。
• She seems to be eaten up with her own conceit.她仿佛已经被骄傲冲昏了头脑。

3 pebble   

n.卵石，小圆石

参考例句：

• The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋，想去孵它。
• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。