The Story of a Monkey

 One day when a monkey was climbing a tree in the forest in which he lived, he ran a thorn¹ into his tail. Try as he would, he could not get it out, so he went to a barber² in the town and said:

 

“Friend Barber, I have a thorn in the end of my tail. Pull it out, and I will pay you well.”

 

The barber tried to pull out the thorn with his razor³, but in doing so he cut off the end of the tail. The monkey was very angry and cried:

 

“Barber, Barber, give me back my tail, or give me your razor!”

 

The barber could not put back the end of the monkey’s tail, so he gave him his razor.

 

On the way home the monkey met an old woman who was cutting wood for fuel, and he said to her:

 

“Grandmother, Grandmother, that is very hard. Use this razor and then it will cut easily.”

 

The old woman was very pleased with the offer and began to cut with the razor, but before she had used it long it broke. Then the monkey cried:

 

“Grandmother, Grandmother, you have broken my razor! You must get a new one for me or else give me all the firewood⁴.”

 

The old woman could not get a new razor so she gave him the firewood. [184]

 

The monkey took the wood and was going back to town to sell it, when he saw a woman sitting beside the road making cakes.

 

“Grandmother, Grandmother,” said he, “your wood is most gone; take this of mine and bake more cakes.”

 

The woman took the wood and thanked him for his kindness, but when the last stick was burned, the monkey cried out:

 

“Grandmother, Grandmother, you have burned up all my wood! Now you must give me all your cakes to pay for it.”

 

The old woman could not cut more dry wood at once, so she gave him all the cakes.

 

The monkey took the cakes and started for the town, but on the way he met a dog which bit him so that he died. And the dog ate all the cakes.

1 thorn   

n.刺，荆棘，带刺小灌木

参考例句：

• The little boy stepped on a sharp thorn.那小男孩踩着了一根尖刺。
• The dog had a thorn in its pad.这只狗的爪垫上扎了根刺。

2 barber   

n.理发员，美容师

参考例句：

• She asked the barber to crop her hair short.她叫理发师把她的头发剪短了。
• My Mum took me to the barber's.我妈带我理发去了。

3 razor   

n.剃刀；vt.剃

参考例句：

• I want to buy an electric razor this weekend.这个周末我想买一个电动剃须刀。
• A sharp razor gives a close shave.剃刀锋利刮得就干净。

4 firewood   

n.木柴；柴火

参考例句：

• Turn the firewood over and sun it.把柴火翻过来晒晒。
• He cut down the tree and cut it up for firewood.他把树砍倒，并把它劈成烧火用的小块。