Long ago, when the Frogs were all at liberty in the lakes, and had grown quite weary of following every one his own devices, they assembled one day together and with a great clamour petitioned Jupiter to let them have a king to keep them in better order and make them lead honester lives. Jupiter, knowing their foolishness, smiled at their request, and threw down a log into the lake, which by the huge splash and
commotion1 it made, sent the whole nation of Frogs into the greatest terror and
amazement2. They rushed under the water and into the mud, and dared not come within a leap's-length of the spot where it lay. At length one Frog bolder than the rest ventured to pop his head above the water, and take a look at their new king from a respectful distance. Presently when they saw the log lie stock-still, others began to swim up to it and around it, till by degrees growing bolder and bolder, they at last leaped upon it and treated it with the greatest contempt. Full of disgust for so tame a ruler, they carried a petition a second time to Jupiter for another and more active King. Upon which he sent them a
stork3, who had no sooner come among them, than he began laying hold of them, and
devouring4 them one by one as fast as he could, and it was in vain that they tried to escape him. Then they sent Mercury with a private message to Jupiter, begging him to take pity on them once more; but Jupiter replied that they were only suffering the punishment due to their
folly5, and that another time they would learn to let well alone, and not be dissatisfied with their natural state.
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收听单词发音
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1
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 |
参考例句： |
- They made a commotion by yelling at each other in the theatre.他们在剧院里相互争吵，引起了一阵骚乱。
- Suddenly the whole street was in commotion.突然间，整条街道变得一片混乱。
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2
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 |
参考例句： |
- All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
- He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。
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3
stork
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| n.鹳 |
参考例句： |
- A Fox invited a long-beaked Stork to have dinner with him.狐狸请长嘴鹳同他一起吃饭。
- He is very glad that his wife's going to get a visit from the stork.他为她的妻子将获得参观鹳鸟的机会感到非常高兴。
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4
devouring
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| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 |
参考例句： |
- The hungry boy was devouring his dinner. 那饥饿的孩子狼吞虎咽地吃饭。
- He is devouring novel after novel. 他一味贪看小说。
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5
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 |
参考例句： |
- Learn wisdom by the folly of others.从别人的愚蠢行动中学到智慧。
- Events proved the folly of such calculations.事情的进展证明了这种估计是愚蠢的。
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