CHAPTER X THE TWO PEDDLERS

 Next morning Mama Bear said: "I must go to town to buy a new sun­bonnet¹!"

 

Sure enough, the sun-bonnet that Mama Bear wore was old and faded.

 

"May I go?" said the first little Bear.

 

"May I go?" said the second little Bear.

 

Then all the little Bears danced up and down and cried: "May I go? May I go?"

 

 Mama Bear boxed their ears right and left, and Papa Bear said:

 

"It is really dreadful² for you all to  talk at once. I will go with Mama Bear to select her new bonnet."

 

Red Riding Hood³ said she would keep house and see that the little Bears stayed in until Papa and Mama Bear came home.

 

Mama and Papa Bear went down the road quite happy, and the little Bears begged Red Riding Hood to tell them a story. So Red Riding Hood began:

 

"Once there was a little bear and he took a little broom and swept the floor."

 

Then Red Riding Hood handed the first little Bear a broom and he swept the floor, and she said again:

 

"There was another little Bear, and he washed all the windows."

 

Then she gave the second little Bear a cloth and a bucket of water and he washed all the windows.

 

Then Red Riding Hood said: "There were fifteen other little Bears, and they all helped to clean house, so it was as clean as a pin when Mama and Papa Bear came home."

 

You would have laughed to see those little Bears running around, cleaning house.

 

They had a very happy time all day. Suddenly one little Bear cried: "I am hungry!"

 

Then the next little Bear cried: "I am hungry!"

Red Riding Hood said: "You must wait until Papa and Mama come home."

 

Red Riding Hood and Little Bear got the supper ready, and they waited and waited and waited, and still Papa and Mama did not come.

 

Pretty soon a knock was heard, and there stood two old peddlers at the door.

 

The peddlers had caps pulled over their faces, and they cried: "Pans⁴ to sell! Dishes to sell! Laces⁵ to sell!"

 

 

 

 

 

1 bonnet   

n.无边女帽；童帽

参考例句：

• The baby's bonnet keeps the sun out of her eyes.婴孩的帽子遮住阳光，使之不刺眼。
• She wore a faded black bonnet garnished with faded artificial flowers.她戴着一顶褪了色的黑色无边帽，帽上缀着褪了色的假花。

2 dreadful   

adj.糟透了的，极端的，可怕的，令人畏惧的

参考例句：

• I cannot imagine what to do in this dreadful situation.我不能想像在这么糟的情况下该怎么办。
• I must apologize for the dreadful mistake I made.我为我所犯的严重错误深表歉意。

3 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

4 pans   

n.平底锅( pan的名词复数 )；（天平的）秤盘；马桶；盘状凹地（尤指盆地）

参考例句：

• Pots, pans, kettles and mops are kitchen utensils. 锅、盘、壶及拖把是厨房用具。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She clashed these pans down on the floor. 她将这些盘子哗啦一声摔在地上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 laces   

蕾丝( lace的名词复数 )； 透孔织品； 鞋带； 系带

参考例句：

• He bent down and undid the laces of his shoes. 他弯腰解开鞋带。
• Wouldn't it be a giggle to tie his shoe-laces together while he isn't looking! 趁他没注意时把他的鞋带拴在一起，岂不有趣！