THE ROLL OF BREAD

 Once upon a time a little boy named Ted¹ was very hungry.

 

"I wish I had something to eat," he said;

And his mother gave him a roll of bread.

She had bought the roll that very morning from the busy baker² who kept a shop at the corner.

 

The baker had flour so fine and so white;

Shakity shake, he sifted³ it light,

To make the roll of nice fresh bread

That Mother gave to little boy Ted.

The baker got the flour from the merry miller⁴ whose mill stood by the river side.

 

 

The miller was merry, and so was the mill;

Clickety clack, it never was still,

As it ground the flour so fine and white

For the busy baker who sifted it light,

With a shakity shake, to make the bread

That Mother gave to little boy Ted.

The flour was made from the yellow wheat that a friendly farmer brought to the mill.

 

"Get up! get up!" said Farmer Brown;

As clipety clap, he rode to town

To take the wheat to the miller's mill;

Clickety clack, it never was still

As it ground the wheat into flour white

For the busy baker who sifted it light,

With a shakity shake, to make the bread

That Mother gave to little boy Ted.

 

The wheat grew in the fields that the farmer had plowed⁵.

 

He plowed the fields, and he sowed the grain;

Then pitter patter, the gentle rain

Came in a hurry to help it grow;

And the sun shone down with its golden glow,

To ripen⁶ the grain for Farmer Brown,

Who, clipety clapety, rode to town

To take the wheat to the miller's mill;

Clickety clack, it never was still

As it ground the wheat into flour white

For the busy baker who sifted it light,

With a shakity shake, to make the bread

That Mother gave to little boy Ted.

Ted sat down on the kitchen doorstep to eat the roll.

 

 

 

"I like a roll of nice fresh bread,

Thank you, Mother," said little boy Ted.

Note.—The little child's "Thank you, Mother," is the beginning of the universal gratitude⁷ which will come to him as we gradually lead him to see the interdependence of all life, and the wonderful goodness of God.

 

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

3 sifted   

v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审

参考例句：

• She sifted through her papers to find the lost letter. 她仔细在文件中寻找那封丢失的信。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She sifted thistles through her thistle-sifter. 她用蓟筛筛蓟。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

5 plowed   

v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过

参考例句：

• They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
• He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句

6 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。

7 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。