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I JUMPING JEHOSOPHAT
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Kerchug, the leap frog, was all the time jumping. He stood every morning on the edge of the pond where he lived, and said to all the birds in the trees above him: “Isn’t it wonderful how I can jump?” Then all the birds would flap their wings and sing a song which began, “Isn’t it a treat to see our leap frog jump so far?”
 
One day Kerchug made a great big jump into the middle of the pool, and then swam back to the stone from which he always made his jumps. He waited for the birds to flap their wings and to sing about his jumping, but not one of them took any notice of him. Instead of that, he found Carrier Pigeon roosting on a log near the pool and looking very solemn.
 
“Wasn’t that a great jump?” asked Kerchug.
 
Carrier Pigeon shook his head, and took out from under his wing a little paper envelope, which he gave to Kerchug. Kerchug opened the letter and when he had looked at it he turned white under the chin.
 
“Read it to me, Carrier Pigeon,” he said, “I’ve just come out of the water, and my goggles1 are so damp that I can hardly see anything.”
 
So Carrier Pigeon swelled2 out his chest and stood on one leg and held the paper in his right claw as he read:
 
“I can leap further and higher and better than anything which wears a speckled skin and goggles. If Kerchug is not a coward he will come away from the water and hop3 right out here in the wood and jump with me.
 
(Signed)
 
“Jumping Jehosophat.”
 
“Are his legs as long as mine?” asked Kerchug, looking very hard at Carrier Pigeon.
 
“He had them curled under him when I saw him sitting in the woods,” answered Carrier Pigeon, “and really I cannot say.”
 
Kerchug, the leap frog, heard all the birds twittering and whispering, up in the trees. He thought they were all laughing at him, so he gulped4 and swallowed and then said that he was very glad indeed to see Carrier Pigeon and that it was a very fine morning.
 
“You might say to your friend,” he added, “that I must have time to think this over, and you can come back in an hour.”
 
“Very well,” answered Carrier Pigeon, “I’ll go back and tell him.”
 
When Carrier Pigeon had gone, Kerchug put everything which he had in a red bandana handkerchief and tied it up and put the bundle on the end of a stick, which he rested on his shoulder. Then he started for the bulrushes which grew along side of the pool. He had not gone very far before he met Sly Fox.
 
“Good morning, Kerchug, how is the jumping this morning?” asked Sly Fox.
 
“Not very good,” answered Kerchug, “besides, I have found that it is not a very healthy place to live around here. The pool is so very damp, and you know that I cannot stand malaria5, so I have decided6 to move.”
 
“It seems to me,” said Sly Fox, “that you had better wait until you have finished this affair with Jumping Jehosophat. I am surprised that you should be afraid to jump with such an awkward looking creature as he is.”
 
“But I am afraid that he can go further than I can,” replied Kerchug.
 
“Don’t worry about that,” answered Sly Fox, “you just leave that to me. You tell him that you will meet him to-morrow morning.”
 
So Kerchug, the leap-frog, hid his bundle in the bulrushes and marched back to the stone in front of the pool and croaked7 for Carrier Pigeon to come back.
 
“Tell Jumping Jehosophat, whoever he is,” said he, “that I’ll meet him to-morrow morning at 9 o’clock under the old oak tree, and I will show him something about jumping.”
 
[18]
 
 
Jumping Jehosophat leaps with the Big Stone.
 
[19]
 
All the birds in the woods went the next morning to the old oak tree. The branches of the tree were so full of birds that some of them sagged8 way down. Under the tree the ground was all hard and smooth. Jumping Jehosophat was there waiting. He was certainly a queer animal. He had a great big body and a little bit of a head. His hind9 legs were long and strong and his front legs were no bigger than a rabbit’s. As he stood up he was almost as tall as a man; his fur was gray and he had funny little eyes which twinkled as he talked. On his breast were at least a dozen medals for jumping. He folded his arms and hopped10 about on his hind legs.
 
“Birds in the tree,” he said, “in me you see the great Jumping Jehosophat, the bounding kangaroo. Because I jump so high I got away from the circus. Now, then, where is that miserable11 little speckled green thing that thinks it can jump?”
 
Nobody spoke12 for a long time and then Sly Fox came out from behind the bushes, carrying a bulrush for a cane13.
 
“Birds in the tree,” said Sly Fox, “the great and only Kerchug, the only creature who is not afraid to leap both in the water and on the dry land, has just finished his test, and is now on his way to show how a truly great leap frog can jump.”
 
“There he is!” screamed all the birds up in the tree. And, sure enough, there came Kerchug, all dressed up in green tights, with spangles all over them. Sly Fox, who had gone into the bushes to bring him out, came up behind him, carrying a great, big stone.
 
“With this e-nor-mous stone,” said Sly Fox, “Kerchug has just leaped 100 times, so as to get ready for some real[20] jumping. He will now wait until this poor and awkward creature here has a chance to do the same, so that you will all say that he has been fair.”
 
“O, that is easy!” said Jumping Jehosophat.
 
So the bounding kangaroo took the big stone in his little arms and jumped up into the air 100 times.
 
“Now, then,” said Sly Fox, “we shall have the pleasure of seeing who is the better jumper, Jumping Jehosophat, the bounding kangaroo, or my little friend here, who leaps as well on the dry land as in the wettest pool.”
 
Then Kerchug made a great, big jump, and Sly Fox marked the place.
 
Jumping Jehosophat, who was all tired out and sore by leaping when he carried the big stone, could only make a little bit of a jump, and did not come within a foot of the place where Kerchug had leaped. He was so ashamed that he ran into the bushes and hid. So Kerchug, all covered with medals, went back to his pool, hand in hand with his friend, Sly Fox, and all the birds in the trees, as they flew away, cried out: “What a wonderful jumper is our little friend Kerchug, the leap-frog!”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 goggles hsJzYP     
n.护目镜
参考例句:
  • Skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes from the sun.滑雪者都戴上护目镜使眼睛不受阳光伤害。
  • My swimming goggles keep steaming up so I can't see.我的护目镜一直有水雾,所以我看不见。
2 swelled bd4016b2ddc016008c1fc5827f252c73     
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情)
参考例句:
  • The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染,他的手肿了起来。
  • After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后,河水猛涨。
3 hop vdJzL     
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过
参考例句:
  • The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛,看谁单足跳跃最快。
  • How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远?
4 gulped 4873fe497201edc23bc8dcb50aa6eb2c     
v.狼吞虎咽地吃,吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 );大口地吸(气);哽住
参考例句:
  • He gulped down the rest of his tea and went out. 他把剩下的茶一饮而尽便出去了。
  • She gulped nervously, as if the question bothered her. 她紧张地咽了一下,似乎那问题把她难住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 malaria B2xyb     
n.疟疾
参考例句:
  • He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
  • Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。
6 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
7 croaked 9a150c9af3075625e0cba4de8da8f6a9     
v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 );用粗的声音说
参考例句:
  • The crow croaked disaster. 乌鸦呱呱叫预报灾难。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • 'she has a fine head for it," croaked Jacques Three. “她有一个漂亮的脑袋跟着去呢,”雅克三号低沉地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
8 sagged 4efd2c4ac7fe572508b0252e448a38d0     
下垂的
参考例句:
  • The black reticule sagged under the weight of shapeless objects. 黑色的拎包由于装了各种形状的东西而中间下陷。
  • He sagged wearily back in his chair. 他疲倦地瘫坐到椅子上。
9 hind Cyoya     
adj.后面的,后部的
参考例句:
  • The animal is able to stand up on its hind limbs.这种动物能够用后肢站立。
  • Don't hind her in her studies.不要在学业上扯她后腿。
10 hopped 91b136feb9c3ae690a1c2672986faa1c     
跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 ); 单足蹦跳; 齐足(或双足)跳行; 摘葎草花
参考例句:
  • He hopped onto a car and wanted to drive to town. 他跳上汽车想开向市区。
  • He hopped into a car and drove to town. 他跳进汽车,向市区开去。
11 miserable g18yk     
adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
参考例句:
  • It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他,这是可耻的。
  • Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。
12 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
13 cane RsNzT     
n.手杖,细长的茎,藤条;v.以杖击,以藤编制的
参考例句:
  • This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
  • English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。


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