The Ant

A great French writer has said that we should help everyone as much as possible because we often need help ourselves. The small even can help the great. To this effect he tells the following simple story.

An ant was drinking at a small stream and fell in. She made desperate efforts to reach the side, but made no progress at all. The poor ant, almost exhausted, was still bravely doing her best when a dove saw her. Moved with pity the bird threw her a blade of grass, which supported her like a raft, and thus she reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in the grass she heard a man approaching. He was walking along barefoot and carrying a gun in this hand. As soon as he saw the dove he wish to kill her, and he would certainly have done so, but the ant bit him in the foot just as he raised his gun to fire. He stoped to see what had bit him, and the dove immediately flew away. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than herself that had saved her life.

Vocabulary:

The small even can help the great小甚至可以幫大。

To this effect[atiUhf] 以這種意思

fall in掉落；坍塌

desperate[tgUkdQqaf] (a.) 情急拼命的,鋌而走險的;危急的;絕望的;孤注一擲的

progress[tdqFvqUk](n.)前進,行進;進行,進展

exhausted[avtlOkfag](a.)耗盡的,用完的;精疲力竭的

bravely[teqTjpa] (ad.)勇敢地,英勇地

dove[gSj](n.)鴿子

pity[tdafa](n.v.) 憐憫;同情

blade[epTg](n.) 葉片,葉身;刀身,劍身;刀片

raft[q@if](n.)木排,木筏;筏子

thus[\Sk](ad.)如此,這樣,以此方式;因此,從而

approach[QtdqcfX] [approached- approached-approaching](v.)接近,靠近

barefoot[teUquiNf] (a.)赤腳的,不穿鞋襪的

as soon as一經...;立即...;一...就... 不遲於

rasied [qTlg](a.) 升高的

weak[r`h](a.)弱的,虛弱的;衰弱的