In the past, there was a man named Ai Zi who was fond of sailing on the sea.

　　One night, Ai Zi had his boat moored1 near a small island Around midnight, he seemed to hear someone weeping or talking under the water.

So he listened intently, and soon he heard someone say: "Yesterday the Dragon King issued an order that all living creatures with tails in water are to be beheaded.

I am an alligator2 and have a tail.

I am very frightened of being slaughtered3, so I am crying.

You are a toad4 and don't have a tail.

What are you weeping for?

"　　After a while, Ai Zi seemed to hear someone answer: "Though I have no tail now, I am afraid that I may be traced back to the time when I was a tadpole5 with a tail then, so I am weeping.

"　　从前，有个叫艾子的人，喜欢在海上航行。

　　一天晚上，船停泊在一个小岛的附近。

大约半夜时分，他仿佛听到水底下有人发出哭泣的声音，又好像有人在说话。

于是，他认认真真地听了下去。

一会儿，他听到有人说：昨天龙王下了命令，水中的动物，凡是有尾巴的都必须斩首。

我是鳄，有尾巴，非常害怕遭到杀戮，所以哭了起来。

你是蛤蟆，又没有尾巴，哭什么呀?

”　　一会儿，他仿佛又听到有人回答说：我现在虽然没有尾巴，但是我害怕会追究到我蝌蚪年代的事情上去，因为那时候我是有尾巴的，所以哭泣。

”　　点击　　收听单词发音　　1 moored　　adj.

系泊的动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式　　参考例句：　　The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.

该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

　　We shipped (the) oars and moored alongside the bank.

我们收起桨，把船泊在岸边。

　　2 alligator　　n.

短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)　　参考例句：　　She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.

她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。

　　Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.

鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。

　　3 slaughtered　　v.

屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )　　参考例句：　　The invading army slaughtered a lot of people.

侵略军杀了许多人。

来自 简明英汉词典　　　Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered.

数百名无辜平民遭残杀。

来自 简明英汉词典　　　4 toad　　n.

蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆　　参考例句：　　Both the toad and frog are amphibian.

蟾蜍和青蛙都是两栖动物。

　　Many kinds of toad hibernate in winter.

许多种蟾蜍在冬天都会冬眠。

　　5 tadpole　　n.

[动]蝌蚪　　参考例句：　　As a tadpole changes into a frog,its tail is gradually absorbed.

蝌蚪变成蛙，它的尾巴就逐渐被吸收掉。

　　It was a tadpole.

Now it is a frog.

它过去是蝌蚪，现在是一只青蛙。

【英语童话:蛤蟆夜哭查看网站：[db:时间]】