2017國小英語閲讀材料

我們常用殺雞取卵來比喻貪圖眼前利益而不顧長遠利益。下面是這故事跟殺雞取卵差不多，只不過人家殺的是鵝。

Once upon a time, there lived a farmer in a small town. The farmer worked hard on his farm. One day, a weird-looking goose came to the farm.

Tying up the goose, the farmer was thinking, 'I should cook this goose for breakfast in the morning.' The next day, the farmer approached the goose to cook it.

However, the farmer was startled. The goose had laid a golden egg. "How did the goose that lays golden eggs come to me?" The farmer was so happy that he danced cheerfully.

The farmer was able to get a golden egg every morning. In the market, everybody loved to buy the golden eggs. Getting weary of working, the farmer did not want to farm.

'Perhaps, there must be an enormous amount of gold in that goose's stomach. Although it looks like an ordinary goose, it lays golden eggs.' The farmer was determined to open the goose's stomach. He wanted to be rich instantly rather than gradually.

The farmer cut the goose's stomach open with scissors. But, he found nothing but just what any other goose would have. "Why! How could this be?" regretted the farmer, but it was no use. The goose was already dead.

　　參考翻譯

從前，在一個小鎮上住着一個農民。農夫在農場辛勤勞動。有一天，一隻奇怪的'鵝來到農場。

農夫把鵝捆起來，心裏想：“我早上要把這隻鵝當早餐吃。”第二天，農夫走近鵝把它煮了。

然而，農夫驚呆了。這隻鵝已經下了一個金蛋。”那隻放金蛋的鵝是怎麼來找我的?”農夫高興得手舞足蹈。

農夫每天早上都能得到一個金蛋。在市場上，每個人都喜歡買金蛋。厭倦了工作，農夫不想耕種。

也許，那隻鵝的胃裏一定有大量的金子。雖然它看起來像一隻普通的鵝，但它卻下了金蛋。他想立即致富而不是逐漸致富。

農夫用剪刀把鵝的肚子切開。但是，他什麼也沒找到，只是別的鵝都會有的。”為什麼!怎麼會這樣呢?”農夫很後悔，但沒有用。那隻鵝已經死了。