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Once, three cows lived in a green and fresh pasture near a forest: a white cow, a black cow and a reddish-brown cow. The cows were kind to each other. They used to graze in the meadow together and sleep near each other.从前，有三头奶牛住在森林附近的绿色和新鲜的牧场上:一头白奶牛，一头黑奶牛和一头红褐色奶牛。这三头牛对彼此很好。他们过去常常一起在草地上吃草，睡在一起。One day, a reddish-brown lion happened to take a stroll out of the forest onto the meadow. It was hungry and looking for a prey. On catching sight of the cows it became glad, but couldn"t attack them, because they were together. So, the lion sat behind a boulder（巨石） and patiently waited till the cows would separate from each other.有一天，一只棕红色的狮子碰巧走出森林来到草地上。它饿了，正在寻找猎物。一看到牛群，它就很高兴，但却无法攻击它们，因为它们在一起。于是，狮子坐在一块大石头后面，耐心地等着两头牛分开。However, the cows were too clever to separate from each other. They knew that if they were together, no predator（捕食者） could attack them. The lion lay in ambush（伏击） nearby for two or three days. But the cows continued to remain together, and wouldn"t separate from each other. The lion became impatient. It thought of a plan. It went towards the cows, greeted them and said, "How are you my friends? Are you fine? I have been busy lately, so could not come and visit you. Today I made up my mind to pay you a visit."然而，这些牛太聪明了，不会彼此分开。它们知道如果它们在一起，就没有捕食者能攻击它们。狮子在附近埋伏了两三天。但是这些牛仍然呆在一起，彼此不分开。狮子变得不耐烦了。它想出了一个计划。它走向奶牛，问候它们并说:“朋友们，你们怎么样？你们好吗?我最近很忙，所以不能来看你们。今天我决定去拜访你们。”The reddish-brown cow said, "Sir, your coming has really pleased us and brightened our pasture."红棕色的牛说:“先生，你的到来真让我们高兴，照亮了我们的牧场。”Both the white and the black cows were troubled by what their friend, the reddish-brown cow said, and were grieved at its thoughtlessness（轻率）. They said to each other, "Why does the reddish-brown cow believe what the lion says?白奶牛和黑奶牛都为它们的朋友红褐色奶牛所说的话而烦恼，并为它的轻率而伤心。它们彼此说:“为什么红棕色的牛相信狮子的话?”Doesn"t it know that lions seek other animals only to prey on them?"难道它不知道狮子寻找其他动物只是为了捕食它们吗?”As the days passed by, the reddish-brown cow became more and more attached to（附属于） the lion. The black cow and the white cow advised it against a friendship with the lion, but their efforts were in vain.日子一天天过去，这头红褐色的奶牛越来越亲近狮子了。黑奶牛和白奶牛劝它不要和狮子交朋友，但它们的努力都白费了。One day, the lion said to the reddish-brown cow, "You know that the color of our bodies is dark and that the color of the body of the white cow is light. You also know that light color is the opposite of the dark color. It will be very good if I eat the white cow, so that there will be no difference among us any longer and we will be able to live together well."一天，狮子对红褐色的奶牛说:“你知道我们身体的颜色是深的，而白色的奶牛身体的颜色是浅的。你也知道浅色是深色的反义词。如果我吃了那头白奶牛，那就好了，这样我们之间就不再有什么区别，我们就可以很好地生活在一起了。”The reddish-brown cow accepted the lion"s argument and started talking to the black cow to keep it busy, so that the lion could eat the white cow. The white cow was left alone and was killed, while the black and the reddish-brown cows were busy in idle talk.红棕色的牛接受了狮子的说法，开始和黑牛说话让它忙起来，这样狮子就能吃白奶牛了。白奶牛被单独留下，被杀死了，而黑奶牛和红棕色奶牛则在忙着闲聊。Two or three days passed since the lion devoured the white cow. It became hungry again. It called the reddish-brown cow. The cow answered: "Yes sir!"狮子吃掉了白奶牛，两三天过去了。它又饿了。它叫红褐色的奶牛。牛回答说:“是的，先生。”The lion said, "The color of my body and the color of your body are both reddish-brown, and black does not go with our color. It will be very good if I eat the black cow, so that in this forest we all will be of the same color." The reddish-brown cow accepted this argument and moved away from the black cow.狮子说:“我身体的颜色和你身体的颜色都是红棕色，黑色和我们的颜色不相配。”如果我吃了那头黑奶牛，那就太好了，这样在这片森林里，我们就都是一样的颜色了。”红棕色的奶牛接受了这个说法，并离开了黑奶牛。The lion attacked and devoured the black cow soon. And as for the reddish-brown cow, it was so filled with joy that it didn"t know what to do. It roamed and grazed and said to itself, "It is only me who has the color of the lion."狮子攻击了黑奶牛，不久就把它吃掉了。至于那头红褐色的奶牛，它满心欢喜，不知如何是好。它边走边吃草，自言自语道:“只有我才有狮子的颜色。”A few days passed later, the lion was hungry again. It roared and said, "O the reddish-brown cow! Where are you?" The reddish-brown cow, shaking with fear, went forward and said, "Yes sir!"过了几天，狮子又饿了。它咆哮着说:“啊，红棕色的奶牛!你在哪里?“那头红棕色的奶牛吓得发抖，走上前说:“是的，先生!”The lion said: "Today it is your turn. Get yourself ready, I am going to eat you."狮子说:“今天轮到你了，你自己准备好，我要吃掉你。”The reddish-brown cow, with great fear and horror, said, "Why sir, I am your friend. I did whatever you asked me to do. Still why do you want to eat me?"红棕色的奶牛惊恐万分地说:“为什么，先生，我是你的朋友。你让我做什么我都做了。可是你为什么要吃我?”The lion roared and said, "I have no friends. How is it possible that a lion makes friendship with a cow?"狮子咆哮着说:“我没有朋友。狮子怎么可能和奶牛成为朋友呢?No matter how much the reddish-brown cow begged and entreated（恳求）, the lion didn"t accept its words. Finally the cow said, "Mr. Lion, please allow me to cry out three times before you eat me."The lion said, "Ok. Quickly, quickly!"无论红褐色的奶牛怎样恳求，狮子还是不听。最后，奶牛说:“先生。狮子，在你吃掉我之前请允许我哭三次。” 狮子说:“好吧。快一点,再快一点!“The reddish-brown cow cried out, "I was eaten the very day the white cow was eaten. I was eaten the very day the black cow was eaten. I was eaten the very day I made friends with the lion."红褐色的奶牛叫道:“白奶牛被吃的那天我被吃了。在黑奶牛被吃的那天我被吃掉了。我和狮子成为朋友的那天我被吃掉了。”The lion devoured the reddish-brown cow very quickly. Then it said to itself: "I have finished my job in this forest. Now I had better go to other forests."狮子很快地吃掉了那头红褐色的奶牛。它自言自语道:“我在这森林里的使命已经完成了。现在我最好到别的森林去。”Any group without unity will easily be destroyed.任何不团结的团体都很容易被摧毁。
本文如果对你有帮助，请点赞收藏《英语小故事：The Three Cows（带翻译）》，同时在此感谢原作者。
