<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">A Fox invited a long-beaked Stork to have dinner with him.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">“I hope you don’t mind sharing the same dish with me,” said the Fox, “It is our custom in the woods to eat together to show that we are friendly.”</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">“Not at all,” said the Stork politely.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">The Fox brought a wide, shallow bowl of thin soup and set it between them.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">“Please help yourself.” he said, setting down to lap the soup with his long pink tongue.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">The Stork stood with her long legs apart and put the tip of her long, thin beak into the soup; although she tried to scoop up the thin liquid, it was quite impossible for her to do so. Even when she did manage to hold a few drops in her bead they were lost long before they could trickle down to her throat. Too polite to complain, the Stork went home hungrily while the greedy Fox lapped up all the soup. As she left she heard him laughing to himself at his own cleverness.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">A few days later the Stork invited the Fox to have dinner with her in return and the Fox made his way to her home.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">“It is our custom to share a dish, too,” said the Stork, “I hope you will join me.”</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">“Certainly, certainly,” said the Fox, licking his lips. He had not eaten all day.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">The Stork brought her food. This time, however, it was served in a tall, thin jug with a narrow opening at the top.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">“Please begin.” said the Stork, thrusting her beak into the jug.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">“Mmm. It is good.”</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">Of course the Fox could not get his nose into the jug at all. All he could do was sniffing hungrily at the delicious smell and lick the occasional drop that spilled over the side.</font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 21.75pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="Times New Roman">“I suppose I can’t complain,” he said to himself sadly as he made his way back to the woods. “After all, I taught her the trick myself.”</font></span></p><br>
[此贴子已经被作者于2006-6-8 13:17:20编辑过]
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