每日一篇的故事又来了，今天的故事来自著名的伊索寓言故事集，故事名为，The Goose with Golden Egg,下金蛋的鹅。相信很多家长都听过这个故事，小编也在小学的时候就听过。伊索寓言相传是公元前六世纪被释放的古希腊奴隶伊索所著的寓言集，内容大多与动物有关。书中讲述的故事简短精练，刻画出来的形象鲜明生动，每则故事都蕴含哲理，或揭露和批判社会矛盾，或抒发对人生的领悟，或总结日常生活经验。故事深入浅出，通俗易懂又发人深省，适合孩子初次阅读，并可反复读。
A Farmer and his wife live in a small house in the country.
农夫和他的妻子住在乡下的一个小房子里，
They are very poor. Then one day something fantastic happens.
他们很贫穷，有一天，有件奇妙的事情发生了。
Farmer: Good morning, dear.
早上好，亲爱的。
Wife: Good morning.I’ll fry you some eggs.
早上好，我要为你煎一些蛋。
The wife goes out to the barn to get some eggs. She suddenly shouts loudly to the Farmer.
妻子到谷仓里拿蛋，突然她大声地对农夫叫了起来。
Wife: Come out here, dear! Quickly!
快来呀，亲爱的。快点!
Farmer: Why? What’s the matter?
怎么了?什么事?
The Farmer runs out to the barn.
农夫跑到了谷仓。
Wife: Look at this!
看看这个!
Farmer: What is it?
那是什么?
Wife: It’s a golden egg!
一个金蛋!
Farmer: A golden egg?Where did you get is?
金蛋?你从哪里来的?
Wife: From this Goose.It laid this golden egg.
这只鹅呀，它下的。
Goose: Quack, quack!
嘎，嘎!
Farmer: I can’t believe it.It’s so shiny and beautiful.What shall we do with it?
我简直不敢相信，这只蛋耀眼又美丽，我们怎么处理呢?
Wife: Sell it at the market.
把它卖到市场上。
Farmer: Good idea.I’ll sell it and buy some meat.
好主意，我会把它卖了，再买些肉回来。
Wife: Yes.I’ll cook you a delicious meal tonight.
那今晚我会为你煮一顿美味的大餐。
Farmer: Yahoo! Thank you, Goose!
奥，谢谢你，鹅!
The Farmer goes to the market that afternoon and gets a good price for the golden egg. The Farmer and his Wife have a nice dinner that night, but they can’t fall asleep. They are so excited and hope that the goose will lay another golden egg tomorrow morning.
当天下午，农夫到市场去把金蛋卖了个好价钱。农夫和妻子享用了一顿丰盛的晚餐。可是他们无法入睡，他们非常兴奋，并且希望鹅在明天早上会再下另一只金蛋。
Goose: Cock –a –doodle-doo!!!
咕- 咕- 咕!!!
Farmer: Wake up, dear.Let’s see if the Goose laid another golden egg.
起床，亲爱的，我们去看看鹅有没有再下金蛋。
Wife: Okay. Let’s hurry.
好，我们快去。
The two rush out to the barn.
他们两人冲到了谷仓。
Farmer: Look!Another golden egg!
看!另一个金蛋!
Wife: Thank you, Goose.We will be rich soon.
谢谢你，鹅，我们很快就会富起来了。
Farmer: Yes. Thanks to the Goose.Feed it well, dear.
是呀，多亏了这只鹅，你可要好好地喂它呀，亲爱的。
Wife: Of course.I will feed it the best food.
我会喂它最好的食物。
After that, the Farmer and his Wife gave the Goose the best food. They loved the Goose. The Goose kept laying a golden egg every day. Some months later, the couple moved to a bigger house. They were very happy.
从那以后，农夫和他的妻子给鹅吃最好的食物，他们很疼爱那只鹅。鹅继续每天下一个金蛋。几个月后，这对夫妻搬到了更大的房子里，他们非常的快乐。
Farmer: Thanks to the Goose, we are not poor anymore.
多亏了那只鹅，我们再也不贫穷了。
Wife: That is true. But I’m getting curious.
那倒是，可是我越来越好奇了。
Farmer: About what?
好奇什么?
Wife: The Goose doesn’t look special.
那只鹅看起来又不特别。
Farmer: So what?
那又怎样?
Wife: But how can it lay golden eggs?
可是它怎么能下金蛋呢?
Farmer: Good question. Now I’m getting curious, too. Hmm…
说的对，现在我也好奇了，嗯…
More months passed and the Farmer and his Wife became quite rich.
又过了几个月，农夫和他的妻子已经相当富有了。
Farmer: We are now quite rich. Thanks to the Goose.
我们现在已经相当富有了，多亏了那只鹅。
Wife: Yes. But I want to get really rich fast.
是呀，不过我想快点变得更富有。
Farmer: How?
那要怎么做呢?
Wife: Think. We don’t know how the Goose lays the golden eggs. But we know where they are coming from.
你想想，我们不知道那只鹅怎么会下金蛋，可是我们知道那些金蛋是从哪里来的。
Farmer: We do? Where?
我们知道吗?从哪里?
Wife: From the Goose’s stomach, of course. So its stomach must be full of golden eggs.
当然是从那只鹅的肚子里呀，所以它的肚子里一定装满了金蛋。
Farmer: Perhaps. I don’t know.
或许吧，我不知道。
Wife: Can’t you see? We can become really rich all at once.
你不明白吗?我们可以一夜致富呀。
Farmer: What do you mean?
你的意思是?
Wife: Cut open the Goose’s stomach. Take out all of the golden eggs inside.
剖开那只饿的肚子，拿出里面所有的金蛋。
Farmer: You mean kill the Goose?
你是说*了那只鹅?
Wife: Yes. A golden egg a day is too slow. I want to become really rich. Now!
每天一个金蛋太慢了，我要变得非常富有，立刻!
Farmer: But it has given us a golden egg every day. It made us rich. We can’t kill it now.
但是它每天都给我们一个金蛋呀，他让我们富有了，现在我们不能*它。
Wife: Why not? Don’t you want to become richer faster?
难道你不想快点变得更有钱吗?
Farmer: Yes, but we are rich right now.
想呀，可是我们现在就很有钱呀。
Wife: Yes. But I want to become really really rich. I want to live in the city. Bring the knife from the kitchen.
是呀，可是我想变得真的真的很有钱，我想住到城市里去。去把厨房里的刀拿来。
Farmer: If you wish, dear.
遵命，亲爱的。
The Farmer brings a sharp knife from the kitchen. The Goose sees the knife and starts crying and runs away. The Wife hides the knife behind her back.
农夫从厨房里拿出一把锋利的刀，鹅看到了刀，开始一边叫一边跑，其子把刀藏在了身后。
Goose: Quack, quack!
嘎嘎!
Wife: What’s the matter, Goose? I have something delicious for you.
怎么了，鹅?我有好吃的东西要给你呀!
Goose: Quack, quack!
嘎嘎!
Wife: it’s running away! Go and catch it!
它跑走了!去抓住他!
Farmer: Okay, dear. Come here, Goosey.
好的，亲爱的，过来，鹅。
Goose: Quack, quack!
嘎嘎!
Wife: Catch it, catch it!
抓住它，抓住它!
Farmer: I got it!
抓住了!
Goose: Quack, quack!
嘎嘎!
The Farmer catches the Goose and the Wife is about to cut open its stomach.
农夫抓住鹅，妻子准备剖开他的肚子。
Wife: We will be really rich soon. How many eggs will there be?
我们很快就会变得很有钱了，会有多少金蛋呢?
Farmer: I don’t know. But there must be many. I’m getting curious now. Hurry up. Cut it open.
我不知道，可是肯定很多，现在我越来越好奇了。快点，剖开他。
Wife: Okay, here I go.
好，我要下手了。
Goose: (scream)Q-U-A-C-K!!!
(惨叫)嘎!
The Goose’s stomach is cut open. The Farmer and his Wife look surprised.
鹅的肚子被剖开了，农夫和他的妻子看起来非常吃惊。
Farmer: Where are the golden eggs?
金蛋在哪里呢?
Wife: I don’t know. There must be some inside. Look carefully!
我不知道，这里头一定有一些。看仔细点!
Farmer: There are none! What have we done?
一个也没有，我们都干了些什么呀?
Wife: No golden eggs?
没有金蛋?
Farmer: Poor Goose. We were too greedy. So we will become poor again.
可怜的鹅，我们太贪心了，我们又会变穷。
Wife: Poor us!
可怜的我们!
Farmer: Boo-hoo-hoo.
呜-呜-呜…
MORAL： Don’t be greedy.
不可贪心。
【作者：久伴英语，点击底部了解更多，获取更多资料！】
如文末结尾所说，这篇寓言寓意切不可贪心急躁，为了眼前的利益而将长期的收益破坏。这种道理如果能影响到孩子将会产生很好的作用。孩子一般处于对自我控制比较弱的时期，眼前的快乐，必须眼前得到，还不会等待。心理学中有一个词叫做延时满足，将满足向后推迟，而获得长远满足的能力，研究表明，延时满足能力强的孩子自制力会更强，而在某种程度上自制的人更易成功。
