一口废井里住着一只青蛙。有一天，青蛙在井边碰上了一只从海里来的大龟。
青蛙就对海龟夸口说：
“你看，我住在这里多快乐！有时高兴了，就在井栏边跳跃一阵；疲倦了，就回到井
里，睡在砖洞边一回。或者只留出头和嘴巴，安安静静地把全身泡在水里：或者在软绵绵的
泥浆里散一回步，也很舒适。看看那些虾和蝌虾，谁也此不上我。而且，我是这个井里的主
人，在这井里极自由自在，你为什么不常到井里来游赏呢！”
那海龟听了青蛙的话，倒真想进去看看。但它的左脚还没有整个伸进去，右脚就已经绊
住了。它连忙后退了两步，把大海的情形告诉青蛙说：
“你看过海吗？海的广大，哪止千里；海的深度，哪只千来丈。古时候，十年有九年大
水，海里的水，并不涨了多少；后来，八年里有七年大旱，海里的水，也不见得浅了多少。
可见大海是不受旱涝影响的。住在那样的大海里，才是真的快乐呢！”
井蛙听了海龟的一番话，吃惊地呆在那里，再没有话可说了。
Have you not heard of the frog that lived in a shallow well? It said to a turtle that lived in the East Sea, “I am so happy! When I go out, I jump about on the railing beside the mouth of the well. When I come home,I rest in the holes on the broken wall of the well. If I jump into the water, it comes up to my armpits and holds up my cheeks. If I walk in the mud, it covers up my feet. I look around at the wriggly1 worms, crabs2 and tadpoles3, and none of them can compare with me. Moreover, I am lord of this trough of water and I stand up tall in this shallow well. My happiness is full. My dear sir, why don’t you come often and look around my place?”
Before the turtle from the East Sea could get its left foot in the well, its right knee got stuck. It hesitated and retreated. The turtle told the frog about the East Sea.
“Even a distance of a thousand li cannot give you an idea of the sea’s width; even a height of a thousand ren cannot give you an idea of its depth. In the time of King Yu of the Xia dynasty, there were floods nine years out of ten, but the waters in the sea did not increase. ln the time of King Tang of the Shang dynasty there were droughts seven years out of eight, but the waters in the sea did not decrease. The sea does not change along with the passage of time and its level does not rise or fall according to the amount of rain that falls. The greatest happiness is to live in the East Sea.”
After listening to these words, the frog of the shallow well was shocked into realization4 of his own insignificance5 and became very ill at ease.
1 wriggly
adj.蠕动的，回避的；蜿蜒
参考例句：
When he picked up, a wriggly kissy puppy, I saw tension ease from my father’s face. 当他挑选了一只身体扭动、喜欢舔吻人的小狗时，我看到凝重的表情从他脸上消失了。 来自互联网
2 crabs
n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
As we walked along the seashore we saw lots of tiny crabs. 我们在海岸上散步时看到很多小蟹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 tadpoles
n.蝌蚪( tadpole的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The pond teemed with tadpoles. 池子里有很多蝌蚪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
Both fish and tadpoles have gills. 鱼和蝌蚪都有鳃。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
4 realization
n.实现；认识到，深刻了解
参考例句：
We shall gladly lend every effort in our power toward its realization.我们将乐意为它的实现而竭尽全力。
He came to the realization that he would never make a good teacher.他逐渐认识到自己永远不会成为好老师。
5 insignificance
n.不重要；无价值；无意义
参考例句：
Her insignificance in the presence of so much magnificence faintly affected her. “她想象着他所描绘的一切，心里不禁有些刺痛。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
It was above the common mass, above idleness, above want, above insignificance. 这里没有平凡，没有懒散，没有贫困，也没有低微。
