华盛顿和樱桃树

类别：品格

小华盛顿砍倒了父亲心爱的樱桃树，却因诚实认错而获得了原谅。

时长 52 秒 · 语速 177 wpm

字幕原文

When George Washington was a little boy, 乔治·华盛顿还是个小男孩的时候，

his father gave him a small axe. 他爸爸送了他一把小斧头。

George loved it. 乔治特别喜欢这把斧头。

He walked around the garden, chopping at everything he could find. 他在花园里到处转悠，看见什么就砍什么。

Then he saw a young cherry tree. 后来，他看到了一棵小樱桃树。

It was small, and it came down easily. 树还很小，一下子就被砍倒了。

That evening, his father came home and saw the tree lying on the ground. 那天傍晚，他爸爸回到家，看到树倒在地上。

He was furious. 他气坏了。

It was a rare tree, 那可是一棵稀有树种，

and it had cost him a lot of money. 花了他不少钱呢。

"Who did this?" “谁干的？！”

he shouted. 他大吼道。

George was frightened. 乔治吓坏了。

But he stepped forward. 但他还是走上前去。

"Father, I can't tell a lie. “爸爸，我不能撒谎。

I did it, with my axe." 是我用小斧头砍的。”

His father's anger disappeared. 他爸爸的火气一下子全消了。

He picked the boy up. 他一把抱起乔治。

"I would rather lose a dozen cherry trees," “我宁可损失十几棵樱桃树，”

he said, "than hear you tell one lie." 他说，“也不愿听你说一句谎话。”

It's the most famous story about America's first president. 这是关于这位美国第一任总统最有名的故事了。

Historians say it probably never happened. 不过历史学家说，这事大概率根本没发生过。

Which is a funny thing to say about a story that teaches you not to lie. 一个教人别撒谎的故事居然是编的，想想还真挺讽刺的。