春秋戰(zhàn)國時期，吳國國君準備攻打楚國，左右大臣雖覺不妥，卻又不敢直言勸阻。這時，國王的兒子想了個好方法，他以花園中鳴叫的蟬，捕食的螳螂，與其身后的鳥兒做類比，成功勸說了他的父王，取消了攻打楚國的打算。這位兒子是如何做到的呢？During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 BCE), the ruler of the Wu state wanted to attack the Chu state.His advisors warned him not to do it. They believed Wu was not strong enough. They worried that Wu would be beaten by Chu. The Wu king got angry when he heard the warnings. He told his advisors that if they kept talking this way, he would punish them.The king’s son, Prince You, did not agree with his father. He thought the advisors were right. But he did not dare to speak up against the king either. He came up with a plan to offer advice to the king.One day, Prince You walked into the royal court soaking wet. He held a slingshot in one hand.“Ha ha!” laughed the king. “What happened, Son?”“Forgive me, Father,” replied Prince You. “I fell into a pond.”“How did you do that?” asked the king, still chuckling.“I went to the garden this morning to practice using my slingshot,” the prince explained.Prince You stepped back with one leg and held the slingshot up toward the sky. He closed one eye and pulled the cord back as if he were going to shoot. He looked just like a sharp-shooter.“I look strong and fierce, right, Father?” the prince joked.“Yes, you do,” the king laughed. “Unbeatable.”“Yes, I was feeling very confident,” replied the prince. “I looked up in the trees, looking for a target. I saw a cicada chirping happily on a branch. But despite his happiness, there was something wrong with the cicada. Do you know what it was, Father?” asked the prince.“No, what?” asked the king, curious to find out.“The cicada had no idea,” the prince explained, “that a preying mantis was sneaking up behind him!’“Oh!” said the king. “Another hunter!”“Yes,” the prince replied. “The mantis raised his two arms, ready to strike. But there was something wrong with the praying mantis. Do you know what it was, Father?”“No, what?” asked the king, curious to find out.“The mantis was ready to strike the cicada. He was so focused on his prey that he did not know a bird was lurking nearby. The bird was ready to pounce on his meal—the mantis!”“Ha ha!” laughed the king. “Yet another hunter!”“And there I was, with my slingshot aimed at the bird!” the prince continued.The prince moved his slingshot as if he was focusing on a target. With one eye closed, he drew the cord back, preparing to shoot.“Oh my! You’re going to shoot the bird! He is your target!” the king cheered.“Yes, I was very confident. I thought the bird was unaware that I was hunting him,” the prince replied. “I knew I only had one shot to get it, so I moved back to get better aim. I stepped back, and back, and back...”“And that’s when I fell right into the pond!” the prince laughed.The king burst into laughter. “You were foolish! You thought only about the gains in front of you. You forgot about the dangers behind you!” cried the king.Suddenly, realization dawned on the king. He thought about his plans to strike the state of Chu. He understood what his son was trying to tell him.“I understand your point, my son,” said the king. Then he called off his plans to attack Chu.Question: Why do you think it was easier for Prince You to tell his father a story than to tell him how he really felt about the attack on the Chu state?
核心詞匯
speak up 大膽地說，自由發(fā)表意見
royal court 宮廷
soak v. 濕透，浸濕
slingshot n. 彈弓
chuckle v. 咯咯地輕聲笑
cord n. （細）繩，（琴弦等）繩索狀物
sharp-shooter n. 神槍手
fierce adj. 兇猛的，猛烈的
unbeatable adj. 難以戰(zhàn)勝的，無法打敗的
target n. （攻擊、轟炸等的）目標
cicada n. 蟬
chirp v. （昆蟲等的）唧唧聲
despite prep. 不管，盡管
sneak up 偷偷地走近
strike v. 打，擊，擊中
prey n. 獵物
lurk v. 暗藏，埋伏
pounce v. 猛撲，突然襲擊
unaware adj 未認識到的，未覺察到的
dawn v. 被理解，被領悟，被想到
call off 取消（活動），停止做
soaking wet 全身濕透的狀態(tài)，此處是現(xiàn)在分詞做伴隨狀語，表示伴隨的狀態(tài)。
despite his happiness 盡管他很高興，despite介詞，盡管，后接名詞性質的賓語。
so focused on his prey that he did not know 如此專注于他的獵物以至于他不知道……
with my slingshot aimed at the bird當我的彈弓瞄準在鳥身上時，with sth done表示伴隨著某物被完成的狀態(tài)。
fell right into the pound 恰恰掉入池塘，right此處為副詞，恰巧地。
I understand your point. 我理解了你的觀點，point名詞，觀點。
以下翻譯來自百度翻譯：
春秋時期（公元前770-476年），吳國統(tǒng)治者想攻打楚國。他的顧問警告他不要這樣做。他們認為吳不夠強壯。他們擔心吳會被楚打敗。吳王聽到警告后很生氣。他告訴他的顧問，如果他們繼續(xù)這樣說話，他會懲罰他們。國王的兒子游王子不同意他父親的意見。他認為顧問們是對的。但他也不敢站出來反對國王。他想出了一個向國王提供建議的計劃。有一天，王子，你渾身濕透走進皇宮。他一只手拿著彈弓。“原諒我，父親，”王子回答說?！拔业暨M池塘里了。”王子你用一條腿往后退，把彈弓舉向天空。他閉上一只眼睛，把繩子拉了回來，好像要開槍似的。他看起來就像一個狙擊手。“我看起來又強壯又兇猛，對吧，父親？”王子開玩笑說。“是的，你知道，”國王笑著說。“無與倫比?！?/span>王子問：“我抬頭在樹上尋找目標。我看到一只蟬在樹枝上快樂地唧唧喳喳。盡管他很快樂，但蟬還是有點不對勁。你知道是什么嗎，父親？”。“蟬不知道，”王子解釋道，“一只正在捕食的螳螂正悄悄地從他身后爬上來！”“是的，”王子回答。“螳螂舉起雙臂準備攻擊。但是螳螂有點不對勁。你知道是什么嗎，父親？”“螳螂準備攻擊蟬。他如此專注于他的獵物，以至于他不知道附近潛伏著一只鳥。這只鳥準備撲向螳螂！”“我就在那兒，我的彈弓對準了那只鳥！”王子繼續(xù)說。王子移動他的彈弓，好像他正專注于一個目標。閉上一只眼睛，他把繩子拉回來，準備射擊。“哦，天哪！你要射殺那只鳥！它是你的目標！”國王歡呼道。“是的，我非常自信。我以為那只鳥不知道我在獵殺它，”王子回答。“我知道我只有一次機會，所以我后退以獲得更好的瞄準。我后退，后退，后退……”國王突然大笑起來?！澳闾薮懒耍∧阒幌胫矍暗氖斋@。你忘記了身后的危險！”國王喊道。突然，國王意識到了這一點。他想到了自己攻打楚國的計劃。他明白兒子想告訴他什么。“我明白你的意思，我的兒子，”國王說。然后他取消了進攻楚國的計劃。
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