在某一个季节，橄榄树讥笑无花果树的叶子全都凋零了。她说：“你的树叶一到秋天就会逐渐凋落，等到春天时才会再次长出来；而我的叶子就像你看到的这样，一年四季都是常青的。”正当他夸夸其谈时，突然下起了大雪，雪花全都压在橄榄树的叶子上，不一会儿就把他压垮了；而光秃秃的无花果树，一点也没被雪花伤害，反倒生存下来等待着来年的绽放。
THE LION AND THE BOAR
狮子和野猪
One hot and thirsty day in the height of summer a Lion and a Boar came down to a little spring at the same moment to drink.In a trice they were quarrelling as to who should drink ？rst.The quarrel soon became a fight and they attacked one another with the utmost fury.Presently，stopping for a moment to take breath，they saw some vultures seated on a rock above evidently waiting for one of them to be killed，when they would ？y down and feed upon the carcase.The sight sobered them at once，and they made up their quarrel，saying，“We had much better be friends than ？ght and be eaten by vultures.”
｛中文阅读｝
炎热的夏季，难耐的酷暑使人口渴，一只狮子和一只野猪同时来到一个小泉边喝水。他们立刻为谁应该先喝水而争吵起来。很快，争吵升级成了战争，他们互相攻击，斗得你死我活。就在他们喘气休息时，忽然回过头去，看见几只秃鹰正坐在岩石上，显然他们正在等着看谁先败下阵来，接着就会冲过来吃掉那个尸体。一看到秃鹰，他们立刻停止了争斗，说：“我们还是成为朋友吧，总比相互争斗并被秃鹰吃掉好得多。”
THE WALNUT-TREE
核桃树
A Walnut-tree，which grew by the roadside，bore every year a plentiful crop of nuts.Every one who passed by pelted its branches with sticks and stones，in order to bring down the fruit，and the tree suffered severely.“It is hard，”it cried，“that the very persons who enjoy my fruit should thus reward me with insults and blows.”
｛中文阅读｝
有一棵长在路旁的核桃树，每年都能结很多核桃。为了得到树上的核桃，几乎每个路过的人都会用枝条和石头去敲打它。核桃树暗自悲叹自己所遭受的痛苦，自言自语道：“我真倒霉，每一个享用我的果实的人，都会用这样无情的损害与鞭打来回报我。”
THE MAN AND THE LION
人和同行的狮子
A Man and a Lion were companions on a journey，and in the course of conversation they began to boast about their prowess，and each claimed to be superior to the other in strength and courage.They were still arguing with some heat when they came to a cross-road where there was a statue of a Man strangling a Lion.“There！”said the Man triumphantly，“look at that！Doesn’t that prove to you that we are stronger than you？”“Not so fast，my friend，”said the Lion：“that is only your view of the case.If we Lions could make statues，you may be sure that in most of them you would see the Man underneath.”
There are two sides to every question.
｛中文阅读｝
有一次，狮子与人同行，交谈中他们开始吹嘘各自的英勇，双方都强调自己更勇敢。就这样面红耳赤地争吵着，他们来到了一个十字路口，看到塑像上雕刻着一个人征服几头狮子的场景。那个人立刻得意洋洋地说：“你看那里，事实证明我们比你们强得多了吧。”“不要急，我的朋友，”狮子笑着说，“这只是你们的看法而已。如果狮子会雕刻，你就会看见众多人败倒在狮子脚下了。”
任何问题都有两面性。
THE TORTOISE AND THE EAGLE
乌龟和老鹰
A Tortoise，discontented with his lowly life，and envious of the birds he saw disporting themselves in the air，begged an Eagle to teach him to ？y.The Eagle protested that it was idle for him to try，as nature had not provided him with wings；but the Tortoise pressed him with entreaties and promises of treasure，insisting that it could only be a question of learning the craft of the air.So at length the Eagle consented to do the best he could for him，and picked him up in his talons.Soaring with him to a great height in the sky he then let him go，and the wretched Tortoise fell headlong and was dashed to pieces on a rock.
｛中文阅读｝
一只乌龟，不满足于自己的地面生活，很羡慕鸟儿能在空中玩耍，于是便请求老鹰教他飞翔。老鹰劝他，这是他的一个白日梦，因为大自然并没有赋予他可以飞翔的翅膀。可是乌龟再三恳求，还用珍宝利诱老鹰，一再坚持这只是一个了解如何在空中飞翔的问题。于是，老鹰为了满足乌龟的愿望，一把抓起他，带着乌龟飞到一定高度后，就松开了鹰爪，而乌龟则落在了岩石上，被摔得粉身碎骨。
THE KID ON THE HOUSETOP
站在屋顶的小山羊与狼
