The Horse and the Loaded Donkey

A lazy horse and a donkey, carrying a large weight,were traveling along a road together.

The donkey,close tofalling under such a heavy load,begged the horse to help him by taking some of the weight from his back.

The horse was lazy andrefused to doit.

The donkey thenfell downin the middle of the highway, and died.

The master then took all the weight, and put it on the horse’s back, together with the skin of the donkey.

MORAL: Laziness often prepares a weight for its own back.

詞組加油站

close to幾乎要；接近

refuse to do拒絕做某事

fall down倒下

一匹懶惰的馬和一頭馱著重物的驢子一起沿著一條公路行進。

驢子在重負荷下快要垮掉了，他請求馬幫助他減輕背部的重量。

這匹馬很懶，不肯幫忙。

驢在路上精疲力竭，倒地身亡。

主人拿起所有的重物，連同驢皮一起，把它放在馬背上。寓意∶ 我們總是要為自己的懶惰付出代價。（人本該互相幫助,否則伙伴倒地身亡,擔子就會加在自己身上。）

名師考點小結

weight在文中是“重物”的意思。

原句：A lazy horse and a donkey, carrying a large weight, were traveling along a road together.

weight這個詞除了文中的“重物”“負擔”的意思,常見的意思還有“重量”“體重”。

例句：What is your weight? 你多重?

長難句分析

The donkey, close to falling under such a heavy load, begged the horse to help hi by taking some of the weight from his back .

close to falling under such a heavy load作為插入語在修飾補充donkey,意思是驢子的負荷太重快要摔倒了。

beg somebody to do something乞求某人做某事。這里驢乞求馬幫他分擔一些背上的重量,也就是幫他背一點東西。

例句：I beg you to keep quiet.我求你保持安靜。