The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Once upon a time there was a mischievous young boy who was given the task of tending a herd of sheep on a hillside near a village.The boy grew tired and bored while watching the sheep, so he found ways to amuse himself, such as climbing trees or chasing sheep.One day he came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea. He climbed to the top of a tree and shouted toward the village:"Wolf! Wolf! Help me please!"

Once upon a time 从前 

mischievous  英 [ˈmɪstʃɪvəs]  美 [ˈmɪstʃɪvəs] adj. 淘气的;(人、行为等)恶作剧的;有害的

tend 英[tend]美[tend] v.倾向; 往往会; 常常就; 趋向; 走向; 趋于; 照料; 照管; 护理; 招待,侍候,照顾,照料;

a herd of  一群

herd 英[hɜːd]美[hɜːrd] n.兽群; 牧群; 人群; 芸芸众生;

amuse 英[əˈmjuːz]美[əˈmjuːz] vt.(使)娱乐; 逗乐; 逗笑; (提供)消遣;

came up with  提出,想出办法

brilliant 英[ˈbrɪliənt]美[ˈbrɪliənt] adj.明亮的; 巧妙的; 使人印象深的; 很成功的; 聪颖的; 技艺高的; 很好的; n.宝石; 钻石;

toward  英[tə'wɔː(r)d]美[təˈwɒrd]  prep.朝向,向,朝,面对; 倾向于,趋向于; 对,对于,关于; 接近(某种结果),接近(某一地方); 快要到(某个时刻); (钱)用于;    adj.有利的,顺利的; 正在进行中的; 有希望的,有前途的; 即将发生的,逼近的; 温顺的,顺从的;


When the villagers heard his cries for help, they rushed up the hill to rescue him and chase the wolf away. Of course, when they got there, there was no wolf to be seen, and the boy, who was still in the tree, was laughing. The sheep were grazing peacefully. Annoyed, the villagers returned to the village and back to their normal activities.

graze 英[ɡreɪz]美[ɡreɪz] v.吃草; (在草地上)吃青草; 放牧; 放牛; 放羊; 擦伤,擦破(皮肤); (经过时)轻擦,轻触,蹭; n.(表皮)擦伤;

annoy 英[əˈnɔɪ]美[əˈnɔɪ] vt.惹恼; 骚扰; 打扰; 使恼怒; 使生气;


A few days later, the boy grew bored again, and played the same trick on the villagers. This time the villagers were furious at the boy. That night he was punished by his mother for his bad behavior.

trick 英[trɪk]美[trɪk] n.戏法; 把戏; 诡计; 花招; 骗局; 引起错觉(或记忆紊乱)的事物; 技巧; 一圈; vt.欺骗; 欺诈; adj.为欺骗的; 使人产生错觉的; 虚弱有毛病的;

furious 英[ˈfjʊəriəs]美[ˈfjʊriəs] adj.狂怒的; 激烈的; 暴怒的; 猛烈的; 高速的; 盛怒的;

For a while after that, life went on as normal and the boy behaved, he didn't want to be punished again.Then, one afternoon while he was tending the sheep, he noticed that the sheep was were bleating and nervous.He didn't know what was causing their strange behavior, so he climbed a tree to see if he could determine what was going on. What he saw from a tree was a frightening sight, a big, hairy  wolf chasing after the sheep, Terrified, he screamed for help:"Wolf! Wolf! There's a wolf chasing the sheep!"

behave 英[bɪˈheɪv]美[bɪˈheɪv] v.表现; 表现得体; 有礼貌; 表现得…的; 作某种自然反应(或变化等);

bleat 英[bliːt]美[bliːt] v.咩咩叫; 以微弱的声音说话; 抱怨; n.(小羊)咩咩的叫声;

nervous 英[ˈnɜːvəs]美[ˈnɜːrvəs] adj.焦虑的; 神经质的; 担忧的; 惶恐的; 胆怯的; 神经系统的;

frighten 英[ˈfraɪtn]美[ˈfraɪtn] v.吓唬; 使惊吓; 使惊恐;

hairy 英[ˈheəri]美[ˈheri] adj.多毛的; 惊险的; 可怕(但刺激)的;


This time, when the villagers heard his cries for help, they were convinced that it was another one of his pranks. Nobody believed that there was really a wolf, so they ignored his frantic calls for help. The wolf, having nothing to fear, feasted on several of the sheep and then slipped back into the forest.

convince 英[kənˈvɪns]美[kənˈvɪns] vt.说服; 使确信; 使信服; 劝说(某人做某事);

prank 英[præŋk]美[præŋk] n.玩笑; 恶作剧;

frantic 英[ˈfræntɪk]美[ˈfræntɪk] adj.疯狂的; 紧张忙乱的; 手忙脚乱的; (由于恐惧或担心)无法控制感情的,发狂似的;

feast on 尽情享受; 尽情享用; 享受美食;

feast 英[fiːst]美[fiːst]  vi.尽情享用(美味佳肴);  n.盛宴; 宴会; (宗教的)节日,节期; 使人欢快的事物(或活动);

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