初级故事3 美国传奇

The Legend of Johnny Appleseed

Part 1: Johnny and his Apple Seeds

Johnny Apple Seed was born near Boston in 1775. His real name was John Chapman.

When he was a child he played in the forest and in the fields. His best friends were animals. He loved all animals. He played with them and talked to them! His family was very religious.

Johnny's first book was the Bible, but he also liked Aesop's Fables. Johnny loved the tales about animals and their adventures.

When Johnny was a teenager he worked as a missionary with the Indians. He converted many Indians to Christianity . He taught them about the Bible. The Indians were his friends. When he was 26 years old he had a vision. An angel appeared to him! The angel said, "Go and plant

apple seeds across America. The settlers of the new frontier want good apples to eat."

Johnny was surprised but he was happy. He was a kind person and he wanted to help others. He took a big sack and filled it with apple seeds. He carried this sack on his back. In one hand he carried the Bible, Aesop's Fables and other religious books. Now he was ready to cross the continent and plant America's favorite fruit: the apple.

Johnny was an unusual man. He was tall and thin. He had long hair and a beard. He never bought new clothes. He wore an old coffee sack and the old clothes people gave him. He didn't usually wear any shoes. He wore a saucepan on his head. One of Johnny's friends said, "God bless you, Johnny. We are happy for you. You are similar to St. Francis of Assisi. He loved animals and lived a simple life."

Johnny said, "I want to plant apple seeds across America. Every American family will have apple trees with good apples to eat."

In 1800 Johnny began his long journey across America. At that time America was a very young country. The American continent was a wilderness . It was unexplored. There were no roads and few maps. This immense land was called the American frontier. Many settlers wanted to explore the frontier.

Johnny walked from Massachusetts to New York, From New York he walked to Pennsylvania. Then he crossed Ohio, Indiana and a big part of the Midwest. Every day he moved west.

He traveled across America and planted apple seeds. He built fences around the fields and then continued his journey.

Settlers traveled to the frontier and found the apple orchards. They ate the delicious fruit: green, red and yellow apples. When the settlers found an apple orchard, they built a home there.

Other settlers dug up the apple trees and took them to new lands. Some of Johnny's trees travelled to the West Coast on the Pacific Ocean.

When Johnny found a family of settlers he visited their log cabin .He helped them with their work. He told the children stories and sang songs.

One day Johnny visited a family of settlers in the Midwest. This family loved books. He gave them a few pages from his books. "You can read them and give them to me when I return in a few month," he said. The family was very happy.

In this way, Johnny created the first library on the frontier. Many children learned to read thanks to Johnny and his library.

中级故事 哈姆雷特

Part One: The Ghost

One night, at Elsinore Castle in Denmark, two guards see a ghost.

'It looks like King Hamlet.'

'But it can't be! King Hamlet is dead!'

'We must tell Horatio, Prince Hamlet's friend. Perhaps the Ghost wants to give a message to the Prince.'

The next night, Horatio stays to watch with the guards. The Ghost appears again. It is wearing the same armour as the old king.

'What do you want? Speak to us!'

'It refuses to speak!'

'I shall tell the Prince. Perhaps the Ghost will speak to him.'

'This is a bad sign. Something sinister is happening in Denmark.'

Prince Hamlet is very sad. His father, the King, is dead. Gertrude, his mother, has married Claudius, his father's brother. Claudius has become the new king. Hamlet does not like his uncle.

'It is time to think about the future. I shall be a father to you and you will be king after me, Hamlet.'

'Stay here with us. Do not to back to the university . We love you, Hamlet.'

'I shall obey you, madam.'—My father was a better man than Claudius.

My mother was weak and foolish to marry my uncle.

Horatio comes to tell Hamlet about the Ghost. Horatio has studied for many years with the Prince at the university. He is Hamlet's best friend and the Prince trusts him completely.

'I hate this place, Horatio. My uncle and my mother are so happy. How can they forget my father so soon?'

'My lord, I saw your father last night.'

'What do you mean?'

'Come to the castle walls at midnight, above the cliff . Then, you'll understand…'

Hamlet sees the ghost of his father. It signals him to follow.

'I am your father's spirit. If you ever loved me, revenge my murder!'

'Murder???'

'My wife, Gertrude, was unfaithful to me. My brother, Claudius, murdered me. While I was sleeping in my garden, he poured poison in my ear.'

'The sun is rising. I must go. Hamlet, remember me…'

Hamlet does not know what to do. Perhaps the Ghost is telling lies.

'I shall pretend to be mad. Nobody will pay attention to a poor crazy prince. I shall investigate my father's death.'

'If the Ghost's story is true, I shall kill my uncle.'

So Hamlet, who was very intelligent., began to play the part of a madman.

He did strange things and he talked in a crazy way. He often said things with a hidden meaning which only he understood. The people believed that Hamlet was mad and they hoped that he would soon get better. The Queen was very worried because she loved her son. Only Horatio and the guards knew the secret of Hamlet's meeting with the Ghost.