地底的金子

from Aesop’s Fables

翻译：Crazier

地底的金子

The Hidden Gold

from Aesop’s Fables

翻译：Crazier

中有监河侯，西有葛朗台。这些守财奴都犯了一个同样的错误：把钱财看得太过重要，却忽视了自己和金钱其实可以创造更大的价值。

A1)Miser bought a lump of gold with all his money. He buried it in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to have a look every day. One of his workmen found out his2)frequent visits to the3)spot and decided to follow and watch. He soon discovered the secret of the hidden treasure. Digging down, he came to the lump of gold, and stole it.

The Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair out. A neighbor came and asked for the cause. Then he said, “Do not grieve so, but go and take a stone, and4)place it in the same place, and imagine that the gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same service. For when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it.”

1) miser [5maIz[] n. 守财奴，吝啬鬼

2) frequent [5fri:kw[nt] adj. 频繁的，时常发生的

3) spot [spɒt] n. 地点，场所

4) place [pleIs] v. 放置

有个守财奴花光所有的钱，买了一块金子。他将金子埋在了一堵老墙旁的地底，每天都会去看上一眼。他的一个工人发现他经常到这儿来，于是决定跟踪他去一探究竟。工人很快就发现了地下埋着财宝的秘密。他往下深挖，果真找到了金块，便将它偷走了。

当守财奴再一次去看他的财宝时，发现地底空空如也，他悲痛至极。一位邻居过来问明情况，然后说道：“别这么伤心，你只要去找块石头，并将它埋在原来的地方，想象着你的金子还在那儿好好地躺着，就和原来没什么两样了。金子没有被偷时，你有它和没它是一样的，因为你没让它发挥出一点儿作用。”

词组加油站

a lump of 一块……

have a look 看一看，看一眼

find out 发现

dig down 挖下去，深挖

tear one’s hair out 字面解释是“生气得直拔自己的头发”，表示“极大的悲伤、愤怒或绝望”

make use of 利用……