A Deer at the Pond 池塘边的鹿

There once lived a deer who had large， strong antlers. The antlers protected the deer from attacks， so enemies left him alone.

One day， the deer went to a pond to drink. The water was like a mirror. When the deer looked at his big antlers in the water， he was proud. “I look like a king，” he said， “and this forest is my kingdom.”

Then he noticed something else. “My legs are slender and my feet are small，” he said. “They look so weak. I hate them.”

While the deer was complaining， a wolf appeared at the pond. When the deer saw him， he ran toward the trees. The wolf quickly ran after him.

The deer was a fast runner and reached the trees first，but then his large antlers got stuck in some branches. When the wolf caught up with him， the deer cried out with regret， “I admired my antlers， but they were the cause of my troubles. My legs and feet could have saved me， but I hated them. I didnt understand what was truly valuable！”

从前有一只鹿，他有强大的鹿角。鹿角保护鹿不受攻击，所以敌人不会靠近他。

有一天，鹿去池塘喝水。水就像一面镜子。当鹿看着水中自己的大鹿角，他感到很自豪。他说：“我看起来像个国王，这片森林就是我的王国。”

然后他注意到其他的东西。“我的腿很细，我的脚很小。”他说，“它们看起来很弱小。我讨厌它们。”

在鹿抱怨的时候，一只狼出现在池塘。鹿看见了狼，他立马朝树林跑去。狼就在后面紧追不放。

鹿跑得快，先到了树林，但他的大鹿角被一些树枝给卡住了。狼赶上他的时候，鹿后悔地大声叫喊着：“我欣赏我的鹿角，但它们却给我带来了麻烦。我的腿和脚曾救了我，但我却讨厌它们。我不知道什么是真正有价值的东西！”

（寓意：这个故事告诉我们不能以貌取人或是只看事物的表象。很多時候看似没有用的东西，会给我们带来很大的帮助，所以要平等对待每一个事物。）

Vocabulary

proud adj. 自豪的；得意的

hate v. 讨厌；厌恶

run after 追逐；追赶

save v. 拯救（saved是过去式）