The Farmer And His Donkey

王秀凤

生活中，我们会遇到各种各样的困难，压得我们喘不过气来。我们或是迷茫、失落、不知所措，或是被这些困难击倒，甚至一蹶不振。如何能因势利导、扭转时局，化被动为主动？我们不妨学学文中驴子的智慧。

1. One day a farmers donkey fell into an abandoned well. 2. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to find out what to do. Finally， he decided the animal was too old and the well needed to be covered up anyway， so it just wasnt worth to try to save the donkey. So， he decided to bury it！

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. 3. Realizing what was happening， the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly.

Then a few shovel?fulls later， he slowly quieted down till nothing more was heard.

The farmer looked down into the well， and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovel?full of dirt that hit his back， the donkey would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of dirt.

4. As the farmers neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal， he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon， to the shock and astonishment of everyone，the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off.

Life is going to shovel dirt on you， all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to stop wailing， and not let the dirt bury you， but to shake it off and take a step up. Each one of  our troubles is a stepping?stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping， never giving up！ Shake it off and take a step up.

农夫和驴子

一天，农夫的驴子掉进了一口枯井里。驴子可怜地叫了好几个小时，农夫也试图做些什么。但最后农夫想到，这头驴子老了，不值得费力气去救了，而这口井正好需要填起来。因此，他决定把驴子埋在井里。

农夫请了所有的邻居帮忙。他们每人手上都拿了一把铲子，开始铲泥土往井中填。当驴子开始意识到人们想干什么时，他开始害怕得恸哭。

然后，几锹土下去之后，他慢慢地安静了下来，直到悄无声息。

农夫探头向井底看了看，这一看令他大吃一惊。对于每一铲落在背上的泥土，驴子都将它抖落，然后踩着抖落的泥土向上迈一步。

当农夫的邻居们继续将泥土往驴子身上铲时，他也不断将泥土抖落，然后再往上迈一步。不久，当驴子从井口跨出来疾奔而去时，人们都瞠目结舌。

生活总在將各种各样的泥土不断压在我们身上，试图将我们掩埋。我们从中逃脱的秘诀就是：停止哀叹，将其抖落，然后向上迈一步。我们遇到的每一个困难同时也是一块垫脚石，只要我们不停止，永不放弃，将困难抖落，然后踩上去，即使是掉进最深的井里，我们也能摆脱困境！

难点解读

1. One day a farmers donkey fell into an abandoned well.

一天，农夫的驴子掉进了一口枯井里。

fall into“掉进，陷入”。

2. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to find out what to do.

驴子可怜地叫了好几个小时，农夫也试图做些什么。

what to do 为“疑问词 + 动词不定式”作宾语，此时可与宾语从句互换。

3. Realizing what was happening， the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly.

当驴子开始意识到人们想干什么时，他开始害怕地恸哭。

realizing what was happening 为现在分词短语作伴随状语。

4. As the farmers neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal， he would shake it off and take a step up.

当农夫的邻居们继续将泥土往驴子身上铲时，他也不断将泥土抖落，然后再往上迈一步。

As在此引导时间状语从句，强调主从句动作同时进行。