讀點好英文:The Old Woman and the Physician 老婦和醫(yī)生

The Old Woman and the Physician 老婦和醫(yī)生

An old woman having lost the use of her eyes, called in a physician to heaI them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses：that if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a sum of money；but if her infirmity remained, she should give him nothing. This agreement being made, the physician, time after time, applied his saIve to her eyes, and on every visit took something away, stealing all her property little by little.

And when he had got all she had, he healed her and demanded the promised payment. The old woman, when she recovered her sight and saw none of her goods in her house, would give him nothing.The physician insisted on his claim, and as she still refused, summoned her before the Judge.

The old woman, standing up in the court, argued，“This man here speaks the truth in what he says；for I did promise to give him a sum of money if I should recover my sight：but if I continued blind, I was to give him nothing. Now he declares that I am healed.I on the contrary affirm that I am still blind；but before I lost the use of my eyes, I saw in my house various chatteIs and valuable goods.But now, though he swears I am cured of my blindness, I am not able to see a single thing in it.”

一個老婦雙目失明，她請來一個外科醫(yī)生為她治療，并且在有人做證的情況下商定：如果醫(yī)生能治愈她的雙眼，她就會給醫(yī)生一大筆錢；如果沒有治愈，醫(yī)生將得不到任何酬勞。簽訂了這份協(xié)議后，這個外科醫(yī)生一次又一次地給老婦涂眼藥膏，他每次來都要帶走幾樣?xùn)|西，漸漸地他偷走了老婦所有的家當。

當他將老婦的一切據(jù)為己有后，老婦的眼睛也治好了，他向她索要承諾的酬金。這個老婦重見光明后，看到屋子里空蕩蕩的，就什么也沒給他。醫(yī)生堅持要錢，而老婦一再拒絕，于是他將老婦告上法庭。

法庭上，老婦聲稱：“他說的沒錯，我的確曾向他許諾：如果他治好我的眼睛，我會給他一大筆錢；但如果我還是什么也看不到，就什么也不會給他，現(xiàn)在他聲稱已經(jīng)治愈了我的眼睛，可我卻認為自己仍然是個瞎子。因為在我失明前，我能看到屋里有很多東西和貴重物品。而現(xiàn)在，盡管他發(fā)誓我的眼睛已被治愈，但我卻什么也看不見?！?/p>

Practising&Exercise 實戰(zhàn)提升篇

單詞注解

territory['terit?ri]n.地方，領(lǐng)土；地區(qū)

heaI[hi：l]v.治療；治愈

witness['witnis]n.見證人；目擊者

infirmity[in'f?：miti]n.疾病，病癥

實用句型

Every one stopped to look at him, and all those who looked, laughed, and holding their sides to repress their merriment, shouted，“Teach the stranger how to walk properly！”

當?shù)厝硕纪Ｏ聛砜此脊笮ζ饋?。最后，他們好不容易忍住笑喊道：“來教教這個外地人怎樣正確地走路吧！”

An old woman having lost the use of her eyes, called in a Physician to heal them, and made this bargain with him in the presence of witnesses：that if he should cure her blindness, he should receive from her a sum of money；but if her infirmity remained, she should give him nothing.

一個老婦雙目失明，她請來一個外科醫(yī)生為她治療，并且在有人做證的情況下商定：如果醫(yī)生能治愈她的雙眼，她就會給醫(yī)生一大筆錢；如果沒有治愈，醫(yī)生將得不到任何酬勞。

智慧點津

Social morality has a deep influence on people's concept. Once the bad habit is formed, it's really hard to put it right.

社會風(fēng)氣對每個人的影響都很大。壞習(xí)慣一旦養(yǎng)成，想要改變就艱難了。

Greedy men will eventually bite the consequences.

貪婪的人終會自食惡果。