城里老鼠和乡下老鼠
A country mouse once invited her cousin from the town to come and stay. She lived in a simple hole under a hedge, and she gave her guest the best food she had: some grains of barley, a few dried peas and a piece of cheese rind.
The town mouse nibbled politely, but she wasn't impressed. "How can you live like this?" she said. "Come back to town with me, and I'll show you what real food is like."
So the two mice set off for the town. Late that night, they arrived at a grand house, where the remains of a dinner party were still on the table: cakes, jelly, cheese, fruit and much more. The country mouse could hardly believe her eyes.
But they had only just started eating when the door flew open and two servants came in. The mice scurried into a hole in the wall and hid there, their hearts pounding. When the servants had gone, the mice crept out again – but then they heard a dog barking, and they had to run for their lives once more.
The country mouse had had enough. "Thank you for the dinner, cousin," she said, "but I'm going home. I'd rather eat plain food in peace than enjoy a feast in fear."
A simple life without worry is better than a rich life full of fear.
从前，一只乡下老鼠邀请住在城里的表姐来家里做客。乡下老鼠住在树篱下一个简陋的洞里，它拿出了家里最好的东西招待客人：几粒大麦、几颗干豌豆，还有一块奶酪皮。
城里老鼠出于礼貌吃了几口，心里却不以为然。“你怎么能过这样的日子？”它说，“跟我回城里去吧，我让你见识见识什么才叫真正的美食。”
于是，两只老鼠一起出发去了城里。那天深夜，它们来到一座豪华的大宅子，餐桌上还摆着晚宴剩下的东西：蛋糕、果冻、奶酪、水果，还有好多好多。乡下老鼠简直不敢相信自己的眼睛。
可是它们才刚开始吃，门就被猛地推开，两个仆人走了进来。两只老鼠赶紧钻进墙上的一个洞里躲起来，心怦怦直跳。等仆人走了，它们又悄悄溜出来——可就在这时，又传来了狗叫声，它们只好再一次拼命逃跑。
乡下老鼠受够了。“表姐，谢谢你的晚餐，”它说，“可我要回家了。我宁可安安稳稳地吃粗茶淡饭，也不愿意提心吊胆地吃大餐。”
简单而安心的生活，胜过富有却担惊受怕的日子。