The Hare and the Tortoise

The Fox raised his flag."The Tortoise wins!" he shouted.

狐狸举起了旗子。"乌龟获胜！"他喊道。

The crowd erupted.The animals cheeredand clappedand stomped their feet.They rushed onto the courseand lifted the Tortoise onto their shoulders.It was the most incredible race any of them had ever seen.

全场沸腾了。动物们又欢呼又鼓掌又跺脚。他们冲到赛道上，把乌龟抬到了肩膀上。这是他们有生以来看过的最不可思议的一场比赛。

The Hare collapsed at the finish line,gasping for breath,his head hanging low.He could not believe what had just happened.He had been so fast.He had been so far ahead.And he had lost.

兔子一头栽倒在终点线上，大口大口喘着气，头垂得低低的。他简直不敢相信刚刚发生的事。他跑得那么快，领先了那么多，可他输了。

He walked slowly over to the Tortoise.For the first time in his life,the Hare was humble."You were right,Tortoise," he said quietly."I was so busy showing offthat I forgot the most important thing.Slowand steady really does win the race."

他慢慢走到乌龟面前。这是兔子有生以来第一次低下了头。"你说得对，乌龟，"他轻声说，"我光顾着耍威风，把最重要的东西给忘了。慢而不停，真的能赢得比赛。"

The Tortoise smiled gently."You are very fast,Hare," she said."And you have a wonderful gift.But a gift is worth nothing if you do not respect it.I simply kept walkingwhen you decided to stop.That is the only difference between us."

乌龟温和地笑了笑。"你很快，兔子，"她说，"你有很棒的天赋。可你要是不尊重自己的天赋，那天赋就一文不值。我只是在你停下来的时候，继续走下去罢了。这就是我们之间唯一的区别。"

From that day on,the Hare never boasted again.He still ran fast—he was still the fastest animal in the forest—but he never again saidthat he was better than anyone else.And whenever someone mentioned the great race,he would just smileand say,"Talent is a gift,but hard work is a choice.And sometimes,the steady choice beats the flashy gift."

从那天起，兔子再也不吹牛了。他仍然跑得很快——他仍然是森林里最快的动物——但他再也不说自己比谁都强了。每次有人提起那场大赛，他只会微笑着说："天赋是一份礼物，而努力是一种选择。有时候，踏实的选择会胜过耀眼的天赋。"

And the Tortoise?She went home,ate a big lettuce salad,and went to sleep,dreaming of her next steady walk.

至于乌龟呢？她回到家里，吃了一大份生菜沙拉，然后进入了梦乡，梦里还在继续她那稳稳的下一步。

Moral:Slowand steady wins the race.Talent without effort is nothing.Keep going,evenwhen others stop,and you will reach the finish line.

寓意：慢而不停，终会获胜。没有努力的天赋一文不值。即使别人停下了，你也要继续前进，这样终将到达终点。