Stone Soup 石头汤-分享让世界更美好-儿童英语听力 力荐绘本

欢迎关注微信公众号：[儿童英语听力] 视频/音频/文本 为一体的儿童英语听力平台 海量的下载资源 最新的教学理念 Three soldiers trudged down a road in astrange country. They were on their way home from the wars. Besides beingtired, they were hungry. In fact, they had eaten nothing for two days. "How I would like a good dinnertonight,” said the first. “And a bed to sleep in,” said the second. “But all that is impossible,” said the third. “We must march on.” On they marched. Suddenly, ahead of themthey saw the lights of a village. “Maybe we’ll find a bite to eat there,” said the first. “And a loft to sleep in,” said the second. “No harm in asking,” said the third. Now the peasants of that place fearedstrangers. When they heard that three soldiers were coming down the road, theytalked among themselves. “Here comethree soldiers. Soldiers are always hungry. But we have little enough forourselves.” And they hurried to hide their food. They pushed the sacks of barley under thehay in the lofts. They lowered buckets of milk down the wells. They spread old quilts over the carrotbins. They hid their cabbages and potatoes under the beds. They hung their meatin the cellars. They hid all they had to eat. Then – theywaited. The soldiers stopped first at the house ofPaul and Francoise. “Good evening to you,” they said. “Could you spare a bit of food forthree hungry soldiers?” “We have had no food for ourselves for three days,” said Paul.Francoise made a sad face. “It has been a poor harvest.” The three soldiers went on the house of Albertand Louise. “Could you spare a bit of food? And have you some corner where wecould sleep for the night?” “Oh no,” said Albert. “We gave all we could spare to soldiers whocame before you.” “Our beds are full,” said Louise. At Vincent and Marie’s the answer was thesame. It had been a poor harvest and allthe grain must be kept for seed. So it went all through the village. Not apeasant had any food to give away. They all had good reasons. One family haduse the grain for feed. Another had an old sick father to care for. All had toomany mouths to fill. The villagers stood in the street andsighed. The looked as hungry as they could. The three soldiers talked together. Then the first soldier called out, “Goodpeople!” The peasants drew near. “We are three hungry soldiers in a strange land. We have asked youfor food and you have no food. Well then, we’ll have to make stone soup.” The peasants stared. Stone soup? That would be something to knowabout. “First, we’llneed a large iron pot,” the soldiers said. The peasants brought the largest pot theycould find. How else to cook enough? “That's none too large,” said the soldiers. “But it will do. And now,water to fill it and a fire to heat it.” It took many buckets of water to fill thepot. A fire was built on the village square and the pot was set to boil. “And now, if you please, threeround, smooth stones.” Those were easy enough to find. The peasants’ eyes grew round as theywatched the soldiers drop the stones into the pot. “Any soupneeds salt and pepper,” said the soldiers, as they began to stir. Children ran to fetch salt and pepper. “Stones like these generally make good soup. But oh, if there werecarrots, it would be much better.” “Why, I think I have a carrot or two,” said Francoise, and off sheran. She came back with her apron fill ofcarrots from the bin beneath the red quilt. “A good stonesoup should have cabbage,” said the soldiers as they sliced the carrots intothe pot. “But no use asking for what you don't have.” “I think I could find a cabbage somewhere,” said Marie and shehurried home. Back she came with three cabbages from the cupboard under thebed. “If we onlyhad a bit of beef and a few potatoes, this soup would be good enough for a richman's table” The peasants thought that over. Theyremembered their potatoes and the sides of beef hanging in the cellars. Theyran to fetch them. A rich man's soup – and all from a fewstones. It seemed like magic! “Ah,” sighedthe soldiers as they stirred in the beef and potatoes, “if we only had a littlebarley and a cup of milk! This would would be fit for the king himself. Indeedhe asked for just such a soup when last he dined with us.” The peasants looked at each other. Thesoldiers had entertained the king! Well! “But – no use asking for what you don’t have,” the soldiers signed. The peasants brought their barley from thelofts, they brought their milk from the wells. The soldiers stirred the barleyand milk into the steaming broth while the peasants stared. At last the soup was ready. “All of you shall taste,” the soldiers said. “But first a table mustbe set.” Great tables were placed in the square. Andall around were lighted torches. Such a soup! How good it smelled! Truly fitfor a king. But then the peasants asked themselves,“Would not such a soup require bread – and a roast – and cider?” Soon a banquetwas spread and everyone sat down to eat. Never had there been such a feast. Neverhad the peasants tasted such soup. And fancy, made from stones! They ate and drank and ate and drank. Andafter that they danced. They danced and sang far into the night. At last they were tired. Then the threesoldiers asked, “Is there not a loft where we could sleep?” “Let three such wise and splendid gentlemen sleep in a loft? Indeed!They must have the best beds in the village.” So the first soldier slept in the priest’shouse. The second soldier slept in the baker’shouse. And the third soldier slept in the mayor’shouse. In the morning, the whole village gatheredin the square to give them a send-off. “Many thanks for what you have taught us,” the