英文幽默小故事:蘋果籽約翰尼
【英文原文】
摘要：蘋果籽約翰尼的真名叫約翰•恰普曼，由於在邊疆地區種了大量蘋果樹而被後人懷念。他少年時代的事蹟不詳，但後來據說他用了50年時間走遍賓西法尼亞，俄亥俄和印第安納，到處播種蘋果樹。
Johnny Appleseed is the nickname of a man whose real name was John Chapman, an American pioneer who planted large numbers of apple trees along the early frontier. Nothing is known about his childhood. According to legend, for almost fifty years, Johnny Appleseed walked through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. Everywhere he went he carried bags of apple seeds and planted them. He also gave apple seeds and apple saplings to everyone he met. He is said to have planted thousands of seeds during his travels. Thousands of settlers came to know this strange, lonely man. He had a tin pot as a hat, a coffee sack as a shirt, and no shoes, looking like a scarecrow. Some nights he spent at farmhouses, and told stories for his supper. Other times he camped out alone in the fields and woods. No harm ever came to Johnny Appleseed in his lonely travel through the wilderness. The Indians knew him and treated him as a friend, and even the wild animals left him alone. Johnny Appleseed was a religious man, and he loved nature. He believed it his duty to go up and down the land planting apple seeds. He wanted Americans to enjoy the beauty and delicious fruit of the apple trees.
【中文譯文】
蘋果籽約翰尼的真名叫約翰•恰普曼，由於在邊疆地區種了大量蘋果樹而被後人懷念。他少年時代的事蹟不詳，但後來據說他用了50年時間走遍賓西法尼亞，俄亥俄和印第安納，到處播種蘋果樹。他還把種子和樹苗送給所遇到的人。就這樣，他種下了千千萬萬棵蘋果樹。邊民們都認識這個孤獨的怪人。他用一口鐵鍋當帽子，咖啡口袋當襯衫，赤着雙腳，活像個稻草人。趕上了就在農舍裏過夜，吃過晚飯，給主人講故事，聊表謝意。有時候就在野地裏或林子裏過夜。他雖然隻身一人在荒野裏遊蕩，卻從來沒遇到過什麼危險。印第安人都認識他，待他很友好。甚至野獸都不去碰他。蘋果仔約翰尼敬神，熱愛大自然，以畢生跋涉栽種蘋果樹爲己任。他希望美國人能多看到些綠色，能品嚐美味的蘋果。
題外話：美國人很早就意識到樹木對環保的重要意義。西奧多•羅斯福總統在1901年就制訂了保護森林、植樹造林的計劃。他的前任已將1800多萬公頃的林地置於法律保護之下，而羅斯福則將面積擴大到近6000萬公頃。
