有趣的英文小故事:大名鼎鼎的跳蛙
【英文原文】
摘要：在加利福尼亞的卡拉維拉斯縣，有個人名叫吉姆•斯邁裏。他好打賭，見什麼賭什麼。要是有人跟他說“早上好”，他會說，這天早上不怎麼樣，不信就打個賭。
In Calaveras, California, there lived a man whose name was Jim Smiley. Jim enjoyed betting so much that he would bet on anything. If anyone said good morning to him, he would bet them that it was not a good morning. Whenever there was a horse race or a chicken fight, Jim would bet on it. He didn’t care which side he bet on, as long as he had a bet.
One day, Jim showed a frog to a stranger who had just arrived in Calaveras, and bet the stranger forty dollars that the frog can jump farther and faster than any other in Calaveras County. The stranger said he didn’t see anything about the frog different from any other, and if he had a frog he would bet Jim. Jim left his frog with the stranger and go out to find a frog for the stranger. Meanwhile, the stranger took out a bag of gunshot, forcing the frog’s mouth open and poured the shot into it.
Soon Jim returned with a frog for the two frogs were put on the floor, and then each man gave his frog a push. The stranger’s frog hopped off smartly. But Jim’s frog just sat there, unable to move an inch. Jim had no choice. He gave forty dollars to the stranger, who took the money and started away. Jim picked up his frog, and found it extremely heavy. He turned it upside down, and the gunshot came out. He knew he had been fooled and, like a mad man, started running after the stranger.
As he ran, he passed one of his friends, who asked him where he was going.
"To catch a thief!" shouted Jim. "No matter how fast he may run, I'll catch him. I'll bet you five dollars!"
【中文譯文】
在加利福尼亞的卡拉維拉斯縣，有個人名叫吉姆•斯邁裏。他好打賭，見什麼賭什麼。要是有人跟他說“早上好”，他會說，這天早上不怎麼樣，不信就打個賭。只要有賽馬和鬥雞，他都要去賭。在哪一邊下注他不在乎，有機會賭就行。
有一天，吉姆見到一個來到卡拉維拉斯縣的陌生人，就把自己的一隻青蛙給他看，說這是卡拉維拉斯全縣跳得最快最遠的青蛙，不信就打個賭，賭40塊錢。陌生人說他看不出那隻蛙有什麼非凡之處，如果他手頭有一隻蛙，就賭一賭。聽了這話，吉姆就把自己的青蛙交給陌生人看管，出去爲陌生人找一隻蛙來。他不在的時候，陌生人掏出一口袋鉛彈，掰開青蛙嘴，把鉛彈灌了進去。
不久吉姆就給陌生人帶了一隻青蛙回來。兩隻青蛙在地上擺好，然後各人將各自的青蛙輕輕一推。陌生人的青蛙一下子就跳起來，跳得好快好遠。但吉姆的蛙卻呆在那裏紋絲不動，像釘在地上似的。吉姆無奈，只得交出40塊錢。陌生人拿了錢就走了。吉姆把自己的蛙拿起來，覺得沉甸甸的。他把蛙倒提起來一抖，鉛彈掉了出來。他知道自己上了當，就像瘋子似的去追陌生人。
正跑着，一個朋友瞧見他，不問他風風火火地去幹什麼。
“去抓賊！”他吼道，“無論他跑得有多快，我都要追上他。不信打5塊錢的賭！”
題外話：這個故事曾在美國西部流傳，馬克•吐溫聽到後，把他寫了下來，題爲《卡拉維拉斯縣大名鼎鼎的跳蛙》，竟成爲他的成名作。要想體味故事的幽默，還得讀一讀全文。
