My Second Reading Library Day 14

The Leopard and the Sky God

Words to know:

leopard n.豹

python n.蟒蛇

tortoise n.乌龟

This story is about the Sky God,

the leopard, his drum,

the python, the elephant

and the tortoise.

Long ago, when the world was new,

the animals lived in the forest.

High up above lived the Sky God.

One day, the Sky God heard a wonderful sound.

He leaned down and looked through the trees.

There was the leopard,

playing a great drum.

He played high and low.

He played soft and loud!

“Hello, Leopard,” said the Sky God.

“That’s a fine drum.

May I try it?”

“Sorry,” said the leopard.

He shook his head.

“It’s new!”

“I’ll be very careful,” said the Sky God.

“Come on, share it.”

“No,” said the leopard.

The Sky God waited.

“I’ll borrow it when he goes hunting.”

But the leopard kept his eye

on the drum the whole time.

The Sky God walked away.

“What’s the matter?”

asked the other animals.

“Leopard won’t let me play his drum.”

“I wish I had that drum,” the Sky God said.

“I’ll talk to Leopard,” said the python.

He found the leopard,

playing his drum as usual.

“Hello, Leopard.”

“What do you want?”

growled the leopard.

“May I look at your drum?”

asked the python.

“No! Go away!” roared the leopard,

and he showed his long teeth and his sharp claws.

The python slithered away quickly.

“Well?” said the Sky God.

“Sorry, ” said the python. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I’m not scared,” said the elephant.

“I’ll talk to him.”

He soon heard the drum.

Where was the leopard?

The elephant looked around.

There he was up in a tree.

“May I look at your drum?”

asked the elephant.

“Leave me alone!” roared the leopard.

The elephant shook and shook the tree…

…but he couldn’t shake the leopard out.

“Well?” said the Sky God.

“Sorry,” said the elephant. “It’s too difficult.”

“Let me try,” said the tortoise.

Now in those days the tortoise had no shell,

only a little soft body.

The others laughed.

“You’ll never do it.”

But the tortoise said,

“Wait and see.”

She found the leopard in his tree.

“Mr. Leopard!

Mr. Leopard!”

“Have you seen the Sky God’s drum?” sake asked.

“Whose drum?”

“The Sky God doesn’t have a drum,” said the leopard.

“Oh yes, he does.”

“I don’t believe you!”

“It’s enormous,” said the tortoise.

“He can climb inside it.”

The leopard climbed down from the tree.

He rolled the drum along the ground and crawled in side.

“Like this?”

“Right inside,” said the tortoise.

Then she looked around and spotted the leopard’s cooking pot.

Quickly, she clapped the lid over the end of the drum.

Then she rolled it along to the Sky God.

“I feel sick!”

The Sky God was very pleased.

“I don’t want it any more.

You can have it.”

“Thank you!”

Then the tortoise said,

“Sky God, can you do something for me?”

She looked at the drum.

“I would like a shell on my body…

…so that nothing can hurt me.”

“Yes, of course,” said the Sky God.

The Sky God loved his drum.

And, when the weather is stormy,

you can still hear him…

playing high and low,

playing soft and loud!

中文大意

豹子和天神

很久很久以前，

动物们都住在森林里，

天上住着天神。

有一天天神听到一种很奇妙的声音。

往下一看，原来是豹子在演奏鼓乐。

天神也想试一试，

可是豹子不乐意分享。

动物们看到天神不开心，

于是纷纷想帮他排忧解难。

蟒蛇、大象先后去问豹子要鼓，

可是都没有成功。

最后弱小的乌龟用自己的智慧，

帮天神从豹子手里要到了鼓。

天神很开心，

满足了小乌龟的一个愿望。

给他柔软的身体加了一个坚硬的壳！

这样就没有什么东西可以伤害小乌龟了。

好聪明的小乌龟！

感谢关注Sophie的课堂笔记！