白小琦《巧克力英语》第九课:淑女与老虎

Many, many years ago there was a king in a far country. He was famous, he was strong and he was very clever. But in his country he had many wrongdoers. The King was unhappy about this but how could you stop people from doing wrong? It was not easy. He thought about this difficult question for a long time but he could not find the answer.

Suddenly, one day he had a good idea. He spoke to his people and told them to build a big stadium in the center of the city.

‘It must be very big and very beautiful,’ he told them.

So the people worked hard for many months.

One day, the building was finished. The stadium was ready. Inside it, there were places for five thousand people. Everyone was very excited about this beautiful new building. Some wanted to watch games in the stadium. Others wanted to have dancing and singing. But what did the King want? No one knew.

The day of the opening came. Everyone ran to the stadium to get a place inside. The people got more excited when the King arrived. They were all quiet, waiting. First, he took his place. Then, he stood up and spoke.

‘My people, my friends,’ he said. ‘First I want to thank all the workers for their good work. We now have a beautiful stadium and it is very well built. Secondly, I know that many of you want to see games and dancing here. But this stadium is going to be different. It is not going to be a place for having a good time. It is going to be a place for wrongdoers. If one of you does something wrong, we are going to bring him to this place. There he must stand in the middle of this stadium in front of us all.

‘Now, do you all see those two doors, colored blue, at the far end of the stadium? They look the same, perhaps. But they are not. Behind one door, I am going to put a dangerous animal, a tiger. Behind the other door, there is going to be a beautiful lady. The wrongdoer must choose one of these doors. If he opens the wrong door, he finds the tiger. It jumps out and kills him. If he opens the other door, he finds the beautiful young woman. She is to be his wife. They must marry immediately, right here in the stadium before our eyes. After that, they can live happily with us as husband and wife. So each wrongdoer must choose very carefully. Before he chooses, he-and we-cannot know if he is going to live or die. As soon as he opens one of those two doors, we all know immediately. That is my idea. So tell me, my friends, is it a good idea or is it not?’

‘It is good, O King, it is very good,’ the people answered. But they were quiet. They were afraid.

‘Thank you,’ said the King. ‘Now go home. Come to the stadium again at the same time next week. Then you can watch the first wrongdoer make his choice. Every week from now on, a different man is going to choose: to live, if he is lucky, or to die, if he is not.

From that day, the people came every week to the stadium to watch a different wrongdoer. Sometimes, he opened the right blue door and the beautiful lady came out. Then there was singing and dancing. Everyone threw flowers down to the lucky people and went home happily. But at other times, the wrongdoer opened the wrong door. Immediately, a big tiger ran out into the stadium and jumped on the unlucky man. In a few minutes, the tiger killed him in front of all the watching people. When he lay dead in the center of the stadium, the people went home sadly. They took their flowers with them. It is interesting that in a short time the number of wrongdoers in the country got much smaller. No one wanted to stand in the middle of the stadium and make that difficult choice.

Now, there is another important person in this story. The King had only one child, a daughter. She was very beautiful. She had green eyes and long red hair and she moved as quickly as a cat. She too was strong and clever as strong and clever as her father. She did not smile often. But when she smiled, people were happy. When she was angry, everyone was afraid. They knew that at those times she was a very dangerous young woman. Her picture was in every home. Men, women and children followed her when she went walking in the streets of the city. They waited to see her famous smile and sometimes they were lucky.

One day, she was out walking in a city park when she saw a young man. He was a gardener and the park was where he worked. He was very good-looking. He was tall and strong. He had dark blue-black hair and a dark moustache. When he laughed, you could see his beautiful white teeth. The King’s daughter stopped and looked at him closely. She thought that he was the most beautiful man in the world. She began to talk with him and liked him more and more. The young man could not understand. Why did the King’s daughter want to talk to him? He was not important. He was only the King’s gardener. But he could not take his eyes off her. As soon as he looked into her big green eyes and saw her smile, he was in love. But he knew that this love was very dangerous. He was not a rich man, not from a rich family. He could never marry the daughter of the King.

But the two young lovers knew that they must meet again. They started to meet every day, at times when no one could see them. Every day, their love was stronger and stronger. They were very happy. Then one day the King found them together, there in the city gardens. His daughter was in the young man’s arms. The King was very, very angry. He called his men. Immediately, they took the young man away and shut him in a dark, dirty room. They gave him only bread and water to eat. Now the King’s daughter could not see her lover anymore. The young man lay in the dark. He knew that he was a wrongdoer and in much danger from the King.

Now, we know that the King’s daughter was a strong young woman and that she was very clever. When her father’s men took her lover away, she too saw the danger immediately. She knew very well what was going to happen next. So, early in the morning, she went to the stadium. No one saw her go. She spoke to the workers there and gave them some money.

‘Which room is the tiger in?’ she asked.

They told her.

‘And which girl is going to be behind the other door?’

The workers did not want to answer. They were afraid.

‘I must know,’ said the King’s daughter. ‘Who is she?’

‘She is the daughter of your father’s driver’, the workers answered.

The King’s daughter knew her well: a young and beautiful girl with rich brown hair. But the King’s daughter did not like her. She began to think hard. ‘If my lover chooses the wrong door, he dies. But if he chooses the right door, he marries this cheap little thing, this driver’s child. And I lose him-to her! So I too must choose…’ 

That afternoon, the King called all his people back to the stadium again. His men brought the young man from the dark room. There he stood, in the middle of the stadium, tired, hungry and afraid. The King sat in his place above the people and his daughter sat next to him. She did not move. Her face showed nothing.

Then the King stood and spoke to his people. ‘You all know this gardener, my friends. And you know why he is here. He was the lover of my daughter. For many weeks, I did not know that; but I know it now. What happens to a wrongdoer in our country? That too we know. He must choose: the lady or the tiger. If he opens the wrong door, he must fight the tiger. If he opens the right door, he must marry the lady. So now choose, young man. Choose very carefully if you want to live and not die.’

The young man stood quietly and listened to the King’s words. But his eyes were not on the King. They were on the face of the King’s daughter. She had no smile for him today. But he looked at her eyes. Her eyes told him something. She looked down quickly at her hand. Then she looked up again. He saw her smallest finger move a little to the left. And immediately he knew: the door to open was the door on the left! He turned and walked very slowly to the left-hand door. All the people watched him, without a sound. He put out his hand and opened the door…

But here the story ends. Remember that the King’s daughter was a clever young woman. She was in love but she was angry too. Did she want her lover to meet the tiger-a fight that he must lose? Did she want him to die? Or did she want him to live and have another woman, in place of her? We do not know what ideas were at work inside her beautiful head.

Tell me, what do you think? Which did she choose? What was behind that door: the lady or the tiger?

课文注释：

The Lady or the Tiger?

淑女与老虎  

Many, many years ago there was a king in a far country. He was famous, he was 

很多很多年以前，在一个遥远的国度，有一位国王。他很有名、有本领，而

strong and he was very clever. But in his country he had many wrongdoers. The King 

且非常聪明。但是，在他的国家里有很多干坏事的人。国王对此很不开心，但是

was unhappy about this but how could you stop people from doing wrong? It was not 

，你又如何能够阻止人们干坏事哪？那可不是一件容易的事情。他花了很长时间

easy. He thought about this difficult question for a long time but he could not find the 

思考这个难题，但仍然找不出问题的答案。

answer.

Suddenly, one day he had a good idea. He spoke to his people and told them to 

忽然，有一天，他有了一个好主意。他向他的人民讲话，告诉他们在市中心

build a big stadium in the center of the city.

修建一个大型体育场。

‘It must be very big and very beautiful,’ he told them.

‘这个体育场必须很大、很漂亮。’他告诉人们。

So the people worked hard for many months.

所以，人们努力工作了好几个月。

One day, the building was finished. The stadium was ready. Inside it, there were 

终于有一天，体育场建成了。体育场一切准备就绪。在体育场里面，有供

places for five thousand people. Everyone was very excited about this beautiful new 

5000人就坐的座位。每一个人都对这个漂亮、新颖的体育场感到激动不已。

building. Some wanted to watch games in the stadium. Others wanted to have dancing 

有些人想在体育场里看比赛，其他人想在体育场里唱歌跳舞。但是，国王想要干

and singing. But what did the King want? No one knew.

什么？没人知道。

The day of the opening came. Everyone ran to the stadium to get a place inside. 

体育场开门的日子到了。每个人都跑去体育场，在里面占到一个位置。

The people got more excited when the King arrived. They were all quiet, waiting. 

国王到来的时候，人们变的更加激动了。人们都很安静，静静地等待着。 

First, he took his place. Then, he stood up and spoke.

首先，国王坐到座位上。然后，他站起来讲话。

‘My people, my friends,’ he said. ‘First I want to thank all the workers for their 

‘我的臣民，我的朋友，’他说道。‘首先，我想感谢所有的工人，感谢他们

good work. We now have a beautiful stadium and it is very well built. Secondly, I 

出色的工作。我现在有了一个漂亮、结实的体育场。其次，我知道你们中间有

know that many of you want to see games and dancing here. But this stadium is going 

很多人想在这里跳舞看比赛。但是，这个体育场是与众不同的体育场。

to be different. It is not going to be a place for having a good time. It is going to be a 

它不是一个供你们娱乐的场所。它是为干坏事的人准备的场所。

place for wrongdoers. If one of you does something wrong, we are going to bring him 

假如你们中间有谁干了坏事，我们就要把他带到这个地方。

to this place. There he must stand in the middle of this stadium in front of us all.

他必须在我们所有人的面前站在体育场的中间。

‘Now, do you all see those two doors, colored blue, at the far end of the stadium? 

‘现在，你们都看没看到体育场远端漆成蓝颜色的那两扇门？

They look the same, perhaps. But they are not. Behind one door, I am going to put a 

它们看上去也许是相同的。但是，它们是不同的。在一扇门后，我要放一只凶

dangerous animal, a tiger. Behind the other door, there is going to be a beautiful lady. 

恶的动物，一只老虎。在另一扇门后，将会有一位漂亮的姑娘。

The wrongdoer must choose one of these doors. If he opens the wrong door, he finds 

干坏事的人必须在这两扇门中选择。假如他开错了门，他就会发现一只老虎。

the tiger. It jumps out and kills him. If he opens the other door, he finds the beautiful 

老虎就会跳出来咬死他。假如他打开了另外一扇门，他就会发现一位漂亮的

young woman. She is to be his wife. They must marry immediately, right here in the 

姑娘。这位姑娘将是他的妻子。他们必须在这里当着我们所有人的面立刻结婚。

stadium before our eyes. After that, they can live happily with us as husband and wife. 

结过婚后，他们就可以作为夫妻和我们一起幸福地生活。

So each wrongdoer must choose very carefully. Before he chooses, he-and we-cannot 

所以，每一个做了坏事的人必须非常小心地选择。在他选择之前，他和我们都不know if he is going to live or die. As soon as he opens one of those two doors, we all 

知道他是去死还是活。他一旦打开两扇门中的一扇门，我们所有的人立刻就能

know immediately. That is my idea. So tell me, my friends, is it a good idea or is it 

知道结果。这就是我的主意。所以，请告诉我，我的朋友，那是个好主意还是

not?’

坏主意？’

‘It is good, O King, it i