Lesson 3　Let It Rain　第3课　下雨吧

daughter quench wreaths butter thirsty

Rose. See how it rains！Oh dear, dear, dear！how dull it is！Must I stay in doors all day?

Father. Why, Rose, are you sorry that you had any bread and butter for breakfast, this morning?

Rose. Why, father, what a question！I should be sorry, indeed, if I could not get any.

Father. Are you sorry, my daughter, when you see the flowers and the trees growing in the garden?

Rose. Sorry?No, indeed.Just now, I wished very much to go out and see them，-they look so pretty.

Father. Well, are you sorry when you see the horses, cows, or sheep drinking at the brook to quench their thirst?

Rose. Why, father, you must think I am a cruel girl, to wish that the poor horses that work so hard, the beautiful cows that give so much nice milk, and the pretty lambs should always be thirsty.

Father. Do you not think they would die, if they had no water to drink?

Rose. Yes, sir, I am sure they would.How shocking to think of such a thing！

Father. I thought little Rose was sorry it rained.Do you think the trees and fowers would grow, if they never had any water on them?

Rose. No, indeed, father, they would be dried up by the sun.Then we should not have any pretty flowers to look at, and to make wreaths of for mother.

Father. I thought you were sorry it rained.Rose, what is our bread made of?

Rose. It is made of flour, and the flour is made from wheat, which is ground in the mill.

Father. Yes, Rose, and it was rain that helped to make the wheat grow, and it was water that turned the mill to grind the wheat.I thought little Rose was sorry it rained.

Rose. I did not think of all these things, father.I am truly very glad to see the rain falling.

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罗丝：“爸爸，你看！天下雨了！哦！天啊！真是太无聊了！我今天必须待在家里吗？”

父亲：“你为什么会情绪低落？罗丝，你为今天早上吃的早餐感到难过吗？”

罗丝：“噢！爸爸，您问的是什么问题啊？事实上，如果我没吃早餐才应该感到难过。”

父亲：“那我问你，当你看到花园里盛开的花朵，你会感到难过吗？”

罗丝：“难过？哦，不。现在我倒想出去看看那些美丽的花朵。”

父亲：“当你看到马、羊或者牛在河边喝水解渴的时候，你会感到难过吗？”

罗丝：“爸爸，我为什么要感到难过呢？那些可怜的马拼命地奔跑，奶牛产出那么多鲜奶，还有小羊羔们，如果我希望它们永远处在饥渴的状态，您一定会认为我是一个坏女孩。”

父亲：“如果它们没有水喝的话，你觉得它们会死吗？”

罗丝：“当然，爸爸，我敢肯定。不过，您竟然想这样的事情，真是太让我惊讶了！”

父亲：“我以为你会为下雨而感到难过呢！那你好好想一想，如果没人给小树和花朵浇水的话，它们能活下来吗？”

罗丝：“当然不能，爸爸，如果没人给它们浇水，它们会被太阳晒干的。如果是那样，我们就看不到五颜六色的鲜花了，更别说用这些花给妈妈编花环了。”

父亲：“我以为你会为下雨而感到难过呢！罗丝，我问你，你知道面包是由什么做的吗？”

罗丝：“我当然知道，面包是由面粉做成的，面粉是由小麦做成的，而小麦是由风车磨出来的。”

父亲：“是的，你回答得很正确，罗丝；但是，你要知道，正是雨水帮助小麦茁壮成长，风车在水流的推动下才能研磨小麦。我以为你会为下雨而感到难过。”

罗丝：“爸爸，这些事我从来都没有想过，我现在真的很高兴看到下雨！”