The Ant and the Grasshopper
A free A2-level English story for language learners, readable online in 7 languages, with an option to listen via the free Storyteller app.
While industrious ants spend the summer storing food, a carefree grasshopper spends his days making music instead — a choice that catches up with him when winter comes.
One bright day in late autumn a family of Ants were bustling about in the warm sunshine, drying out the grain they had stored up during the summer.
深秋一个晴朗的日子，一群蚂蚁一家正在温暖的阳光下忙碌着，晾晒它们夏天储存起来的粮食。
A starving Grasshopper, his fiddle under his arm, came up and humbly begged for a bite to eat.
一只饥肠辘辘的蚱蜢夹着它的小提琴走了过来，卑微地乞求给它一点吃的。
"What!" cried the Ants in surprise. "Haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?"
“什么！”蚂蚁们惊讶地叫道，“你难道没有为冬天储存一点东西吗？你整个夏天到底都在干什么？”
"I didn't have time to store up any food," whined the Grasshopper. "I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone."
“我没时间储存食物，”蚱蜢哀声说道，“我一直忙着演奏音乐，还没反应过来，夏天就已经过去了。”
The Ants shrugged their shoulders in disgust.
蚂蚁们厌恶地耸了耸肩。
"Making music, were you?" they said. "Very well, now dance!" And they turned their backs on the Grasshopper and went on with their work.
“演奏音乐，是吗？”它们说道，“那好啊，现在就跳舞吧！”说完便转过身去，不再理会蚱蜢，继续忙自己的活儿。
There is a time for work and a time for play.
做事有时，玩乐也有时。
