《The Bundle of Sticks》封面

A certain man had several Sons who were always quarrelling with one another, and, try as he might, he could not get them to live together in harmony. So he determined to convince them of their folly by the following means. Bidding them fetch a bundle of sticks, he invited each in turn to break it across his knee. All tried and all failed: and then he undid the bundle, and handed them the sticks one by one, when they had no difficulty at all in breaking them.

有一个人有好几个儿子,他们总是彼此争吵不休,无论他怎么努力,都无法让他们和睦相处。于是他决定用下面的办法让他们明白自己的愚蠢。他让儿子们拿来一捆木棍,然后让他们一个接一个地用膝盖把整捆木棍折断。大家都试了,也都失败了;接着他把那捆木棍解开,把木棍一根一根地分给他们,这时他们毫不费力就把每一根都折断了。

"There, my boys," said he, "united you will be more than a match for your enemies: but if you quarrel and separate, your weakness will put you at the mercy of those who attack you."

“孩子们,你们看,”他说道,“团结起来,你们就足以战胜任何敌人;可要是你们争吵不休、彼此分离,你们的软弱就会让攻击你们的人任意摆布。”

Union is strength.

团结就是力量。

🧠 检验你的理解

  1. What problem does the father have with his sons?

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    答案:They are always quarrelling with one another

    The sons quarrel constantly, and no matter what he tries the father cannot get them to live in harmony.

  2. What happens when each son tries to break the whole bundle of sticks?

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    答案:They all fail

    The father invites each son in turn to break the bundle across his knee, and all of them fail.

  3. What happens when the father hands them the sticks one by one?

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    答案:They have no difficulty breaking them

    Once the bundle is undone, each single stick breaks easily, unlike the bundle as a whole.

  4. What lesson does the father want his sons to learn?

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    答案:United they are strong, but divided they are easily defeated

    The father tells them that united they can match their enemies, but if they quarrel and separate their weakness leaves them at others' mercy.

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